Spooktacular Plans & Character Naming

So I submitted my Saturday night outing idea to the Activity Director (in triplicate, as required - ha, ha!) and I'm pleased to say it's been approved! So this Saturday night, my friends and I are going to attend HalloScream Park at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. It's like four or five Haunted Houses and a huge pumpkin carving exhibit. Then, after getting our scare on, we're going to go dancing at some club. Of course, my original proposal was amended by the Friend Committee so we won't be wearing costumes, but hey - better than nothing, right? (I can always dress up at RT if I feel the urge to costume myself!)

Anyway - I'm pleased. Hopefully it'll be fun or I'll probably be barred from suggested activities in the future... :)

BTW - if anyone is looking for some revenge, make sure you enter Lisa Gardner's Lucky Stiff contest. If you win, you get to name a murder victim in her next book. (Unfortunately you can't send in a complete description of the victim to make it more realistic...) This is kind of unique twist on what I've seen a lot of authors doing lately--auctioning off or holding contests to let readers name their characters.

I've never done this, but I think it's a fun idea and I can see the appeal. My friend Liz Maverick borrowed my name for one of the heroines in her upcoming December chick lit book Card Sharks. (About girls who play poker-check it out!!!) I thought that was pretty cool, actually. To return the favor, the evil vampire in my STAKE THAT! book has been given the name Maverick. (Yes, yes, I get to be the heroine and make her the evil vampire. If you know Liz, you know she'd appreciate that, really.)

Alesia Holliday always puts her kids in her books. Lani Diane Rich used her friend Wanda's name and attributes in TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR. In Lindsay Sands vampire books SINGLE WHITE VAMPIRE and LOVE BITES she has book editor characters named Kate Leaver and Chris Keys (obvious plays on Kate Seaver and Lindsay's own editor Chris Keeslar.) She also adds a cameo appearance of Lady Barrow herself at the RT conference.

I'm sure there are many more examples out there. Some more subtle than others. But it's fun if you're in on the joke. And if not, it doesn't detract from the book.

So you writers out there - do you put friends and family in your books? Have you auctioned off a character's name? And you readers - would you think it'd be fun to have a character be named after you? Would you like winning a contest where you got to do that?

:)
Marianne

Undead and Unreturnable

So about a year and a half ago everyone started talking about this book. A vampire book that was supposed to be really funny. I thought to myself, well, I like vampire books. And I like funny books. So perhaps I should check this book out. It was a small book. Short with a cartoon cover. Funny title, too. "Undead and Unwed."

You may have heard of it. :P

Now MaryJanice Davidson is like uber famous author extraordinaire and the 4th book in her Undead series is hitting store shelves. No longer a slim, small paperback. This time she's got the hardcover treatment. In fact, she's such a star that for the last Undead book I saw in one bookstore that Berkley had even put out limited edition, signed and numbered copies.

You know you've made it when your books have numbers on them.

Yup, MaryJanice has done quite well for herself. But it doesn't surprise me in the least. The series is one of the funniest I've ever read. Betsy, as the reluctant queen of the vampires, is irreverent and hillarious. And her sidekicks are equally amusing. I'm sure this new one will be equally fun.

Here's a blurb:

Even the undead celebrate Christmas, and Betsy is in heaven shopping for gifts.

But all is not merry in the mansion. It?s become infested with ghosts?really needy ones who have no qualms asking Betsy to run errands for them to rectify their pasts. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose, and, being tall and blonde, Betsy perfectly fits his type.

They say Christmas is a time for friends and family. But with a half-sister who?s the devil?s daughter, an evil stepmother, a fiend living in her basement, and assorted spirits and killers running amok, Betsy is not sure she?ll survive the holidays. Oh, right. She?s already dead?

You can go read an excerpt here.

Complaining

Since I have good friends in Florida who get slammed by hurricanes every year I can't really justify complaining about a bunch of rain and wind up in Boston. But at the same time it's sooo annoying. How come we never got a normal New England autumn? You know, where you go and pick apples and drink cider or peep at brilliantly colored leaves while wearing cute orange cashmere sweaters? Why did it go from 80 to 50 in one day? What happened to the sun? Does it not like us? Is it off sulking somewhere because when it was hot and sunny I was complaining about that?

Okay, fine. I'll shut up. :)

But actually...while I'm complaining ... I'm not so happy with Depeche Mode either. One of my favorite bands as a teen -and now they have a new album out and are hitting the road on a worldwide tour. Great, right? Well, I just realized they are NOT PLAYING IN BOSTON. They are playing everywhere else in the universe - including foreign countries I wasn't sure even existed! But not Boston. What's up with that Dave? Martin? You have loyal fans in Boston. We bought all your albums. We wore all black for you. Why won't you come see us? The closest venue is in NYC in December. Which is not really close at all. I am very disapointed. :(

On a more positive note, you know that charity anthology Bewitched, Bothered, and BeVampyred I mentioned the other day? Well, I've been asked to contribute a short story in Volume 2. This time proceeds will go to breast cancer research. Lots of top romance authors involved and I'm very honored to have been asked.

Back to complaining about the rain...

Marianne

Mar the Teacher

This morning I got to play teacher to a bunch of middle school students in New Hampshire. I taught them about the process of writing and publishing a book, had them do a voice exercise, and bribed them with candy to get them to ask lots of questions. :) (I fielded everything from "Where do you get your ideas?" to "Do you like Legos?" (Heck, yeah, I do!! Check out this Lego Viking Castle being attacked by a dragon set!!))

It was fun, but exhausting. I don't know how teachers can be "on" for so many hours a day. I taught three classes and I was sooo tired afterwards. And I even went to bed early the night before!

On Saturday night Activity Director actually let me pick the event of the evening, so I chose movie and drinks. Not as original as say, Superdiamond, but definitely less of a cheese factor. ;-) We saw "A History of Violence" - the new Cronenberg flick. I thought it was pretty good - definitely held my interest. I liked the dark themes of nature vs. nuture and Darwinian evolution of man through violence. Cronenberg always makes you think, that's for sure. Next up I have to see Serenity. I have 3 episodes of Firefly left to watch first though...

Speaking of Joss stuff - Joshilyn Jackson has a great open letter to Joss Whedon on her blog. I'd totally sign my name to that letter. I agree with every last word. Esp the part about it needing to be Spike and Buffy as opposed to Angel and Buffy. I mean come on, Jossy! That should be a given. (But I still love and adore and worship you.)

(Oh - and so Joshilyn, when are we going to play WoW? Us gamer girl authors have to stick together!)

By the way - you know those book trailers I was telling you about on Saturday? Christin Feehan says they're the #1 way she promotes her book. That out of everything she's done, these were the most successful. And I mean, Christine Feehan, people! Obviously the woman knows what she's talking about. I worship at the feet of her marketing genius!!

And lastly - Happy Birthday Jason! This weekend marked the 25th anniversary of the first Friday the 13th horror movie. I LOVE cheesy horror movies and Jason is my ultimate anti-hero. There's just something about the big oaf in the hockey mask that I find so darn cute. I have the dvd box set of all the movies and when Freddy vs. Jason came out, I saw it opening night and cheered on Jason. (My ex cheered Freddy - I should have taken that as a sign... j/k)

Yes, I'm a strange girl. Is this the first blog entry of mine you've read?!?!? ;-)

xoxo
Mar

Book Trailers are Cool

I'm off on a major dog walking excursion with my friends in a few mins, but wanted to pop on and write something so I could keep my "blogging every day" promise.

Have you seen these book trailers? Christine Feehan does them for her books and they're soo cool. A great alternative way to market a book in today's MTV society. I sooo want one! Though being a TV producer, I think I could recruit a photog/editor friend and produce them myself instead of hiring an outside company. (Not that I think I can do better, just that I am poor!) Maybe I'll do one for Boys that Bite. :)

Anyway - check them out and let me know what you think: Circle of Seven Productions.

Mar

More about me! This time alphabetically

Thought this was cool. Stole it off My Space from my ex-boyfriend Craig...

A- Age
31

B- BIRTHDAY
March 2, 1974

C- CURRENT CRUSH
Mal from Firefly

D- DRINK OF CHOICE
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Diet Sprite and Diet Coke

E- EATING CURRENTLY:
Nothing, uh had Cheerios for b-fast.

F- FAVORITE FOOD..
chocolate eclairs - mmmmmm - yum!

G- WHO DO YOU GO TO FOR ADVICE?
Mary and Hank for girl advice. My dad for everything else. :P

H- CURRENT HATRED:
George W
Overly large SUVs
The dumbing down of America
I, uh, could go on...

I- I THINK:
too much for my own good.

J- JOB? :
TV News Producer by day, Author by early morning/night/everywhere in between

K- KIDS?:
Don't have any, but want them someday. At least one.

L- LOVE? :
is equally the best and worst state to be in.

M- MOVIE:
Love them. All types. All genres. Nothing better than curling up on a couch with someone and watching movies. Except maybe playing videogames...

N- YOUR PHONE NUMBER:
I hate the phone. Please email or IM me instead.

O- OVER OR UNDER:
Is this supposed to be some sex question in disguise? Sooo not answering.

P- FAVORITE PERFUME/COLOGNE:
Happy by Clinique. The original kind - not all the new variations.

Q- QUIRK ABOUT YOURSELF?
I'm a geek guy trapped in a girl's body.

R- LAST TIME ON THE ROAD:
NJ writer's conference a couple weeks ago.

S- SCHOOL:
BU grad. Would like to go back and get treaching certificate.

T- TV SHOW?:
Like watching old ones on DVD - Firefly and Black Adder, currently
Fave shows of all time - Buffy, 90210, Twin Peaks

U- COLOR OF YOUR UNDERWEAR:
black

V- LAST TIME YOU WERE IN VEGAS:
7 years old. But may go soon for a weekend with friends...

