I just figured out how to blog from my phone. Hooray! I love technology.

Utah

Yes, I am still here in this beehive of literary honey! I wish I could see my writing group more (hard to do when one of them is clear across the country), but it's good to see my family, too. After all, I don't see them nearly enough these days. My angst is taking a back seat to my excitement over getting the writing blog up and working. I had a chance to blog there for the first time yesterday. Check it out at inkingcap.blotspot.com. 

CONduit

CONduit was rad!...if only for the pleasure it gave me in allowing me to see just how normal I am...at least on the outside.

I got to hang out with my favorite people in the whole world (aside from Scott) namely: Donna (and Ella), Debbie, Josh, Paul, Ben, Daniel, and I'm sorry if I left some people out. Also, Dashner and Aprilynne. And new on this list would be the famous Graham Chops, otherwise known as Graham Bradley. He's a treat! I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm crazy, but whatever. I think he's cool and his coolness only gets better knowing he has some incredibly wild stuff floating around in his brain. Can't wait to see it in book form, Graham. :)

One of the big highlights for me was going to Dan Wells' reading of Mr. Monster, plus a short story. Dan, you're a bowl full of roses! Thanks for the signature. I sure hope you can make it to dinner next time, too. And I hope your family is feeling better.

A big shout out goes to Aprilynne. Congrats on Wings hitting the N.Y. Times best seller list! We all agree that you are a delight!

And last, but not least, to the guy who I've named the Hub of this whole eclectic group of people, Dashner. You are the most open, genuine guy in the business. Thanks for the introductions to people I would never have known otherwise. If you were here, I'd hug you. I can't wait for Maze Runner to come out so I can be the first in line to get my copy signed. Can't that day get here already!

The Trip!

Still reading the Count of Monte Cristo. Thankfully, my book club is meeting later so I have more time to get to read it.

Today I am going through the crazy ritual of packing for a trip. I love how I tell my son to pack six pairs of socks and, when I check his bag, find that he's packed five pair...two of which have the toes cut out of them.

Argh

I need help. I need some kind of occupation. As if taking care of my kids, writing group, karate, cleaning my house and occasionally making dinner doesn't take up enough of my time. I still feel the need to neurotically check blogs, do crosswords, send emails, check facebook and haunt my email. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! If I could just focus this nervous energy into the creation of a novel, I might be mildly satisfied.

In the meantime, I still have to get ready for my Utah trip. How I'm going to keep my kids from burning down the village when I get there, I don't know. But I'll give it a whirl.

Mental Note

Stop working on my bed.

While it's a very comfortable place to get stuff done, I tend to bring my snacks, lunch, treats...and whatever else I happen to be eating, onto my bed as well. Inevitably something spills and I have to explain to Scott why his side of the bed is sticky, crumby or otherwise uncomfortable to sleep on.

I Love Sundays

I love Sundays. We sleep in a little. We go to church. And then, because Scott has the day off, he often times makes dinner. I like it. He's a good cook.

Today he let me take a nap. I know....it's not even Mother's Day or my birthday or anything! I just woke up and I smell potatoes cooking and meat grilling and I'm thinking about making some awesome home made ice cream and Texas sheet cake. I can hardly wait!

Some other things to think about:

Katie gets her cast off on Tuesday. Finally!

Josh has a weiner roast in his class on Thursday.

My kids school year is done on Friday and then we're off to Utah. Hooray!

Get Moving

I really should start publishing in the morning to avoid being so tired.

Do you ever feel like something great is at the edges of your mind, just skimming your periphery? All you want to do is capture that idea and put it on paper. I wish there was some kind of trap, or device...or maybe a sieve made special for those magic thoughts that capture the essence of who you are and what you want to achieve.

Writing Conferences Are Rad

I just may be in Utah sooner than I planned, the thought of which makes me want to jump up this very moment and pack. As before stated, I was planning on coming out for various reasons, mom's birthday, an author dinner with none other than Tristi Pinkston, a little thing called Pony Express Days down in good ol' Eagle Mountain. I'm very excited for these things. Very. But there was a fly (a very small one) in the ointment. There's a writing conference next weekend in SLC called CONduit. A few authors are going to be there that I'd like to see (Dan Wells, James Dashner, Dave Farland, Brandon Sanderson), not to mention much needed instruction on how to actually write my own book (something I'd like to see happen in my lifetime). Thanks to my family and my best friend, Donna, I'm going to be able to come out early, stay longer than expected AND go to the conference. Hooray!

Weaknesses

I am sad to report that I am already waaaaaaay behind in my reading. Come to find out, The Count of Monte Cristo has like twice the number of words on a page than a regularly published book does nowadays.

But, never fear! I. Will. Triumph!

Today's the Day

That's right. This is it. I am going to put my life in order today. This very minute, in fact. I will take my kids to school, go to the gym, write my allotted words and read 100 pages in The Count of Monte Cristo. Not too much, right?

I didn't think so.

4:50 p.m.

I went to the gym. I finished my word count. I got my kids to school and home again.

I still have 90 pages of the Count to go, but I think I can do it. Did I mention I have karate tonight?

Word Count

I missed my word count yesterday.

Scratch that.

I didn't even write yesterday. I was too sleep deprived. I DID, however, go see X-Men Origins last night. Can I just say, "Wow!" If there was ever a movie designed to keep you awake, that is IT. I was a little worried that I'd seen the preview of Wolverine coming out of the tank with claws blazing one too many times. I thought the seen would hold no thrill. I was mistaken. Knowing that scene was coming just made the suspense that much better.

So, I will write double today and bask in the delight of having finally escaped to the movies. There's just nothing like Wolverine on the Big Screen.

Author Dinners

I have to state, for the record, that I am in the coolest writing group ever. We meet once a month and have writing exercises and goals and we keep track of each other. I love it! And to make it all the sweeter, we have recently instituted author dinners. This is where we invite an author to dinner and we pick their brain about writing do's and don'ts and how to be more successful. The only draw back is that I live in Reno, NV and my group is located in Eagle Mountain, UT. As a result, I have missed the first two author dinners. Blast! But I am happy to announce that I will, in fact, be there for the next one where we get to meet Tristi Pinkston. Hooray! Can't wait to meet you, Tristi!

It's 1:30 in the morning.

I'm tired. No denying that.

My kids are sick. They keep waking themselves up from all the coughing. So I thought, why not bake a cake? So, here I am, waiting for my cake layers to cool so I can put them in the fridge and go to bed. Only I'm pretty sure I'm not sleeping tonight. Oh well, there's always tomorrow night. Maybe I can get a good word count in, even if it's sucky because it's one in the morning.