irrelevant (and sometimes questionable) ramblings

You think we’d learn, wouldn’t you? Struggling along against our more natural instincts, wondering why it’s all just So. Damned. Hard.

Yeah. You’d think.

This has never struck me more solidly than now, while working on Party Starter. I had written some scenes out of order because I previously got stuck and in order to get unstuck I jumped ahead instead of plowing through like I probably should have done. Because now when I’m trying to piece these unconnected scenes together, it’s becoming a task of Herculean proportions.

I *know* I write better when I start at the beginning and just go straight through to the end. I really must remember that for next time.

*beleaguered sigh*

I’ll go back to pulling my hair out now. Please buy my books so I can afford a wig to cover the bald spots.

I’m talking ’bout brainstorms, baby.

The alarm rang horribly early this morning, but it was painful only because I lay awake for quite a while last night, going over a story idea that pretty much completely coalesced as I snuggled deeper into the flannel sheets. (I do blame Robbie, as the impetus was his, but that’s neither here nor there, really.)

I still have some niggling points to clear up, but once Party Starter is done, I think I’m going to try and quickly jot this one down. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes. Cross your fingers for me!

Good day, Gentle Readers!

I am currently at an impasse with my work-in-progress. My hero needs a name. Not just any name, though — he needs his stage name.

Both my hero and heroine lead double lives and have second identities for their jobs. No, they’re not strippers, but the jobs are sexy nonetheless. The heroine’s real name is Julia Redmond and her stage name is Kitty Red.

The hero’s real name is Jack Douglas and I have his stage given name — it’s Stone. I just can’t seem to come up with a sexy, slightly tongue-in-cheek surname for him. So I’m opening the question up to you, Gentle Readers. What can you come up with for me?

Let me know if you need further details, but I’m not sure what else I can tell you to help.

Give me what you’ve got!

Why can’t women get to endure a pleasurable medical test?

I’m speaking, of course, about those instances where men have to provide a semen sample to be medically tested (heh. Typed “testes” first. How apropos…). For example, after having a vasectomy, guys get to jerk off for their doctors. (Or by their doctors, if it’s the “plot” of a horrible porn film.) But this is a legitimate, required medical situation. Watching porn or looking at dirty magazines and getting off on it. This led me to ask the question: why don’t women get to orgasm for science?

Before you start clamoring at me, yes, I am aware of the medical “procedures” done way back in Victorian times to treat women for “hysteria” (here’s a neat link to information on that), but that was then. What about now? Now we mainly get poked, prodded and squeezed (mammograms could be more fun, too) in very uncomfortable, embarrassing ways, in the name of medicine.

In terms of good-health prescriptions, there are suggestions out there that orgasms are beneficial to our wellbeing, too. Oxytocin and DHEA hormones that are released during orgasm may have protective effects against cancer and heart disease, and the endorphins help with relaxation and sleep problems, and reducing stress levels. (Could you imagine the stress levels of the world if everyone got off more regularly? Like pot, but without the munchies.)

(An aside: wouldn’t that be a GREAT Rx to receive from your doc? Have two orgasms and call me in the morning. Heh.)

I realize this topic could go on forever and delve deeper into the whole of human sexuality, but I’m not going to do that. I think I’ll just sit back and wait for the day that the doctor says, “Okay, I think we should test for XYZ, and for that you’ll need to bring yourself to orgasm.”

Or for the announcement from the AMA/CMA: An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away. Heh.

I don’t think I’ll ask what you’ll be doing tonight, in the name of science and good health. *nudge, nudge, wink, wink*

Nice to see ya. Glad you’re here. I’m not here (as is painfully obvious), as the real-world me is tits-deep in a major project. Well, technically it’s not that bad as I’m almost finished, but still. Kris and all that she encompasses has been shunted to the side temporarily. She’ll be back next week to torment you all (oh, just kidding. I think.) So c’mon back now, y’hear?

I think I’ve either had too much sugar, or not nearly enough.

I didn’t realize it’d been so long since I posted anything. Wow. It’s this darn Christmas season, y’know? And it’s still not over, because we’re having two more mini-celebrations with other branches of the family between now and shortly after New Year’s.

