My last post...

of the year 2009! Is it just me or has the year just flown by?

We had a wonderful Christmas but boy am I glad it's over. The two kids and I celebrated the holiday at home. We had fun doing our already made up traditions plus making some new ones. The kids were at war over Santa. Daughter says Santa isn't real but son insists he is. Even though they are just 13 months apart in age, it seems like 13 years.

I recieved two gifts for Christmas this year. The first one came on Christmas Eve. A contract for my full length novel titled New Year's Resolution. Great time to get a contract for it, huh? It's with another publisher and the expected release date is spring 2010.

My other gift was something my daughter bought with her own money and meant the world to me even though it probably seems silly to everyone else. We were watching tv one night and a commercial came on for some really expensive chocolate. I said, "I'd love to try that." Daughter asked why I didn't buy any. "I said, "Because it costs too much. I could never spend that much on candy for myself." This happened about a month or so before Christmas. Anyway, my daughter bought me the chocolate. It was the first gift I had gotten from the kids that they had spent their own money on and my daughter had really listened to me that night. My kids are great!

We don't plan on anything crazy for New Year's Eve. We'll be having pizza and punch while watching the count down on tv. Daughter has stayed up with me for the past two years. Son doesn't make it yet but he says he will this time lol. We'll see.

Do you make New Year's resolution? I made two writing goals for the new year.

#1. Have two books released (check!).

#2. Coauthor a paranormal with critique partner.

So what are your resolutions and holiday plans?

Talk to you soon and cheers to the new year,

Wendy Ely

It's that time...

I can't believe November 1st is right around the corner. It really is hard to believe since we don't have the falling leaves, coats to snuggle up in, or even pumpkins dotting doorsteps of neighbor's houses. We are the only ones in our apartment complex with pumpkins. To me, it seems more like any other time of the year but what it really is. We've been having 100 degree days, chilly nights, and bright sunny days. To get into the holiday spirit, I'm watching more horror movies with daughter (who loves them!) and wrapped Christmas presents already. We also made a gingerbread haunted house a few days ago and will be carving pumpkins soon. Maybe I'll break down and put the Christmas tree up earlier. It's a whole lot different than the holidays were like while growing up in the Pacific Nortwest!

Besides the holidays, Confessions will be released November 16th! I'm so excited because I LOVE this book!

Blurb:

Can Chelsea and Jordan find their child, and rediscover each other?
When Chelsea Montgomery vanished eleven years ago, her hometown thought she’d been abducted. In truth, she'd given up the daughter she'd secretly had with Jordan Case.
Now he confronts her to help find the child. With a little girl's fate hanging in the balance, will the uneasy partnership -- stained by the past -- transform into something else?

And a teaser for you:

Jordan sat down on the couch and patted the floor in front of him. “Sit down. Let me get those knots out.”
She took a few steps in his direction, stopping out of his reach, afraid to let him touch her. If he touched her, then she’d fall madly in love with him all over again. That couldn’t happen.
She watched as he leaned forward far enough to grab her by the hand. He pulled her to him.
“Are you sure you want to?”
“Yes,” he said. He guided her down to the floor between his legs. Before leaning back, she slipped her t-shirt off, revealing the navy tank top. His strong hands slid over her skin and she sunk back against him. She’d forgotten how strong he was, how needy she felt when he touched her. As if by magic, her body slowly began to relax underneath his touch. He kneaded her skin with the palms of his hands. The more he touched her, the more she felt at ease. She leaned forward a bit, making his legs embrace the rest of her body. His hands trailed down the length of her back toward the top of her jeans. A small moan escaped her lips. If only he would go lower.
“Feel good?” The words floated through the air like music from a past dream.
“Mm hm.”
He rubbed the small of her back, his hands working every muscle imaginable. “Remember when I would rub your feet each night after work?”
“The best part of the whole day.” His hands. His voice. He had cast a spell over her.
“I loved those times with you, Chels.”
Butterflies swarmed in her stomach, breaking up her intoxicated sensation. Chels? He used to call her that when they were teenagers. He was the only person who’d ever had a pet name for her.
“Me, too,” she mumbled.
“That’s what has gotten me through until now. Those memories of us from before you disappeared.” His hands stilled, but she could feel their heat against her.
Damn it! Tears welled in her eyes. He couldn’t see them, she wouldn’t allow him to. She scooted away him his touch, far enough away so she could stand up on her own without using his assistance.
“I’m sorry, Jordan. We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“What are you talking about, Chelsea?” He tried to grab her by the hand again but this time she walked away from him. She went over to the windows, dried her eyes and then turned around.
“I told you everything, so now I should go.” She walked past him toward the stairs.
“No, you won’t.” The words were ice cold. It seemed like his massage had been some sort of dream.
She froze. “What do you mean, I won’t?”
“Let’s get something clear. Okay?”
She slowly turned around. She had never heard this tone from Jordan in the whole time she had known him. It scared her.
“What?”
He stood up from the couch and walked over to her. His hands jammed into his jean pockets. “There’s a choice to be made here,” he said. “You either stay here to help me locate my daughter or I contact the authorities.”

