And they call what I write 'fiction'

While I don't want to turn this into a political blog, I could not let this one little nugget of toxic waste slip by without comment.

I saw this on Yahoo News this morning: BS to be found HERE and I could not get it out of my head.

Apparently this load of manure comes from Reuters. You'd think they'd have a modicum of integrity, but I guess they don't. How can this 'story' be for real? Who are they trying to fool?

Oh, right. The American public. I forgot.

Seriously? Do they really think we are dumb enough to believe a statement like this:

Researchers found a steady increase in people's confidence about their ability to pay for healthcare services -- it rose 12 percent between March and July this year.


Who are they polling? Brad and Angelina? Cause it's certainly not middle class Americans. That's for sure. In a time when most personal bankruptcies are cause by exhorbitant medical bills THAT ARE NOT COVERED by insurance, who exactly is more confident that they will be able to pay their medical bills? Perhaps, if an actual healthcare reform bill had been put into action, you might say people's confidence would rise, but considering everything seems to be stacked toward the President eventually getting away with saying: The American people don't want healthcare reform, therefore we're not going to do it. [See if that doesn't happen.] It's just beyond ridiculous that anyone is naive enough to think they're in a better position to pay rising medical care costs.

Now, before I shut my rant off and go back to writing some 'real' fiction, I'd just want to say, the only reason healthcare costs are out of control is BECAUSE HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE OUT OF CONTROL. It has nothing to do with how much healthcare we use, or obesity, or heart disease, or people who don't want to go to the doctor until they're extremely ill. It has to do with the fact that it simply COSTS TOO DAMN MUCH TO UTILIZE HEALTHCARE. An aspirin doesn't cost $7 in a hospital because the average American leads a sedentary lifestyle. An aspirin costs $7 in a hospital BECAUSE THE FREAKIN' HOSPITAL CAN GET AWAY WITH CHARGING THAT MUCH.

Hello! Wake up, Congress. Wake up, Mr. President, and wake up Reuters. It's time to tell the truth and do something about it. The only thing to blame for the mess we're in with healthcare is GREED. That's with a capital G. Now, who's got the balls do actually do something about it?

A productive day...for other people

A lot got done today. I wish I could say it was all done by me...

We had our new bathrub installed and it's gorgeous. The old one was in pretty sad shape. The finish was cracked and rust was showing through. It had a couple of nicks in the porcelain coating. The new one is shiny and very, very white and just lovely.

The phone got fixed. We've been having static on the line and hearing a radio [apparently this is a common problem in the area]. So Verizon stopped by and shielded the line.

The kitchen sink sprouted a leak a few days ago and the plumber came by and replaced all the pipes under the sink for a fairly reasonable price.

I'm glad I could keep so many people busy today.

Oh...I did manage to finish the galley edits for the PRINT version of The Matchmakers[April 2010!] AND I knocked out the first draft of the first chapter of my new WIP. So it wasn't just other people that accomplished today. I did some stuff too. I wish every Friday could be this productive.

New wallpaper - maybe a bad idea

So yesterday I let DS use my computer for a little while. He has his own computer but he wanted to look at a map on mine so I said fine.

Of course, for some reason, when I sat down later to do some work, my wallpaper was gone. I have no idea how the kid could have made my wallpaper disappear, but the picture I had up [the one I took at Disney World of the Materhorn mountain that looks like an Alp] was gone. I must have moved it off my computer, because I did an overhaul of my picture files last week so it's gone from the drive. [I could find it on a CD but I didn't feel like looking] After all, it's going to be September soon and it's time for a change.

So I picked this picture as my new wallpaper...

And now I'm sort of regretting it, because not only does it beckon me to lean closer to the monitor and hope I fall in, it also makes me long to go back to the beach when I should be longing to get some writing done instead.

What's your wallpaper? Does it inspire you or is it just there?

Not a total loss

Nope. Summer was not a total loss.

I say that because my disdain for this season is well known. I'm not into heat. I'm not into humidity. I'm not into the kids hanging around the house whining about how bored they are while the pool filter labors happily away keeping the chlorinated water crystal clear while no one swims in it.

Nope. It's not my season.

So, the fact that I completed and submitted TWO novellas this summer is monumental in my book. I wasn't really going to work too hard between June and September. In fact, when the summer began, I didn't have many plans to write at all. I was just fooling around with some ideas, dabbling, but not interested in sweating to the finish line, and lo and behold, I did.

So I'm somewhat pleased with myself. Of course it remains to be seen whether those novellas will sell or not. That's in the hands of my editors, but I accomplished more than I set out to, so I'm pretty jazzed.

Now that September is looming, I'm starting to think about goals again. I picked up a partially finished story from my pile and have decided this is the NEXT BIG ONE. I hesitate to make any specific plans for it, because you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men...but considering I'm neither a man nor a mouse, maybe I have a decent shot.

Wish me luck.

I only hope...

...that someday a reader will be as anxious for the next installment of one of my books as I was for this.

I don't pre-order books very often...mostly because I don't have that much disposable cash lying around, but this one I did. I've been patiently waiting for it and it arrived on Thursday.

I ripped open the box like it was Christmas and I couldn't wait to get started. [The only reason I haven't finished yet is because I've had a lot of editing work to do, AND because I have a perverse desire to savor the book while devouring it at the same time.] I want to have my cake and eat it too. [Let's not talk about the outrageous amount of time I spend over at Cake Wrecks blog - that's a different post].