W- WISHFUL THINKING
NYT Bestselling author who lives in a sweet penthouse in NYC and doesn't have a dayjob.

X- how many x's do you have:
As in ex boyfriends? Huh. Um... 13? Not counting repeats.

Y- YOUR FAVORITE YEAR OF YOUR LIFE?
Hoping it'll be 2006.

Z- ZODIAC
Pisces - and I'm totally like one. Imaginative, sensitive, compassionate, unworldly, intuitive and sympathetic.

Blogging every day. Aren't you proud?

Someone told me recently that because I'd been a blogging slacker (my words not theirs) and didn't post everyday, they'd gotten out of the habit of reading my blog all together. So I've re-commmitted myself to at least post some interesting tidbit each and every day. To keep you all from getting too bored and leaving me. :)

Er, so, now I feel obliged to entertain you. Okay, fine. For starters, check out this link It's a really freaky illusion. Funny how our vision plays tricks on us. I have no idea how it works except to say that I guess we're all in the Matrix...

Next up - have you all seen the cover for Gena Showalter's latest book "Enslave Me Sweetly"? It's the sequel to her awesome "Awaken Me Darkly" Alien Huntress book. And I thought the FIRST cover was hot. Wait til you see cover #2. I bet Gena's going to have more than a few male readers when this is released.

More on my Romance Divas workshop - It's going to be held the week of November 13th in the Romance Divas forum. It'll be mostly forum based, but I think we're going to do a live chat at some point during the week as well. It's free and I promise to be entertaining as well as informative. Topic, for those of you who missed yesterday's blog, is "After the Call." Basically I'll be talking about what happens from the moment you get an offer on your book til the time when it hits store shelves. Even if you haven't sold your book yet, it's information you should know. This way you'll be prepared when everything starts happening really fast!

Have you all read Agent 007's entry about "You've Got the Look: The Author Photo"? Basically she says looks do matter with publishers and if there's no author picture in the book, that's because the author is ugly. Just FYI, Ms. 007 - it could also be cause the author was a slacker and forgot to send in her photo on time! Er, not that I know this from (cough) experience, but I just want to throw out an FYI that even though there won't be a picture of me in Boys that Bite it doesn't mean I've morphed into an ugly troll and my publisher doesn't want anyone to know it. It's like the lack of acknowledgements. It's not that I don't believe anyone helped me with the book. It's just I uh, forgot to write them.

Sad, I know. Ungrateful, faceless author girl is very ashamed. She promises to thank everyone under the sun in "What, No Roses?", even her videogame partner who actually hindered the writing process rather than helped it. In fact, she might even thank random people off the street, just to prove she's really, really grateful...

Oh, by the way, something I AM grateful for - a kick butt review of SK8ER BOY on Romance Reviews Today! w00t!

SK8ER BOY - Mari Mancusi
Smooch
ISBN: 0-8439-5604-6
October
2005
Young Adult
Suburban Massachusetts - Present Day

The student body at Sacred Mary's High School is composed of two kinds of people: the populars and the freaks. Dawn Miller has always been a part of the former. That is, until the day a new girl, Starr, comes to Sacred Mary's. Starr has a punk-rock personality that has never been seen by the likes of the populars. Something beyond her appearance catches Dawn's eye, and makes her want to know more about the different life this girl lives.

One day Starr takes Dawn to Boston and shows her a world she's never seen before. She shows her the underground world of Boston. It's on this trip that Dawn meets Sean, a scruffy skater from the other side of town. As time passes, Dawn finds herself falling hard for Sean, and breaking all the rules in the process. She's now become a player in a very dangerous game. The question is, how long can she play before she loses?

SK8ER BOY is the best reincarnation of the Cinderella story that I have ever read. Dawn has the wit and charm of a princess, the naivete of a child, and yet, she is an unbeatable character that we all can identify with. As you follow her on her quest to win Sean's love, you will see the world revealed through different eyes. Does good triumph over evil? Can you really find Prince Charming? SK8ER BOY gives hope to all of the skeptics out there; it's definitely a book you will want to return to again and again.

Amanda Roberts

Okay, I've sent you a cool link, praised another author, advertised my workshop, apologized for my shortcomings, and bragged about my review. I think I've fulfilled my bloggerly duties for the day! :)
Have a good Thursday...
Mar

Random stuff not as interesting as Diana's

DISCLAIMER:

My blog entry is not going to be as fascinating as Diana Peterfreund's. She's just gotten back from Manhattan and blogs about her oh-so-glamorous trip. There's drinking fancy cocktails, dining on pumpkin and apple soup, viewing Picasos, watching Broadway plays (Spamalot - am sooo jealous. So. Jealous.), and brunching with her editor.

I didn't brunch with my editor this weekend. Nor did I see any Broadway plays or drink any fancy cocktails. No. I went to Superdiamond. I dined at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet with my dad and stepmom. (Which was good, but they didn't serve pumpkin and apple soup!) I met my friend for ice cream. I went to an RWA meeting and ate a grilled cheese sandwich and french fries afterwards (as the diner we went to also did not have pumpkin and apple soup on the menu.)

Hm. My life seems so boring in comparison! :) But then, Diana's finished her book. I have, uh, not. Maybe I can treat myself when The Book That Will Not End finally does.

Tomorrow night my friends and I are actually doing something pretty cool though. It's called StyleFixx and is a show of local designers who have tables where you can buy their really cool clothing, jewelry, etc. When you enter, they give you a bag with lots of free samples of cool stuff and there's a bar so you can literally drink and shop! I mean, why is this event only once a year?

Oh and Activity Director Mary Schwager would like to point out that she organized this event. So yes, sometimes she comes up with some good ideas. But I still haven't completely forgiven her for Surreal Neil...

Oh, more to come on this later, but I'm going to be doing a workshop at Romance Divas. The topic's going to be: "You Got the Call: Now What?" and will basically take you on the journey of first sale to published on-the-shelf book. It's not just for first sale authors, though. This is stuff pre-pubbed writers should know NOW - cause once you make that sale, it's all a whirlwind. This class will get you prepared.

I'll give you more details in the days to come.

So, have you heard about this anthology, BEWITCHED, BOTHERED AND BEVAMPYRED? A bunch of very cool romance authors got together after the tsunami and created this anthology to benefit victims of the tragedy. It used to be an e-book, but now you can buy a print version as well. All proceeds go to the American Red Cross.

One of the stories, "A Dance Through the Garden of Good and Evil" is written by one of my favorite romance authors - Susan Grant. The premiss is this: "When Pastor Harmony Faithfull unknowingly hires a tall, dark, and sexy demon to be the new church groundskeeper, all hell breaks loose."

Then there's "Candy Cox and the Big Bad (Were) Wolf" by PC Cast What a great title!

"Godiva Tawdry casts a spell and burned-out school teacher Candy Cox finds the sexy young were-lover of her dreams. But when she finds out he?s really the pack slut, she sets out to ?teach? him a life lesson. It?s never smart to piss off a woman who makes a career of disciplining teenagers?"

I'm definitely picking up a copy of this book. I mean, paranormal stories from some of my favorite authors AND I can justify spending the $ cause it's for charity. PERFECT!

Okay, my blog entries are getting WAYYY too long.

Mar

ALL ABOUT ME!

ALL ABOUT ME

Found this on Barb Ferrer's site, but I think it's been making the rounds.


1. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at?

My eyes. They're huge and brown and dominate my face. :) Then I look at the usually sad messy state of my hair.

2. How much cash do you have on you?

Uh, $3? I think? And a lot of quarters that I'm saving for next time I get up the energy to do
laundry.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"?

REST. As in, what I don't get enough of.

4. Favorite plant?

Roses. I know that's not very original, but I think they're beautiful. And for some reason I have never been the kind of girl that guys get roses for. Which I feel is very sad actually. Do I come off as a girl who wouldn't like to get roses from a guy? I'm not sure. Maybe so. Or maybe I just pick lousy guys. That's also a distinct possibility. :P But yeah, I was 18 before a guy gave me a rose. (Including my dad who had a fondness for carnations for some reason.) And that guy who gave me my first rose (Eric) had another girlfriend. Which kind of sleezified the gesture, in my opinion. :(

Uh, probably more than you wanted to know, but it's one of those odd disapointments in my life.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?

My dad. (Who is great, despite the carnation fetish.)

6. What is your main ring tone on your phone?

A nice normal ringing tone or vibrate. It used to be THE SAFETY DANCE, but it got embarassing when I was conducting serious interviews for my TV news day job and it'd go off.

7. What shirt are you wearing?

Black camisole top with black velvet fitted blazer

8. Do you "label" yourself?

In Dungeons and Dragons terms I'd be Chaotic Good. :)

9. Name brand of your shoes currently wearing?

Uh, not sure. They're black leather boots though.

10. Bright or Dark Room?

Dark!!! Oh so definitely dark.

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?

Barb Ferrer is a cool person and I can't wait to read her book!

12. Do you know what an 8-track is?

Yup. My parents had some old ones stuffed in a drawer. Andy Gibb maybe?

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Playing World of Warcraft (videogame) OBVIOUSLY. I mean, DUH. ;-)

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?

I don't text. I can't deal with typing in the letters. I'm more of an IM addict than anything else. God help me if I ever get a Blackberry.

15. Do you ever click on Pop-ups or banners?

No!

16. What's a saying that you say a lot?

"What-EVER, dude."

17. Who told you they loved you last?

I **sniff** don't remember! Very sad.

18. Last furry thing you touched?

MOLLY - my very furry dog. She probably told me she loved me last actually. But it was in Dog, so I'm not sure. It could have been FEED ME, now that I think about it...