***

Are you in the holiday spirit? If not, what pushes you along? Let's chat!

Talk to you soon,

Wendy Ely

How was your holiday?

I had a pretty good weekend, for a change :D. I actually got some shopping in, which can be both a good and bad thing. At any rate, I had a good time, and I realized that I had a very non-traditional holiday. 

Holiday's were also very important in my family. I can remember as  a child, the 4th of July was as fun as Christmas for us kids. It was an all day event. Family came from far and near to my grandma's house and we played games, had a humongous barbeque, made homemade ice cream, and most important of all...watched the fireworks. That's what was important to me at the time. Now that I look back, I know it was the memories that we made that that will live with me forever. 

We haven't had a holiday like that in years. Times have certainly changed. This year was especially different. There was no holiday gathering at all. My grandma has been gone for many years, my mom had to work, and I went shopping. 

As I said, I had fun, but it didn't feel like a holiday. The only fireworks I saw this year were the one's lighting up the sky as I drove home. To me, it felt like an ordinary weekend. That made me a little sad. 

I've been seeing all the pictures my friends have put up displaying their 4th of July fun, and I realized it's been a long time since I've had any real fun like that. There were pictures of barbeques, swimming pools, float trips, camping, all kinds of good times. I haven't done anything really fun like that in years. So, I've made a pact with myself. I'm going to have fun before this summer is over. I'm making a list of all the things I enjoy doing, and I'm going to check off as many as I can. 

Camping sounds great, haven't done that in probably 5 years or so. I don't do floating, but I'd go to the river and enjoy a fun day in the sun. A big family barbeque might be nice, if I can gather everyone up from their busy lives. All going on my list.

So, wanna help me add to my list? Tell me all about your family fun times. I'm taking notes!

Hope you all had a great holiday (for those of you in the US) or at least a great weekend!

Sorry About That, Chief

...so says the famous Maxwell Smart.

Why am I saying sorry? Well, I didn't post last week. Shame on me. I was real busy. That's no excuse, however. so to make up for it, and because I have absolutely no writing news what-so-ever, here are some cute penguin pics I took at the latest family excursion.

These pics are of the penguins inside the Antarctica display at the Melbourne Aquarium, one of the best displays of wild animals I have ever seen. They have gone to great lengths to make the environment as close to nature as they can without hindering the viewing experience.





The top two pics feature the second largest penguin species, called the King Penguin. The third pic is of a Gento penguin, a rather energetic thing it was, too.

Did you know, Antartica is recorded as being the coldest place on Earth, the windiest place and the driest place (it received even less rain than the Sahara desert)? Amazing stuff.

Okay, until next week, cheerio!

Phillip Island

This is totally non-writing related...but as you all know I went away last weekend. So in 'going away' tradition, I give you my happy snaps :-)

This is my brother-in-law's holiday house in Smith's Beach, located south of the Island. It's a 3 bedroom affair with a large lounge and entertaining area. A nice house to stay in. It has lovely views and is located near the Grand Prix circuit.







This is the bridge to the Island from a town called San Remo. We had breakfast there Saturday morning and watched the pelicans being fed on the beach-front. The town of San Remo has lots of cafe's and food places where home-made wares can be bought, including local 'made' produce such as jams, chocolate, sauces and anything else you can think of.




These are some views of the Island. The beaches here are smooth black stone and sand where the water breaks. I have never seen such a thing and took a couple of rocks home as a souvenir. That night, after having lunch in Cowes (fish and chips) we went to the Penguin Parade National Park and watched the fairy penguins come in at sunset to roost. Gee, penguins make a hell of a noise! For such little birds they sure do have a set of lungs on them LOL

Going Away

This weekend I am going away. I will be staying at my brother-in-law's holiday house down at Phillip Island (South of Melbourne) So yeah, I have been knee deep in the editing of my latest completed work and thinking of the holiday so I totally forgot about writing an article for this blog. Doh!

So a quick post is what you'll get this week.

Do you listen to music when you write/read?

If you do, what sort?

Me? I must have music, it drowns out any other noise that may distract me, you know, fire alarms, neighbour's screaming blue murder, S.W.A.T team breaking down my front door, etc, etc...lol I listen to new age, mood music mostly as I find music with words sometimes pulls me out of my train of thought.

Anyway...gotta go. I promise I'll post a better effort next week :-)