I won't go into any details about the book, no spoilers. I'll just say, while it's inherently cruel to make readers wait for months and months and months for the next installment of an ongoing story, I completely envy any author who can keep me on the hook this long.

What books/authors are you on the hook for?

Thinking inside the box...

LOLCat with Laser Action Eyes - comes with batteries included.

Something old, something new...

I’m a firm believer that trying new things is the best way to get out of a rut, combat depression and kick start the creative process.

I was in the mood for something new on Friday evening, so off we went to the mall where I indulged in something I’ve been wanting to try for a while now, but haven’t had the courage.

I got myself a bubble tea.

Radical right? I know. I’ve been putting it off since the craze began and I couldn’t hedge any longer.

A little bit of background on bubble tea – it’s a cold milk tea usually sweetened with fruit flavors, shaken vigorously to produce a layer of bubbles on the top. Then tapioca pearls are added which sink to the bottom of the cup and appear as more dark ‘bubbles’ in the bottom. It’s served with a wide straw so you can suck up the tapioca pearls and eat them.

Fascinating concept. Eating your drinks. I’ve never been fond of chewing liquid, but I just had to give this a try.

It tasted good, not very tea-like though. I ordered strawberry which tasted more like strawberry Quick with ice – hyper sweet, very pink. Sort of like ping-pong balls in a lottery machine, the tapioca pearls roll around in the bottom of the cup until one of them decides to make a break for it and travel slowly up the straw. Now, you can’t just go chugging bubble tea willy nilly. You have to be prepared for that pearl when it reaches the top of the straw because you have to chew it. It has the consistency of a gummy bear, and not much actual flavor. Again, not bad...but just not very...you know...drink-like.

My concern with bubble tea is of course the fact that I’m easily distracted. So walking, through the mall [all that visual stimuli], while holding a conversation with my peeps, and drinking at the same time is hard enough, but to have to be aware that at any moment I might be called upon to start chewing a strange little gum drop that popped out of my straw, was just too much for me to process at one time. I got about halfway through the bubble tea before the squick factor overcame my enjoyment of the strawberry coolness.

Hey, it was an experience. Now I know. Bubble tea is too complex for me. It tastes good, but there’s just too much going on in the cup for me to really relax and enjoy it.

How about you? What new thing have you tried lately?

I made a reviewer cry!

The Matchmakers has been nominated for Best Book of the Week over at The Long and the Short Reviews!

You can read the awesome 5-book review here: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/matchmakers-by-jennifer-colgan.html

And you can vote for the best book based on the reviews here: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm


Voting for the nominated books runs only Saturday and Sunday so please stop by and VOTE!

“By the third page, the enchantment of the story enveloped me. Kudos, to author Jennifer Colgan; I will definitely watch for more of this author's books, and suggest that my friends buy her too. The writing and editing were superb, delivering a story that made me remember why I love romance. Like I said, I don't cry easy, but this one made me wipe the mist from my glasses.” – Zinnia, LASR

It's too hot

All that unseasonably cool weather is gone now and real summer showed up. There's just no point in NOT being on an island somewhere when it's this hot.

I'll be cranking up the AC, sippin' some iced tea and dreamin' about a place like the one in the picture.

Seriously?

I was just over at Romance Divas expressing my dismay at finding Halloween candy on sale at Walgreens today.

It's AUGUST, people.

I understand the fire has gone out under the pool toys and flip flops, but what happened to a solid month of Back to School? If it's already time to start thinking about Halloween, that means come October it will be time to start stocking up for Christmas.

This is just getting out of hand. I would really like to see the sales numbers for retail stores to find out how much profit they actually make by selling holiday items more than two months ahead of time. Do they really think they can create a demand for something that no one wants to think about for another eight weeks at least?

I just don't get it.

A thorn! A thorn!

The Matchmakers WON the Thorn for best cover in the Embrace the Shadows Cover Clash!

How cool is that??

Be sure to stop by today for the next contest. More cool covers are on display, including the hot HOT HOTT cover for All Fired Up, the September Samhain release by Romance Diva Kristen Painter!

What's in your glass?

Last night at dinner, the discussion centered around the age-old question, Do you see life as the glass is half empty or half full?

DH asked the question and I got to answer first... which was tough for me because my view of life is, if you talk about the glass too much, it ends up getting spilled. Finally I said, generally I’m a glass half full...with the caveat that usually it contains something I don’t want to drink.

DD’s response was: My glass is half empty. Can I get a refill?

DS said: “My glass is completely empty. Because I drank it.” I amended this because I know my son. His response is more likely: “Someone stole my glass.”

And of course DH’s response? “I need a bigger glass.”

How about you? What’s in your glass?

Oh nos!

After holding it's own against two other gorgeous covers, The Matchmakers is now trailing in the Embrace the Shadows poll.

Just sayin'.

Anyway, enough shameless begging. I'm now in the throes of trying to write sucknopses for TWO stories [one still needs a few more scenes, so I'm hoping a synopsis will help me round out the plot and the dang thing finished.]

What's your system for writing synopses? Do you write them before or after the story itself? I tend to make 'fast draft' type synopses first, which often end up having little to do with the finished story. Then when I'm done, I go chapter by chapter and take notes. I end up with pages and pages of notes, which I have to boil down into something short and sweet. This is torture.

Let me just say to all those publishers and agents out there who DON'T require a synopsis - I LOVE YOU!

Today's the Day!

Please stop by Embrace the Shadows today if you get a chance, cast your vote and leave a comment. I’d love to hear what people think about The Matchmakers cover!

http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/