19. How many hours a week do you work?

40 at day job - and countless on writing job.

20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?

None. Digital, baby.

21. Favorite age you have been so far?

Every age has been good and bad for different reasons, so I can't really choose. I'm pretty zen with being 31 at the moment.

22. Your worst enemy?

Myself, definitely. But hey, I'm also my best friend so I guess it evens out.

23. What is your current desk top picture?

A screenshot of my friend and my characters on World of Warcraft. (Yes, I'm a geek, deal with it.)

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?

"Happy Birthday!" (It's two of our reporters' birthdays today.)

Superdiamond and Pick Up Lines

There's always one in every group of friends. The activity director. The one not content to spend Friday night at the usual haunts where the bartenders know you and give you free drinks. No, the Activity Director scours the paper or online, searching out odd, but possibly fun activites for the group to participate in. Some are really great ideas. Others are, uh, not.

In our group, that's Mary. Mary has dragged us to many, many "interesting" events over the years. And this Friday night was no exception. This Friday night, she decided it would be fun to go see "Superdiamond."

What's Superdiamond? Well, it's a Neil Diamond tribute band, of course. Yes, I know, Neil Diamond isn't even dead and if we had wanted to we could have easily gone to see the real thing. But Mary got it in her head that the tribute band would be a lot of fun and something different to do.

As I walk into the concert area I can feel my coolness points jumping ship like passengers on the Titanic. There is actually a huge crowd - mostly college aged and thirty somethings. At 10pm, the band comes on stage with their open necked, glittery shirts and strike up the first tune.

For some reason it seems to lack the irony that would have made it kitchy instead of horrifying. At least to me. Everyone else seems to be totally into it, so maybe I'm just too cool for my own good. I decide perhaps a stoli raz and cran would make it more enjoyable so I head over to the bar.

It does help a bit. As do the earplugs. Andy (Mary's husband) sticks the earplugs in his mouth. This is more entertaining than the band and so I take a photo. My friend Lisa ponders whether the singer gets a lot of chicks. I am undecided.



I turn back to the band. They're jumping up and down. Singing a Monkees song. I learn something new - that Neil Diamond wrote several Monkees songs. I only knew he was "Coming to America." I decide maybe at least this is a pop cultural learning experience and decide to make the most of it. As you can see, I'm actually smiling at this point, though you can see a slightly haunted look in my eyes.



Until I feel a hand on my shoulder and a voice in my ear.

Eager Pickup Guy: "You don't seem like you're having a good time."

Oh God. Kill me now. Not only do I have to contend with the crooning of a tacky seventies singer wannabe, but now I have to deal with this guy. And for some reason my one word answers do not clue him into the fact that I'm not remotely interested in conversing.

Eager Pickup Guy: (incredulously) "Don't you like Neil Diamond?"
Me: "Uh, no?"

I give him the once over. Decide he looks fairly normal. Wonder why the hell he is here. Does he have an Activity Director friend as well? IS he an Activity Director himself? (This would be no good as you can only have one per group of friends.)

Eager Pickup Guy: "You know, I was going to wear my glitter shirt, but I didn't want to outshine the band."

Me: "Uh, ha ha?" (Please be joking! Please be joking!)

Eager Pickup Guy: (thinks: Now I've got her to laugh. Well, sort of. Anyway - time to make my move!) "You know, there's another band in the other room if you want to go and check them out."

Actually, I have to give Eager Pickup Guy credit. He wasn't overly obnoxious and he did get from opening line to asking me to leave my friends and hang out with him in a few smooth sentences. Problem is, he wasn't reading my body language.

GUYS - if a girl gives you a one word answer and then turns back to watch the band she hates, that's not a sign to keep going!! She's not being coy. Believe me, if he were someone I wanted to hook up with, I would have turned to face him, giggled and smiled, blushed and stared at my feet. I would have played with my hair and swayed from side to side. I might have even answered his question in a complete sentence!

Anyway - I didn't mean to turn this into a pickup lecture, but it just bugs me. I hate being picked up by guys. It's flattering, I guess, but I'm so shy that it makes me feel extremely uncomfortable to have to make conversation with strangers who have the goal of sleeping with me. Also, I'm overly nice and sensitive so I hate rejecting people, but at the same time, I'm extremely picky and so chances are I'm not going to be interested in the person who approaches me.

Does that sound totally snobby? Probably, but I can't help it.

The best pick-up line EVER in my history of pick-up lines was done by this NYC guy named Mike.

I was at a rave at the Rosalind ballroom. The place was packed. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, this cute guy comes up to me, takes my hand, shakes it and says, "Hi, my name is Mike. Nice to meet you." Then, before I can say a word, he disapears into the crowd.

Now this approach works on so many levels. If I hadn't been interested, then he didn't have to deal with any awkward rejection and I, in turn, didn't have to do anything. But if I were interested, well, now I had to go actively search him out. Find him again so I could tell him my name in return and strike up a longer conversation. (Which is what I did)

Anyway - this is a long rambling post about nothing, but it's a Monday, so what can you do?
Marianne

Back from NJ

Hey all, back at work after a nice long weekend, which I spent at the NJ RWA conference. As always it was a great conference and it was nice to catch up with all my writer friends. Especially my dear Michelle Cunnah who wins long distance travel award for flying in from Rotterdam. She and Lani Diane Rich and I sidled up to the bar and had a grand old time. Only one missing was our friend Alesia Holliday. :(

Sometimes when I go to these conferences I end up just socializing and being completely unproductive, but this time I actually went to a few sessions. They had lots of good ones for published writers this year. For example, Sherrylin Kenyon (who I could listen to reading the phone book she's so interesting) did a session on promotion. I want her website! (And her fans, while I'm at it. heh)

I showed Sherrylin my cover for "Boys that Bite" and she suggested I get "BITE ME" pins made. (Like the pin the girl is wearing on the cover.) That should have been obvious, but I hadn't even thought of it!!! DUH. I think I am seriously promotionally challenged. Ah well. That's why we go to conferences, I guess.

Eloisa James did two great sesssions - one with Madeline Hunter on deceiphering royalty statements, etc. and one on being a businesswoman as well as a writer. I really learned a lot and came away inspired.

Oh - and I'm pleased to say I didn't chuck chickens at any editors the whole time. And I even dressed professionally. :) I must be (sniff) growing up!! I did, however, take a photo of the conference chicken as I was not sure if Liz brought her camera... I'm totally lazy today so I'll upload and post it later.

MAR

Tuesday Thoughts

For those of you who are writers, when you create a character, do you decide what they are like or do you find them revealing themselves to you slowly as you get to know them better? In the past, I've tried to manipulate my characters - written out style sheets (fave music, fave food, etc.) and yet I find that never really works. The best way for me to really understand a character is to throw him or her in a scene and see what he/she does. I'm often quite delighted with the results.

Anyway - one of my secondary characters in "A Time to Roar" just revealed her HUGE secret to me yesterday. I was shocked! I had no idea that's why she had been acting as she did. But now that I know, it all makes perfect sense and explains a lot. I'm really glad she "told" me, because it actually adds a great little subplot to the book. Poor thing - it's a difficult secret for her to live with, but my heroine will do her best to help her get through it, I'm sure. (Even though it will be a bit awkward.)

In other news, today is the day I decided to make my seasonal switch from flip flops to boots. I can't believe I was able to last in flips this long - it's freaking October! Crazy. Anyone who says global warming is a myth...

Actually I love the fall in New England. You get to wear the best clothes. :) And since all my clothes burned this summer in the fire, I've got all new fall clothes to wear!! And even better - all new fall boots!!! Yay! (See, I am managing to look at the bright side of things.)

Let's see, what else? Oh - did any of you read these books as a kid? They're called HeartQuest and they were Choose Your Own Adventure fantasy books for girls. You got to be a tough kick butt fighter or mage or elf - just like a Dungeons and Dragons character - except there was always a sexy love interest (or two) that came along on the adventure. It was the perfect combo for me - a tomboy who deep down wanted to still be a girl. :)

Wow - everyone's talking about Serenity, huh?! And how absolutely brilliant it is? I can't wait to see it. But I'm trying to watch all of the Firefly episodes first. I did go see "Thumbsucker" this weekend, which I thought was great. But then I like deep, thoughtful, depressing movies. There's something beautiful about them.

Okay I'll let you get on with your day! :)

Marianne

Perversions

I stole this from Alesia Holliday on Literary Chicks. I'd have just answered in her comments section, but you have to register for that and I'm just too darn lazy to do anything that requires registration.

1) What's your Perversion?

Alesia admits to Hobbit fancying, which I find just a tad bit horrifying. Another poster is a little tamer with her desire for men with accents. (Not sure why this is perverse though...) The third poster wants a dumb, but good looking guy with long hair who knows to keep his mouth shut.

Wow. I guess I'm glad it takes all types to make the world go round and all that!!! That one girl's Adonis is another girl's Bilbo Baggins. (Which, I guess for Alesia wouldn't be a bad thing...) I, for one, could not stand the cute, dumb, quiet kind of guy. I mean, really. Simple, lovable and loyal? Bleh! In five minutes I'd want to smack him.

Anyway - for me, it's geeks. Seriously - I don't know what it is, but a guy talking geeky to me is a major turn on. Bonus points if he's a gamer geek. Then I could say, "OH YEAH! GANK ME, BABY!" and not feel weird. (Um, if you don't know, don't ask. And if you do, then no, I've never really said that. At least out loud... heh heh.)

Of course he still has to be cute. Pocket Protector wearing geeks need not apply. Sorry, but life's unfair like that. A good example of my type of geek would be Johnny Lee Miller's character in "Hackers." Yum!