Apparently we are very skilled at making holidays last. Well, we already do that with birthdays around here, so why not Christmas, too?

What a crazy year 2011 was, huh? I have no idea what’s in store for ‘12. I am going to make my goals/resolutions list sometime on the 1st (or do you write it on the 31st? I haven’t the foggiest… Although the 31st would maybe make more sense…?) and see where I can get. Try and make them smaller and more manageable, and hopefully not too grand.

It’s no secret that this will be the year I turn the big 4-0. I want to mark the year somehow, do something significant. No idea what that will be yet. I really hope the year doesn’t just fly by in a whirlwind of daily minutiae. I don’t want to be sitting here a year from now saying, uh, well, that didn’t nearly go as planned. But that may be closer to the truth than anything else.

Did you do the things you wanted to do this year? Or did you fall short of your plans and goals? What do you want to do for 2012? How ’bout we do it together? Sound like a plan? Good.

I’ll be back to count ‘em down…

For those of you who don’t get the Carina Press newsletter, I thought I’d let you know some fun news!

Lovely is listed as a Hidden Gem and is currently 40% off, so if you haven’t had a chance to read it now is a great time. Perhaps you still need to buy a Christmas gift for someone special?

Here’s the link to the page. I don’t know how long this discount will last, so go! Run now! Quickly!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been asked a few times as of late, what do I want for Christmas?

So here’s my answer (or, my answer at 7am on this frigid morning, at least):

Dear Santa,
I would like a large box of energy for Christmas. As well, could I please get some motivation and some inspiration, too? An update on the Muse would be nice, because the beeyotch isn’t being very helpful at this particular moment. Oh, and maybe some pain relief for my wrist. The carpal tunnel thing isn’t working for me.

Finally, Santa, if none of this is possible, then how about four months in Hawaii? Or the Bahamas, I’m not picky.

Love,
K.
xox

What do youse guys want for the holidays?

So as of this morning, we have zero Christmas decorations up. It’s not because we don’t want them up, or don’t care, it’s because there just bloody well hasn’t been *time* to put them up in the last few days.

Boy Einstein has been traveling for work, so I’ve been single-parenting again. And truth be told, it’s too much for me to do alone. I need the help of another grownup, if for no other reason than that there would be two of us to herd children.

I usually do like to have the house decorated by the first weekend of December, but that’s just not the case this year. And you know what? It’s okay. We’ll survive. The world won’t end because the tree isn’t up. So I guess we’ll do it this coming weekend, or maybe get a head start on it one of the evenings this week. We’ll see. It’ll all depend on how much energy people have.

In the meantime, it’s back to the early-morning grind. There is a light at the end of this story tunnel, and I just have to *get* there. Believe it or not, the biggest hurdle is the fact that it’s almost all dirty parts left. People might think that’s the easy part to write, but that’s nowhere near the truth. It’s *hard* to be raunchy, people. All the other parts? Those are easy. So it’s just a matter of plowing through and DOING IT. (Sorry about that, Nike. Boy, bet they never thought their slogan would be used to reference writing erotica, huh?!?)

So. Grinding away I go. Have a great week. Stay warm and dry, and do something nice for a stranger. It *is* the season of kindness and giving, after all.

I don’t have my numbers in front of me right now, but this week’s word count total is quite a bit lower than last week’s. There were a couple of days that were very low, if not zero, but this is what happens when life intervenes.

In fact, Friday morning I plan to grab an extra half-hour of sleep and get up at 6am rather than 5:30. I just don’t think I can do the earlier time right now. I’m also running several errands during the day (Eep! Christmas!) so my normal midday stint is unlikely to happen. Unless something strange occurs with Ms. Junior Peanut’s nap schedule.

Anyway. That is all. I’m plugging along as best I can, which is all anyone can ask, right? I won’t hit my manuscript-completion deadline as it stands, but it was meant to be fluid. Next week works, too. And we all know things are going to get *really* wonky over the next few weeks as the whole Christmas thing approaches. Oy.

So off I go to me bed. Catch you later — and be good!