I should be stripping wallpaper, but two small Hobbits conspired and that’s not happening today, LOL. I’m getting stuck into Bone Magician, instead.

This fantasy novel started last year with a throw away prologue wrote in an hour, starting with:

The metal was hungry.

Which I like as a first line. *grin*.

It’s also my first attempt at a truly ambigious hero. Jarod Vae was fun to write. The reader has no real clue where his motivations or loyalties lie. He’s powerful, arrogant, smart… and of course sexy…

Which had The Ent muttering when he read through the first draft, hehe

The edits for Mackenzie are out and I should have them back next week. So from now until then it’s full steam on The Bone Magician’s Daughter. I want this sub out in May. As of this moment, Ii’m waiting only on The Winter Prophecy.

And that is so wrong… *grin*

A partial got rejected this morning.

And I’m quite happy about it. I’ve stopped wanting to write for the line for a few months and was debating what to do if they asked me for a full.

Well, apparently it wasn’t what they wanted, LOL. I think my subconscious had been at work and knew long before I did that I had written all I would in that particular sub-genre.

They’d said in my last rejection that I had too much plot and too many secondary characters so for this sub I pared that all away. And it killed me, LOL. I think I’ll rewrite the story the way I want to and offer it up elsewhere.

I think everyone deserves to get to know Zachary Quinn *WEG*

… Mark, HTE and SharonJ for wishing Samwise well.

He, so far *touching all the wood I can find* hasn’t thrown up tonight. He still has a bit of a phelgm-y cough but is holding his food down. He goes through this about every two months. He has a kidney problem, but the doctors won’t have it that it’s related LOL

And Mark knows, from first hand experience how deadly my 2 year old is when he *has* to throw up. Did you burn that carpet in the end?

I’m also practically done with my first new round of Mackenzie edits. Which is cool.

I also have fab review of Billionaire in my ER Guestbook. It’s by Autiolalo:

I liked heroine Emily from the moment we first meet her. She’s a woman who’s uncertain, who doesn’t realise the power of her own looks and personality. The outfit she’s wearing, her make-up and hairstyle – they’re not really her, she’s putting on an act – something that so many women do in the everyday lives. The reader can really identify with her straight away, and her motivation – to help her brother – makes it clear she’s not mercenary.

The first chapter has almost a staccato feel to the prose, which underlines Emily’s nervousness and panic when she meets her boss, the sleazy Anton, and then the man she’s there to seduce – the very sexy Jake Penvenhan. There’s so much sexual tension and build-up between Emily and Jake in the first couple of chapters, I really felt sorry for poor Emily! Jake can take care of himself (LOL), especially as he doesn’t trust her at all and thinks she’s a corporate spy for his stepbrother Anton.

With more twists and turns than a twisty-turny thing, the plot pits Emily against her family’s enemies and sets her at odds with Jake, even though their romance continues to build. I really felt for Emily in her confusion and desire to do the right thing on behalf of her father and brother.

Kim has a real talent with romance writing. I used to be a complete Mills & Boon addict a few years ago, I’d raid the library and on rainy days I’d read about five M&B books a day! So I love a good romance – and Kim, you really know how to write them.

Romance novel critics like to say that there’s a formula for writing in this genre, and while that’s true to an extent of *any* genre fiction, there needs to be passion, too. Especially in romances, the reader will know immediately if the writer’s heart isn’t fully engaged with her characters. That’s not the case here: Kim writes with real passion, verve, attention and humour (another good quality in a romance!). Looking forwards to your next one, Kim!

Now I know at least one person bought it, LOL

Samwise is in one of his cough/vomit cycles… not very nice, but there you go, LOL

So nothing much done tonight.

I discovered today that Samwise is truly English as he made, all by himself, his first cucumber sandwich… *snort* He seemed to really like it too, LOL

We had a meeting with an Occupational Therapist today to assess Frodo. We’ll be seeing her for the next four weeks as she tries to work on his concentration and gross motor skills, to improve his fine motor. So that’ll be good. Anything that makes him concentrate for more than a few seconds is great, LOL

Writing: I’m taking the ‘that’s out of Mazkenzie – which is a long and painful process. Is ‘that’ used more by the British? I’m finding myself leaving a lot in as it doesn’t sound right to me. Ho hum.

Back to watching Shrek – Samwise’s choice of the past few days…

Still ploughing my way though the ms. Tiny edits are hard, LOL

On the plus side, the Health Visitor came out today to see Samwise because he’s two. He got a Bookstart bookbag – which he now loves and drags with him everywhere. Inside were books, crayons, stickers, number charts… and the little monster was as good as gold while she was there, LOL

He was fairly monosyllabic for him too. But she seemed stunned by his command and breadth of language. Maybe not many two year olds use ‘either’ in the right context, tagged onto an 8 word sentence, LOL

If I had a mixing machine I’d mush Frodo and Samwise together and come out with two nicely average boys… *sigh*

I am slowly but surely working my way through Mackenzie

I have a helpful little booklet… I never realised I used ‘so’ quite that much LOL

…has been sent out.

Now I just have to wait till the end of May. *biting nails*

I’ve got the start of my Mackenzie edits to keep me busy though. Nice timing. Just as I finished the much dreaded blurb, up it popped *grin*

You scored as The Spymaster. You are Jack Bristow from Alias. You have been in the spy game for quite some time and very little surprises you. You can do field work when the need arises, but you now tend to run operations where you can put your fearsome experience to best use.