Moving on to question two:

2) What movie character would you'd most like to take to bed?

This one's easy. Christian (Ewan McGregor) in Moulin Rouge. Gah - when he sings to Satine, "How wonderful life is, now that you're in the world" I swoon every single time. I could picture Christian and I making tortured, beautiful love until the sun came up over the horizon. Maybe he'd even cry in my arms from the ecstasy and beauty of it all. :P (NOTE: This may seem quite horrifying to those of you who love big, burly Alpha men. But these are MY perversions, remember?)

3) Who is the movie character you'd most like to take to dinner?

Troy (Ethan Hawke) from Reality Bites. He's so bitingly witty and every word out of his mouth is a twisted pop culture reference. He's the quintessential Gen X poster boy. Achingly intelligent, yet tortured and misunderstood. I could cleverly banter for hours or conduct deep discussions on existential crisises and the meaning of the universe. (42)

Of course, I wouldn't be totally shattered if we ended up hooking up after dinner either. :P

Okay, there you go! My perversions! Anyone else want to share???
MAR

Ducking from reviews

I'm finally breathing easier. I think I've somehow ducked under Mrs. Giggles' radar. I had been living in fear since CT Fashionista came out that she would find it and trash it. Not that I don't respect Mrs. Giggles. I think her reviews are always entertaining and often brilliant. And she always defends her statements quite well, I think.

That said, I don't think it's a book she'd particularly care for and I was petrified to find out the details as to why. At the same time, I'm a bit disapointed, as I think it would have been fascinating, in a perverse sort of way, to see my work be torn apart section by section. Ah well. Maybe she will discover me next July when next adult romance comes out. And hey - that one may be a little bit more up her alley. (I hope!)

In the meantime, since we're talking reviews, I received an excellent review today for SK8ER BOY.

Good girl Dawn Miller has been living under her father's guidance for way too long. She's signed up for a bajillion after-school activities in an attempt to make it into her father's alma mater. She hangs out with the totally trendy Populars, who only acknowledge the presence of those who wear pink. And she's dated the rich, popular jocks - such as the current bore, Brent Baker III - who are more obnoxious than a five-year-old kid on a sugar high. Just for once, Dawn wants to see what it's like to live her life by her own rules. She wants to see what it's like to leave behind the good girl persona, and embrace the life of a bad girl. One who meets all kinds of cool new people, like Starr, the headmaster's totally punk-rock daughter; and pierces her bellybutton without permission. She wants to date a hot skater boy from the wrong side of the tracks whom her parents hate, and fall in love via text messaging with said skater boy. And this year, that's exactly what Dawn plans on doing...

Amazing. That's the only way to describe Mari Mancusi's SK8ER BOY. SK8ER BOY contains all the elements that will make pre-teen and teen girls rush out to bookstores to get their hands on Mancusi's debut: rebellion, hot guys, pierced bellybuttons, and text messaging. Each character possesses their own look-at-me attention-grabbing antics that will keep readers turning pages, and begging for more. Featuring actual text messages between Dawn and her skater boy, Sean, that will make readers think of the Hilary Duff/Chad Michael Murray romance depicted
in the movie A CINDERELLA STORY, SK8ER BOY is a marvelous book that must hold a place in everyone's library.

Isn't that great! I'm sooo psyched she liked it!!! I hope everyone does as this book is semi-autobiographical and thus holds a special place in my heart. :)

Mar

Monday BLEH

Bleh. Monday. I hate Monday. Even more so do I hate this particular Monday since I had such an excellent weekend. But what can you do? Fun ends and real life goes on.

On Friday I went to see friend and fellow writer Jennifer O'Connell read/sign her new NAL book "Off the Record." It sounds like such a cute story - about this girl who finds out a famous one-hit-wonder 80s song was written about her. I'm looking forward to reading it. Jennifer's such a cool girl, too. I love it when writers are as fun as the books they pen.

In other news - SK8ER BOY is now shipping from Amazon!! Woot! Buy, buy, buy!! :)

AND it's less than 2 weeks til the New Jersey RWA conference. This will be my 3rd year attending. My first year was the year I pitched CT Fashionista to an agent. It was the first time I'd ever done a pitch and I was soooo nervous!! I guess I didn't totally blow it though, considering the agent signed me a month later and we're still together today!! ;-) I can't believe that was two years ago!! It seems both like yesterday and a million years ago all at the same time.

Anyway - hope to see some of you at the conference. I'll be the professional romance author wearing a suit and drinking diet coke in the lounge who attends conferences to further her writing career through a series of networking exercises and who would never, ever, EVER even consider getting drunk and shooting plastic chickens at her editor in the bar.

Yup. That's me. Angelic and professional.

Really!

Um, stop laughing!

STOP IT!!!

:)
Mar

Google Games

Things are a bit dead at work since hurricane Rita is taking up most of the coverage and we who do fluffy feature stories are bumped for more important hurricane news. (Which is better than, let's say, being bumped for breaking Britney baby news.) That said, I'm not sorry that it's Friday!

So 2 more blasts from the past have contacted me through my blog! The wife of an ex-boyfriend and a high school acquaintance who had googled my friend Suzanne's name and asked if he could contact her through me! I'm beginning to think there's something to all of this.

So - scientific experiment time. The following are names of people I knew in the past and have lost touch with. Perhaps they will GOOGLE themselves, find their names, and email me. I'll let you know my results in a month or so.

Gretchen Sgorous
Jaimie Cameron
Jason Rawn
Jamie Shirley
Chris Griffin / Christopher Griffin
Eric Ziko
Haas Rogers
Pam Davis / Pamela Davis
Russ Little / Russell Little
Ewan McGregor (heh, heh - just had to throw that last on in for good measure :P)

There we go! Let the GOOGLE games begin!!! :)

Happy Friday!
Mar

Lame, Yet Productive

I was so completely lame this weekend. I didn't go out, I skipped the party I was invited to, and all I did was clean my apartment, watch movies, and play massive quantities of videogames.

Okay, that's not entirely true. I also went to my RWA meeting and got to hear chick lit goddess Melissa Senate speak. She talked about her days as senior editor at Harlequin and gave out all the dirty secrets that editors don't want writers to know. :P

I also wrote the synopsis to "Stake That" - the sequel to "Boys that Bite" and of course worked on my "What, No Roses?" book.

So technically I may be lame, but I am also productive. :)

Next weekend I'm going to the local Ren. Faire, which I'm very excited about!!! It's the same faire I based the beginning of CT Fashionista on. :) Should be fun! But don't worry - I'll avoid all gypsy curses and flying lances and I won't be wearing Manolo Blahnik shoes to traipse through the mud. :) (As if I owned any anyways!)

Mar

Sleeping with SK8ER BOY!

Happy Friday everyone!

This week actually went by rather fast so I can't really complain. And it's pay day - added bonus. :) But the thing I'm really, really excited about? Today's the day I get to hold my 2nd book "SK8ER BOY" in my hot little hands. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while might remember that when I got my copy of CT Fashionista, I slept with it that first night. I'm undecided whether SK8ER BOY will get the same under-the-pillow treatment...But I am very excited about getting it all the same.

This weekend I have to finish and polish the synopsis of my second Berkley book, "Stake That!" It's the sequel to "Boys that Bite" and is scheduled for a December 2006 release. It's very odd to now be in a position where I know when the book will be released before the book actually exists. For example, the book I'm working on now, "What, No Roses?" is out in July! Gah.

Speaking of, I'm really enjoying writing "Roses" now. I think when you first come up with an idea for a book you get very excited. Then you start writing and realize it's harder than you thought. The reason? Maybe you don't know the characters very well. Maybe they refuse to be who you had imagined them to be. But as you spend more time each day exploring them, living in their world and watching them react to one another, you start getting a better feel for them and thus the book itself. It's at that point you can relax and start enjoying the process of writing. At least that's how it is for me. Now I'm at that delicious point where I think about the book all the time and am burning to work on it. I hope that continues. (It, um, better, considering I have to finish it by November.)

Anyway - enough boring writer blab.

Oh - almost forgot! I have a critique up for auction on Romaid.net to benefit Larissa Ione, who lost all she had in Katrina. It ends in 3 days and is only about $15.50 at the moment. I'd love to help raise as much money as possible so if you are looking for a critique, please go over and bid. I'm totally worth more than 15 bucks--really (!!) -- and so is the cause!!!

Anyway - happy weekend everyone! I've got a rooftop party to go to on Saturday night and Sunday my friend and fellow chick lit author Melissa Senate is speaking at the New England RWA meeting.

And tonight, I'll be taking my SK8ER BOY to bed. (Wow, that sounds so dirty, huh? heh heh)

Ciao!
Marianne

Gena Envy

There are some writers who just make you sooo jealous. It may be their great covers. Or their multi-book deals with several publishers. Or it might be the fact that they seem to publish a new great book every month. :)

Gena Showalter is one of those authors. She's talented, she's funny, she's even (grumble) a really cool person that you can't help but like! And she writes a 60,000 word book in a week. How is that fair to the rest of us mere mortals?

I'm so stealing her muse when she's not looking.

Anyway make sure you check out Gena's new one - Heart of the Dragon. It's an HQN paranormal and it sounds (sigh) fabulous. I mean it's got a sexy Dragon hero (I've always had a thing for dragon heroes - MUCH more hot IMO than werewolves, who just seem...hairy. Ew.) and it's got the mythical Kingdom of Atlantis. (Which ever since reading Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Fall of Atlantis" (one of my Top 27 books of all time!) I have totally had a thing for.)

But don't take my word for it. Here's the summary and you can find an excerpt here.

He'll make you burn?

He is a Dragon, a rare breed of warriors able to transform into the legendary creature at will. Though the mighty warlord breathes fear into the minds of his enemies and fire into the blood of his women, no one has ever stirred his heart -- until he encounters Grace Carlyle of modern day Earth. He burns to possess this proud, alluring beauty...but he has sworn to kill her.

Journey to the mythical world of Atlantis, where the gods' hid their greatest mistakes -- the vampires, demons, dragons, and other creatures of legend -- and experience white-hot passion, exciting adventure, and a love that defies the boundaries of time and magic.

Now please excuse me, I've got a muse kidnapping to organize...
Marianne

Weekend, Auctions, and Long Lost Friends

The thing that sucks about having a decent weekend is that on Monday it ends and you have to go back to work. But hey, such is life, right?

Saturday I gave my speech on "Writing and Selling YA Fiction" to the Rhode Island Writers group. Great group of women and I thought the session went well. I'm giving another YA talk in November at the ColoNY chapter. (Southern Connecticut RWA chapter) at a library and it's open to the public. More info on a later date.

Saturday night I went to a very fun party/cookout at my friend Lisa's house. She has a gorgeous place with a nice yard and had lit the tiki torches. :) Fun, fun.

The inital auctions for Larissa Ione are up on eBay, courtesty of Romaid. More auctions will be put up all this week. If you've been dying for an autographed copy of my "A Connecticut Fashionista in King Arthur's Court" now's your chance. ;-) It's only going for $8.50 right now. Bargain! And here's an unadvertised enticement for you blog readers - if you win and mention this blog entry, I'll throw in a free signed copy of Sk8er Boy, my YA that's out next month. So - that's two books - plus helping a great cause. Bid now! Bid high! Bid often! :)

A long lost, but really good friend of mine emailed me this weekend, wanting to reconnect. I was so excited cause she's great and I've totally missed talking to her. (She lives in LA, which is why we've sort of lost touch.) Anyway - in her email, she said she went through and read my entire blog, so she already knows what's been up with me! Bonus! Now I don't have to go through all the crazy twists and turns my life has gone through the past 6 months or so. Okay, sure, I do have a few things going on that I don't post online, but would share with close friends, but still - the blog thing is a very interesting way to keep people - even ones you don't think about reaching - in touch with your life.

That said, I wonder how many ex-boyfriends are checking up on me... ugh.

Of course I did this to an ex-boyfriend type myself about eight years ago. The guy in question didn't have a blog, but I did manage to track him down online anyway. He was shocked that I'd found him and we ended up rekindling our once torrid college romance for a brief time. And though it didn't end up working out - (he'd somehow managed to cure himself of Marianne Obsession in the years we'd been apart. Very sad.) it was still fun to hook up, even briefly. (Esp since he's a totally cute blue eyed surfer!!) Hm...I wonder if I mentioned his name in my blog if he'd GOOGLE himself and find me... :)

Meh, maybe some past crushes are better left as good memories. :P

Soo... have you guys ever received an email you out of the blue cause of your blog? Or maybe someone found you or you found them through the power of cyberspace? Do spill!!

Mar

TGIF - and a few Florida pics

Happy Friday everyone!

It was a short week, but that doesn't mean I'm less pleased that the weekend is here! I don't have any huge plans - I'm speaking at the Rhode Island Romance Writers group on Writing and Selling YA tomorrow and then tomorrow night there's a party I might go to at my friend Lisa's house. But other than that, I plan to lay low. After my Floridian weekend of hedonism I need some downtime.

Oh speaking of Florida - here are a couple pics... Click for a larger image.

Me, Ali and Bobby hanging out at Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett restaurant at Universal Studio's City Walk)

Me and Baby Ian catching some rays at Disney's Polynesian Hotel. Isn't he a cutie?

Ali and I doin' a little cage dancin' at the Knock Knock Club in downtown Orlando. Yeah Bay-bee!

So as you can see there was a large variety of fun that was had. But now it's time to buckle down and finish my current book - "What, No Roses?" It's a time travel to 1929 and has action, comedy and hot, hot romance. And now that I'm back in the swing of things, I'm happy to report that it's going swimmingly. CHEER! Look for it in July 2006 as part of Dorchester's Vintage Romance series. :)

Have a great weekend!
Marianne

PS While I'm shamelessly self promoting - don't forget to pre-order your copy of SK8ER BOY for the teen or tween in your life. :)

Back from Florida

Actually I was back Tuesday, but I've been a blog slacker. I do have fun pictures to post, which I can do later. In all, it was a very fun weekend. :) My friends' baby is sooo cute. Well, you'll see when I post the pics.

On Saturday I'll be speaking about writing YA at the Rhode Island Romance Writers meeting. If anyone is in the area, I'd love for you to stop by. More info can be found here.

And speaking of YA - Sk8er Boy will be out very, very soon! Yay! This story is particularly close to my heart as much of it is autobiographical from my teenage years. I hope you'll get a chance to check it out. You can find an excerpt here.

Finally, on the Out of this Blogosphere front, we've got a new read from one of my favorite authors - MaryJanice Davidson. It's a Kensington Brava release, so it's bound to be hot, hot, hot!

REALLY UNUSUAL BAD BOYS by MaryJanice Davidson
(Brava, September 2005)

THEY'RE JUST THE SEXY BOYS NEXT DOOR.
IF NEXT DOOR IS A WEIRD, WEIRD PLACE.

Meet Damon, Maltese, and Shakar - three noble brothers from an enchanted kingdom where wooing and pleasuring is practically a royal commandment. They're hot. Irresistible. And just a little different. But what woman doesn't like a guy with a few surprises?

Excerpt can be found here.

--

OKAY - must get ready for work. Tonight my friends and I are going to a booksigning at the Armani Cafe for some Pocket Downtown Press chick lit author. (I forget her name off the top of my head - it's no one I've ever met.) But should be fun.

Marianne

Off to Florida - Stuff for you to do

I know it's a weird time of year to head to Florida, but I go every year around this time to visit my friends who live down there. I'll be back on Tuesday and I promise to take lots of pics. :)

In the meantime, if you're looking for a substitute to my oh-so-exciting blog'age, here are a few suggestions:

For a political fix, check out Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez. She used to be a reporter at the Boston Globe and turned chick lit author. (She wrote the Dirty Girls Social Club which I believe is going to be a J-Lo movie...) Anyway, I recently found her blog and it's awesome. Political, thought-provoking, and at times so, so funny! (I especially love the entry about gay straight men.) Recently she's been posting stuff about the Katrina aftermath that just makes me want to cry in the same way I did after watching Fahrenheit 911.

If you're in the market for an editor, Romance Divas has a spotlight interview with my Dorchester editor Chris Keeslar. Learn what we writers can do to make our editors happy. (Probably not blog about them or post goofy pictures! Gah!)

Then, go wish Gena Showalter a happy birthday. The bitch is a year younger than me and beautiful, but her virtual b-day bash features naked men and beer so I guess I can forgive her.

After that, head over and wish poor Larissa well. And send her money while you're at it. She lost everything in Katrina except what she could pack in her car. I noticed she posted an update today on her situation. Man, this is all soo soo sad! I mean what I went through with my house seemed terrible at the time, but I had a warm, dry, safe place to sleep. People to take care of me. These people have NOTHING! NOTHING! It's mind-blowingly bad! I can't even wrap my head around it. Please, please do what you can to help. I don't care that I'm rebuilding myself. I'm sending money.

And finally, because even during tragedy it's okay to give ourselves permission to smile, here's a little website I found called "The Sheep Dance."

Have a good Labor Day weekend!!
xoxoxo
Mar

More on Paying it Forward

Another writer needs our help! Larissa Ione lost everything when hurricane Katrina hit her Mississippi home. Luckily she and her family are okay, but just like me they've lost everything. I know how horrible this is from personal experience and my heart goes out to her and her family.

Anyway - there's a relief effort in the works by Larissa's friends at Access Romance and another auction on the way! So if you missed out on scoring a critique or books from my auction, you have a second chance. There's some great people up for grabs, too. Editors from Kensington, Pocket, Harlequin, etc.

I'll be volunteering a critique myself and signed books. I know I'm not a huge name author/editor/agent like some on the list, but I've been told I'm a kick ass critiquer. :) So if you write chick lit or YA and want some help, please bid on me!! I want to do as much as I can to help Larissa.

Here's the link to RomAid. They're also taking monetary/gift card type donations.

Sigh. When will the tragedy all end?

Marianne

Paying it Forward

Hi all,

When my house got destroyed by fire, so many of you sent me gift cards and money and care packages. It was overwhelming and wonderful to have such a caring group looking out for me and made it so much easier to rebuild.

Now there are others who are facing far worse situations in the southern part of our country thanks to Katrina. It's heartbreaking to see the video and hear the stories of people whose lives have been devastated by Mother Nature.

One of my dearest friends back from my high school days, Suzanne St. Amand, has been living in New Orleans for the past few years. She's a wonderful, amazing, smart, talented person and I adore her. She's also a singer and before she moved to New Orleans, she was in a successful local Boston band called Violet Tide.

Anyway - when the hurricane hit, Suzanne took refuge at the hospital she worked at. (She teaches music therapy to children.) Now the hospital is being evacuated and there's been reports of people looting the place as well. So Suzanne is driving up to Wisconsin to be with her fiance. She doesn't have much to bring with her in terms of personal posessions or clothes.

Well, when I heard about this, and the fact that a couple friends wanted to put together a care package for her, my first thought was about all the support I'd received in my own recent homeless situation. And I decided I wanted to help Suzanne the way others have helped me. So it's my turn to send gift cards. And I want you to know that I'm doing it honor of all of you. Paying it forward, if you will, to help someone else who is now in greater need.

So, thank you again for all your well wishes and care packages. If any of you were still considering sending something to me, I would ask that you send it to hurricane victims instead. (Or send it to me to forward along.) I am doing great. I have everything I need to get by. And now others need the help so much more badly.

Someone has compiled a list of hurricane victims who are also writers. You can find it here. These are people who have "checked in" and are all right. But many of them may have suffered huge losses just the same.

Thanks for listening.
xoxoxo
Mar

Garden of Eden

It's September 1st. Fall's on the way. But there's no reason to start shivering. Instead, I suggest you turn up the heat with this sexy futuristic from one of our fine Out of the Blogosphere authors, Jaci Burton. It's got aliens. It's got spaceships. It's got hot sex. I mean, really, what more can you want from a story?

"Garden of Eden"

featured in ELLORA?S CAVEMEN: LEGENDARY TAILS II

by Jaci Burton

Dr. Eden Mason has spent the past hundred years orbiting the Earth in stasis. Since a nuclear war destroyed everything, she and the other inhabitants of the space pods are the only survivors of the global meltdown.

One special passenger has joined them-Adam-an alien sent to recreate what was once a thriving, beautiful planet. But Adam needs Eden to fulfill his goal, in a way she never expected. Adam has loved Eden since he first came to Earth, but her father refused to allow him to meet her. Instead, the brilliant scientist kept Adam secluded while they engineered a way to save some of Earth's inhabitants before the inevitable destruction. Now Adam can touch Eden, taste her, love her like he's always wanted to, at the same time fulfilling his duty to revitalize the planet.

His love for her is energizing and Eden begins to hope that life on new Earth will be a lush garden of sensual pleasures. But Adam's not telling her everything that will happen, and his secret may end up destroying them both.

Sound intriguing? You can find an excerpt here.

:)
Mar

Hiding from St. Anthony

I live in the North End now, which is the Italian district of Boston. And this weekend is St. Anthony's feast. I'm not entirely positive who St. Anthony was, but evidently he was a popular guy, judging by how many people have shown up to his feast. (Or maybe it's just all that yummy Italian food up for grabs!) The streets are packed. The Italian music (and of course the Sinatra) is blaring. The smells are overwhelmingly good. And everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) is out and about.

Except me.

Okay, I have gone out and walked around for a bit last night and tonight. Ate some food. Checked out the sights and sounds and the giant Turkey Hill ice cream cow. ("Giant Cows are cool!") But after ten minutes or so I was more than happy to head back and hole up in my apartment and play online videogames with a far away friend (last night) and cuddle with my dog to watch movies (tonight). I don't know why, exactly, but I'm feeling a bit antisocial as of late. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, maybe antisocial is the wrong word all together. Maybe it's me finding peace and contentment with myself. Or maybe my mind/body just needs some downtime from this "go, go, go" lifestyle I usually throw myself into. Maybe I just need a little "me" time after all that's happened.

Also, I'm 31, not 18. I shouldn't feel guilty staying in on a weekend night, right?

Today was actually pretty productive writing wise. I did all the copy edits for my Berkley book "Boys that Bite." I worked on my current WIP, "What, No Roses?" And I even started writing up a proposal for a brand new project I'm hoping to pitch soon. (Which, sadly, I can't tell you about yet, but it's really, really cool!!! (um, if I do say so myself...))

Oh and speaking of writing---I found out I got a Romantic Times 4 Star review for my October YA book "Sk8er Boy"!!! Woot!!!! I'm so thrilled. It's a great review too:

Young Adult (12 & up)
SK8ER BOY
Mari Mancusi
Smooch HHHH

Bored by her shopping-obsessed friends and overwhelmed by the nonstop extracurriculars her parents are convinced she needs to get into Harvard, 15-year-old Dawn Miller decides she needs a change when she meets new girl Starr.

Now, instead of going to yearbook committee and Japanese lessons, she's hanging out with Starr downtown watching skateboarders in a parking garage and praying she doesn't get caught by "The Evil Ones"--aka, her parents.

But even getting caught would be worth it once she meets super-hot "Sk8er Boy" Sean McNally, who's smart and sweet and totally gets her. But she¹s not allowed to date yet, and her parents will never go for a boy from the wrong side of town.

Mancusi has scored a hit. Dawn is likeable, and any teen girl--wealthy or not--should identify with her typical problems. From boys to friends to parents, the author covers it all. She even manages to include one or two deeper messages in the form of "straight edge" teens and a "perfect" wealthy boy who turns out to be a real jerk. (Oct., 208pp., $5.99) Alexandra Kay

Pretty cool, huh? I'm so excited to get such a great review. Now, I just can't wait to see what actual kids think of it!!! :)

Happy Saturday!
Marianne

Reno Photos (at last)

I promised you photos from Reno. I know by now you're probably like, "Reno? Wow that was so long ago I barely remember it!" But hey - better late than never...

Click on any photo to see a larger image:

First up: Before we even went to Reno, Liz Maverick and I signed books in Northern California.

Here's me at the Literacy Signing. I met so many cool people there! And don't let my innocent smile fool you - I've stashed an In-N-Out burger underneath my table for inter-signing snacking. :)

All that signing sure made me thirsty. So time to head to the bar with fellow authors Jade Lee, Melanie Jackson and Karen Kendall.

After a drink we headed to the Prisms where Dorchester authors cleaned up. Here's me and Liz with the fabulous Susan Grant.

We also spent some time hanging around with Dorch's newest editor - the lovely Leah Hultenschmidt. (She's a Red Sox fan, just FYI!)

Of course we couldn't just play the WHOLE conference. After all, we had writing to do. And the bar was the perfect place to write and spy...

Friday night we attended the publisher parties where Liz checked out the infamous conference chicken. Note the rubber chicken in her hand - courtesy of "Juicy Peach" Gena Showalter. I'd tell you what that chicken does when you squeeze it, but you might lose your appetite...

After a few glasses of wine, my editor Chris Keeslar and I thought it'd be amusing to take photos of eachother taking photos of...eachother. Um, yeah.

Later, after even more wine, Liz and I decided it would be even more amusing to shoot eachother with Chicken Chuckers. Yes, those plastic guns you see there shoot rubber chickens. Yes, I know you're going to keep us away from the conference chardonnay next year.

So there you have it. My adventures in Reno! In all, I had a blast! Can't wait til next year.

Marianne

Happy Dog

I know a lot of you have expressed your concerns about my dog Molly and how's she's settling in to our new place. Well, a picture's worth a thousand words...

Thanks to everyone who asked after her and sent toys, bones, and PetCo gift cards. :)

Marianne

CT Fash versus Amazon Reviewers

First of all, I'd like to say I don't really mind bad Amazon reviews. I mean sure, I like good ones better, but I understand the nature of the beast. I mean you go have a good experience at a restaurant, you enjoy it and then go on with your life. The waiter spills something on your lap and your filet is overcooked - you write a letter to complain. So you're bound to get bad reviews from time to time. And hey - in a way it's a compliment to get really bad ones. Because it means your book ilicited a strong response from the reader. Evidently lately I've been soliciting a LOT of strong responses. :(

CT Fashionista is written in a very specific voice. A brash chick lit tone, if you will. So it's not going to resonate with everyone. Some people are going to hate that style. Problem is, since it was published in a straight romance line (Love Spell) I knew I was bound to get a few people who had never read or never liked chick lit to pick it up by accident, believing it was a paranormal romantic comedy time travel. And on the other end, get some total Arthurian history buffs who are going to be outraged how I satirized their precious legend.

Anyway - that said, you have just GOT to read this Amazon review I got over the weekend. Seriously, this person has some major issues!! It's sooo funny how she trashes not only my book, but me as an author and even me as a PERSON.

Some highlights below. I had originally thought to snarkily comment on them, but then I decided they pretty much speak for themselves. :)

• If I were the publisher? I would have fired the editor or at least docked thier pay for every "Like" this writer used in this awful tome.

• I do think the author feels superior over anyone who would pick up this book to read, Her supercilious tone about everything comes through her 1 dimensional character. I felt no inkling of empathy for this whiney woman who was supposed to be oh so savvy.

• If I were the Producers of "Sex in the City" I would sue the author for plagiarism.

• Please don't waste your time on this banal effort of some spoiled city dweller who thinks to cash in on the "Going to the Past Romance"

• I doubt this author has EVER been in love, except when she saw a sale on yet another pair of slim black pants.

Heh. You just gotta laugh at reviews like this. And not count on this person to buy the sequel.

And, of course, keep, like, writing the way you want to, like, write. Even if it's going to, like, piss some people off. :D

Marianne - who, by the way, sees nothing wrong with falling in love with a good slim black pants sale!

Cocooning

So the last couple of nights I've been what a friend of mine calls "cocooning" in my new apartment. I'd worn myself out shopping and lugging stuff back to my apartment and then spending all night trying to insert tab A into slot B, etc. The activities and the stress were beginning to make me feel extremely run down and on the verge of getting sick. I always do this to myself - I completely overdo it - go go go - rushing through life without a rest.

So I forced myself to take the last two days off. I was not to go to Target. I was not to assemble objects at home or hang curtains or hammer any pictures onto the wall. I was not to go out with friends for drinks or dinner. I was to cook food at home and watch the entire first season of "The OC" (yes, I know, all geeky cool points I've acquired have now gone right out the window!) and just enjoy my new place.

And surprisingly -it's been amazingly nice. It's quiet and cozy and Molly cuddles with me on the couch. I feel very relaxed and not a bit antsy. (Which is saying a lot for me, who is the queen of antsy and easily bored.) I could totally get used to this living alone thing. No one to bug you. No one to tell you you're a slob or that you need to remember to turn out the bathroom light or that watching 4 hours straight of The OC is pretty sad. It's peaceful. It's relaxing. And if I feel the need to chatter, I can always pick up the phone and call people. So I don't even feel a bit lonely.

Yup. I discovered I love living alone. I never, ever have before. This is the first time there's been no roommate. No boyfriend. No husband. Just me and Molly. It's great. I could really get into it.

But lest you start fearing for my future as the crazy cat lady, I do plan to get out this weekend. On Saturday, there's dog walks and pedicures and Batman Begins on the IMAX theater. (I've already seen it, but I'm all up for seeing Christian Bale on the big, BIG screen.) Then we're going out for dinner/drinks. And on Sunday I'm going to my New England RWA meeting. So never fear - there are some social activities listed on Marianne's schedule.

Until my new computer arrives, of course. Then I'm no longer cocooning. I'm bricking myself in til I get all my geeky cool points back.

Marianne

I need a new celebrity crush!

So with all the fire news, I didn't get a chance to mention my recent opportunity to do celebrity interviews on the red carpet for the premiere of Four Brothers last week. It was a pretty fun experience to be on the right side of the velvet ropes and actually get paid to interview one of my favorite movie star hotties - Mark Wahlberg - aka Markey Mark.

That said, I gotta tell you - I was severely disapointed by meeting Mark Wahlberg in real life. From growing up with him - on stage rapping, dropping his drawers in Calvin Klein ads, and acting in classic movies like Boogie Nights - I had long drooled over his perfectly sculptured chest and boyish smile.

But in real life? He's not all that impressive. At least not when I interviewed him. I mean, who knows? Maybe he had a rough night. He spent it in his home town of Boston - so maybe there was a huge rager of a party and he was still recovering. But he didn't look all that good to me. He looked tired. With a bad haircut. And short. And pretty nondescript, to tell you the truth. Just kind of, meh.

So he's off my list. As are a lot of celebrity hotties these days. Like Jude Law. Used to be my number one crush. But after his affair with the nanny? Ugh. He's just slimy and gross. Wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole.

And Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo. When I interviewed him last year during the World Series parade, he was so happy and grateful to be part of the team. I totally fell for his blue eyes and charming personality. This year, now that he's all famous, the married guy was caught in Northeastern dorms hanging out with freshman coeds. Bleh.

Sigh. I need some new celebrities to crush on. Any suggestions?

Marianne

Random Rambling

It's been 2 weeks since my house was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. And while this event has taken over my life, I feel it's time to let it stop taking over my blog. So while I want to continue an open thanks to everyone who continues to be soo generous to me in my time of need, here in blog land we're going to move on. I know you'll understand. I need to start focusing on all that's good in my life.

Soon I'm going to be posting my pics from Reno which I would have done a long time ago if it wasn't for the fire. Stay tuned for highlights such as Liz Maverick and I shooting plastic chickens at one another and at our editors in the bar - with our very own "Chicken Chuckers." (What the heck is a Chicken Chucker, you may ask? Well, wonder no more. (You can still worry for our sanity, but at least your curiousity on the infamous chicken guns with be sated.)

....Um, why yes, we are mature, professional, upstanding members of the RWA community, why do you ask?....

Other (non chicken/non Marianne & Liz making fools of ourselves) related conference dish? Well, my friend Barb Ferrer sold her YA to Pocket's MTV Books! Her first sale, people!! And she sold in the middle of the casino floor at Reno. I had just arrived at the conference on Tuesday and walked in to see her standing by the big red truck slot machine, talking on her cell phone. I looked at Alesia Holliday, who was standing right next to her. She says, "Barb's selling her book!" I'm like, "Um, right this second?" Turns out, yup! We all screamed and yelled as soon as she got off the phone. I love when good things happen to good people and Barb's one of the best.

Another good thing for a good person? My friend Lani Diane Rich (who is one of those saints responsible for setting up the fundraising auctions for me - love you girl!) won a RITA! Best first book! Yay Lani! If you've ever read the book - Time Off for Good Behavior - you'll not be surprised at the win.

Hm, I guess that's all for now. Thanks again to everyone who's sent me care packages and gift cards! The apartment is shaping up nicely and when I'm satisfied with its appearance I promise to take pics so you can see what all your generosity has done. And Molly wants to send a special "woof" out to those of you who sent PetCo gift cards and bones and dog toys. Not speaking perfect dog, I'm not quite sure the "woof's" direct translation, but I believe it's something like "you rock!" :)

MARIANNE

Back at Dads for the moment

Tonight's blog entry is being written back at my dad's house in New Hampshire. Why, you may ask, did Marianne leave her new apartment on the very day she got an actual bed to sleep in? Well my new neighborhood - the North End - has been having electrical related fires and explosions under the streets nearby where I live. Not only does it petrify me to see flames shooting out of manhole covers 2 streets away (given my present circumstances) but it has also knocked out all the electricity in the neighborhood.

Now my apartment (with barely any furniture, no Internet, and no cable) is boring enough WITH electricity. I couldn't bear to sit in the dark with no a/c on a 90 degree night. So Miss Molly and I fled to dear old dad's house for one more night of suburbia.

Luckily, I believe the fires are out (for now anyway) - and my new place is in no danger of burning to the ground. But still! Talk about weird coincidences! My friends at work were teasing me by calling me "Firestarter." heh. They're so not funny. :) I'm just hoping the awesome Italian pastery shop on the street where the explosions/fires were (Mike's Pasteries) hasn't suffered any damage. After all, where else am I going to get my beloved eclairs? Mmmmmm. (I'm going to get soo fat living in the North End - for those of you who don't know, it's the Italian section of Boston and home to some of the best restaurants in New England!)

Anyway - I can't write without sending out one more thank you to all of you who have been sending me stuff by mail. It's so fun to go to my PO Box every morning - like Christmas! It really makes this whole experience so much more bearable. And the thoughtfulness of the gifts blows my mind. You guys have sent the most amazing things. Every package I open makes me smile. I love you all!

Til tomorrow!
Marianne

Blown Away

Okay, I confess. I used to check my Amazon rankings on a daily (cough hourly cough) basis. Now I've been checking the auction items! I am totally blown away at how many people have bid so generously to help me out. I am soo soo soo grateful to both bidders, volunteers and donors alike You all rock!

BTW a TON of new items (8o+) have been added today. I can't list them all, but they include critiques from:

Editors:
Kate Seaver - Berkley
Cindy Hwang - Berkley
Leah Hultenschmidt - Dorchester

Agents:
Stephanie Kip Rostan
The Knight Agency
Ferguson Agency
Kelly Harms - (former Avon editor - now agent with Jane Rotrosen!)

And many, many, many top romance authors! It blows my mind! There's so much good stuff I have to restrain myself from bidding on my own auction!!!!

You can see the entire list (and bid) here.

Also, a BIG SHOUT OUT to all of you who have sent me cards and letters and gift cards and money and care packages - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I promise real life thank you cards to each and every one of you wonderful women -- as soon as I get a table and chairs so I can sit down and write them. :) But in the meantime, please know that your generosity and well wishes have brought me to tears (the good kind!) on more than one occassion this week.

I will never forget this experience, but when I look back on it, now I'm going to remember not the ashes and what was lost, but all that I have gained through the wonderfulness of friends and strangers. I could not have gotten through this without you all. :)

And for those of you following my Adventures in New Apartment Land, you'll be pleased to know that I'm totally becoming one with the screwdriver and getting the hang of this "some assembly required thing"!! I assembled my computer chair and microwave table and now tonight will take on the daunting task of assembling the actual (gasp!) computer desk. I got to tell you, in a weird way it's kind of fun putting things together. I feel very self-sufficient all of a sudden. :)

Thanks again all. More to come soon!
Marianne

New Auctions

For those of you following my new apartment assembling progress, I did purchase a screwdriver and successfully put together a towel rack for the bathroom last night. It not only looks very similiar to the item on the box, but it doesn't wobble (much). Cheer! Score one for GIRL POWER. :) Tonight, watch as Marianne tackles the dreaded microwave stand.

Today was my first day back at work, btw, which started out a little rough. But people here are very sweet and understanding. I just need to take things one day at a time. Or one moment at a time.

And things over in Auction Land are heating up as well. Twenty new items were posted today!
Including:

Signed copy of THE BEAST WITHIN by Suzanne McMinn
Signed copy of CONFESSIONS OF A SUPER MOM by Melanie Hauser
Signed copy of IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND by Alison Pace
Signed advanced copy of JANE MILLIONAIRE by Janice Lynn
MIA ZACHARY signed book lot (3 books)
Guest Smart Bitchery sessions with Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Tarot reading by STEPHANIE LYNCH
Character named after you in ALESIA HOLLIDAY'S next book
Manuscript Critique by ALLISON RUSHBY
Manuscript Critique by BETH de GUZMAN
Manuscript Critique by CHRIS KEESLAR
Manuscript Critique by DIANA PETERFREUND
Manuscript Critique by JENNIFER CRUSIE
Manuscript Critique by KRISTIN PAINTER
Manuscript Critique by LANI DIANE RICH
Manuscript Critique by ROBIN FLURY
Manuscript Critique by MICHELLE CUNNAH
Manuscript Critique by STEVEN AXELROD
Manuscript Critique by SUZANNE BROCKMANN
Manuscript Critique by THE KNIGHT AGENCY

Bid Here

Can you believe all these people stepping in to help me? I mean top agents and editors and authors! From dear, dear beloved friends to complete strangers - all willing to donate their time to help me out. It simply blows my mind.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Marianne

I need a man! (Or at least a screwdriver)

So last night I decided to forgo the invitation to see an 80s cover band (though sorely tempting!) to try to sit in my new apartment and put newly purchased things together.

Ugh.

Why is it that everything you buy these days has "some assembly required"? And further, why is it that this phrase sends fear through the hearts of women everywhere? Why is it that guys so easily get this stuff? They open up boxes full of loose wood, metal, screws and other unidentifiable odds and ends and an hour later you have a beautiful desk or butcher's rack. Sure, there may be a moment or two of cursing and screaming and kicking the partially assembled desk in question, but in the end, it always looks just like the picture on the box.

Why can't we women do that? We can vote. We can hold jobs. We can compete in marathons. (Well, not me personally...) We're supposed to be equal, right? So how come after an hour (or two or more) later, the small kitchen rack I was trying to assemble didn't look like what was pictured on the box? How come I had extra parts lying around? And how come they don't mention you'd need to use screws to ensure cart non-wobbly'ness in big letters on the box? Do they just ASSUME everyone who buys their products has a handy man with a screwdriver at their beck and call????

I decided to save the microwave table for another day. I mean, there's no rush, really, considering I don't have a microwave yet. :)

Anyway - being in my new place is sort of like camping out in a fort. I've got my donated TV and DVD player and some classic movies like Princess Bride, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Cassablanca, and my personal favorite - The Last Unicorn. I've got a futon that serves as couch and bed. And I've got Molly my dog (good for cuddling.)

What else do I really need? :)

Marianne
PS Auctions are going strong in Day 2. Make sure you place your bids now!

Apartments and Auctions and Awesome Authors, Agents and Editors

Snuck into work to blog to you as I don't have a computer in my new apartment. And being the computer junkie that I am, there was no way I could go a whole day without being online.

So yesterday was the easiest/hardest moving day ever. Physically easy - there was hardly anything to move! But mentally hard - for obvious reasons. People have been so generous donating all the necessities to get me on my feet, but I got to admit, there was one moment where I looked around my new place and realized it was full of other people's stuff. Wonderful, giving, lovely people ? but other people just the same. There was hardly anything that belonged to me. That I identified with. That said, "Marianne lives here." I felt like I had stepped into someone else's life. And it was at that point that I kind of lost it for a bit. So for all of you out there who keep telling me how brave I am being and how upbeat - let me tell you the tears do come at odd moments.

But my friends were there to pick me up off the floor and drag me out to dinner. I wasn?t even hungry - just sad and stressed and sick. But after a glass of wine and a lot of really funny jokes, they managed to pull me out of my depression and soon I found myself laughing too.

For those of you who?ve asked about Molly (my dog) she?s a little freaked out as well. She spent the night in the closet. I guess the closed in space made her feel safer somehow. I was tempted to crawl in there myself and see if it would make me feel safer as well. Instead, I called a dear friend who talked to me until I was tired enough to fall asleep. I really do have the best friends in the whole world.

Anyway - enough of that. Let's talk about the auction! The lovely, lovely Literary Chicks, along with honorary saint Gemma Halliday have put up the first items up for bid! And when I signed on this evening I was shocked (in a good way!) at all the action already! I am so touched that these ladies worked sooo hard at organizing this auction. And now to see all these people bidding! I love you all!

So from what I understand the first 10 items are up for bid now, with more coming each day. Right now we've got signed books from Michelle Cunnah, Lori Avocado, and Kelly St. John. Author critiques from Karen Rose, Amy Knupp, Gail Dayton, and Melissa Senate. An agent critique by The Knight Agency. And editor critiques from Ellora's Cave editor Briana St. James, and my very own Dorchester editor Chris Keeslar.

Anyway - I just can't tell you how amazing and wonderful it is to see these auctions and the bids and all the emails and calls and notes and gifts that have been sent so far. This is a horrible thing to go through and I don?t wish it on anyone in the world, but if it were to have to happen to someone - I'd hope they'd be as truly lucky as I have been to have this overwhelming support. I feel so truly blessed.

Thanks everyone. And if you're interested in the auctions, all the info is on the Literary Chicks site. I have very limited access to email, so it's best if you direct any questions to Alesia or Lani there.

xoxooxoxo
LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
Marianne

Moving Day

Hi all -

I'm moving into my new apartment in Boston today. (Thank goodness I had already planned to move out this month anyway and had already rented a new place!) And now I have no need for a UHaul! Life works in a mysterious ways sometimes...

Anyway I am so lucky to have my dear friend Mary who has rallied the troops at work (she works with me at Ch7) and has managed to fill my apartment with the essentials I will need to move in. She's been so amazing - as has my boss Nancy who has also been on the task of finding me stuff. And my reporter friend Hank called the Emmy people and even managed to get me replacement statues - which was so cool of her!!! And then there's the donations from all my coworkers - as well as all the calls and emails and volunteering to help in any way. They have blown me away with their generosity. It's so amazing to see people come together like this.

Anyway - I believe someone is donating a computer, but I won't be online for a few days (need to set up DSL), so this may be the last you hear from me til Monday when I return to work. I'll be in touch with Alesia though, through phone, to give updates and will take pics of the new place! :)

So before I go - I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you who have sent me stuff so far and those of you who plan to do so or to bid on the auction, etc. Once I'm on my feet I will thank EVERYONE personally, but I wanted to throw out a general one cause I am sooo grateful. I can't wait to go out and buy the things I need. It's a weird feeling going into Target and needing EVERYTHING. But thanks to all of you, I know I will be able to get that "everything" and be okay.

Sorry if this is blabbing, but I've been sick on top of everything else and I think the Nyquil is still making my head foggy.

Marianne

Life, The Universe and The Great Generosity of Friends

I've avoided blogging up until now cause I don't even know where to start. Should I talk about Reno? My house burning down? Or the amazing, overwhelming, awe inspiring generosity of my fellow writers who have stepped in to make this horrible experience more bearable?

Well I guess first things first. My Reno adventures can wait til all this is over. (Though I do have great pics of conference chicken I'm dying to share!)

I took a red-eye flight home from Reno and my dad picked me up at the airport. My cell phone has been on the fritz and so I couldn't get it to turn on. No worries though - who would be calling at 7am? The flight was a half hour late, luggage took forever, and we got lost trying to find the car, etc. So we finally pull out of the parking lot. I'm sooo excited to go home. Exhausted after being in San Fran and then Reno. Hadn't been home in a week and a half and just wanted to change into pajamas, curl up on the couch and watch DVDs and be alone for about a year. (Okay I had to work the next day, but still - you know the feeling!)

So then my dad's cell phone rings. It's my stepmom. She says something really bad has happened. My house was hit by lightning and is completely gone. She starts telling me details but I can't really focus. I start to cry. Suddenly I can't go home. There is no home. And everything that was in my home - childhood photos, drawings, journals from high school, writing, etc. etc. is gone. Forever. It feels like my whole past has been wiped away in one swoop.

Plus I am so tired from the red-eye flight and now I have no place to go. No place to curl up and be safe. I have to be around people. Field phone calls. etc. etc.

We go to my dads. My stupid cell phone will STILL not turn on. That gets the brunt of my frustration and anger - I think I had to focus on something tangible to stress over. All my phone numbers of people I need to contact are stored on that stupid phone and I feel helpless without it. I go online and email and IM a few friends. No one can believe it.

I take a nap but can't really sleep. Too wired, too stressed, too upset. My dad talks to the fire marshall and I find out craziest part...If I had been there at the house I would most likely have died! They believe the lightning struck at 4am the back of the house - right where my bed was. And the whole thing went up in 20 minutes. If I'd been asleep there it's doubtful I would have made it out. Or at least not with major major burns and probably the death of my dog.

When I think about that, I realize I can't be too sad about losing my possessions. Sure I am sad - I lost EVERYTHING and I have no insurance. And the things that can't be replaced - I had borrowed my mom's photo albums to scan in some pics and so now I have no childhood photos! And I lost all my stories and drawings and awards and things I had archived from growing up. My journals from high school, my really bad books of poetry. All gone. It's like my past has been wiped clean except what exists in my memory. That's the true tragedy. I don't care too much about the furniture. I do feel terrible that my kick ass computer was burned up. BACK UP YOUR WORK EVERYONE! (I luckily only lost 1 day of work on my book but there were a lot of other things on that hard drive.)

To switch gears a bit - one thing amazing has come out of this tragedy and that is to see a community of people come together and help me. Alesia, Lani and Barb - you guys are my heroes! I mean these women have a lot on their plates - they have books due, Alesia is moving, Barb just sold, etc. etc. and they still are taking sooo much time out of their busy schedules to organize this fundraiser. I am so overwhelmed and just so so so grateful. And I can't believe the list of editors/agents/authors who are donating critiques for the fundraiser. I mean - Jenny Cruisie? Stevel Axelrod? Can I bid on my own fundraiser? :) heh. And my dear, dear wonderful former and current editors - Kate Seaver, Cindy Hwang, and Chris Keeslar - have all volunteered to donate critiques as well!! Do you know how busy these people are? And yet they're willing to do this. I am in awe. I love you guys! And there are lots more people on the list - which I don't have a copy of or I would name them all and thank them individually. But go to the Literary Chicks website and soon you will get a list and be able to bid.

Anyway - I've gotten a million emails from concerned people and in time will try to respond to them all when I get back on track. But I did want to publicly say thank you and that I read every email and each one is so precious to me. It feels so good to know that there are people out there thinking about me and praying for me. I know with this kind of support, I will have no problems getting back on my feet.

Okay this is probably such a babbling, incoherent blog entry so please excuse me. Thank you all again for your support and I promise to keep everyone updated. I'm going to move into my new apartment tomorrow. (Luckily I had been planning to move anyway so I had a new place lined up - and just think - now I don't have to pack!)

I'll write more soon.
MAR
PS I took photos of the remains of the house. You can check them out here. As you can see there's not a lot left...