Break or Break Down(?)

Looks like I'm worse off than I thought and there was one casualty in all that Christmas tree hunt and Christmas rush in general. When I looked over my last Breaktme entry It was so bad I just thought it would save time to start over and just apologize - so I am. Hope you got the gist of it anyway. All of us survived and thanks to terrific Guardian Angels we're all looking forward to 2009.
Please come to visit often and comment if you have time - I'd love to hear from readers, writers, or just 'grass roots philosophers' like me (that sounds a lot better than just griping about the current conditions nationwide doesn't it? Sure it does :-))
Breaktime's over,
Jackie

Backyard Christmas Tree

While I've been busy as one of the three little pigs trying to keep the wolf from our door, I know I'm not alone in strugglilng with this national economic disaster, better known as 'not as bad as the Great Depression.' Bull feathers! It's bad, how bad just varies from household to household determined by good luck, bad luck (bad health in some cases) and whether or not one's income, life savings, or military aged provider has been snatched away by fate and the so-called 'not as great as the Great Depression economic fiasco. Fortunately there are some laughs along the way among us tough and determined survivors. One of the things we faced this Christmas at my house (we call it 'lacka money just off Hwy. 89 S' these days)was a tough decision about a Christmas tree. With a limited amount of money we (my grown children and and I) looked at the ones at our local grocery store. The prices started at a bit over thirty dollars. Had I splurged on one of those, I'd have had t just tear up my brief grocery list for turkey and trimmings. I opted to pass u the trees and get the groceries (pause to burp happily). When we got home (we have five acres which includes a dried up pond where some pines and evergreens are now growing) I pointed to the back and said 'pick one.' The requirements were simple: find one about the right size; make sure there was no bird's next in it (if so, the bird could keep it); trim off to fit the space where we wanted it and get rid of any bugs or other critters (they like AC and heat as well as shelter and a kitchen, same as we do.) We got it in, up (this a story in itself, having to keep enought water so it wouldn't be a fire hazzard before Santa could get down the chimney.) We managed with the help of our two cats who checked every step out and our Chihuahua who added the green thing to her long list of stuff to bark at. We have an old kitty (still named Baby Kitty from when she was young, the LOUD Chihuahua, and the new kitty which turned out to be a kind I'd never heard of, we just knew we'd never had one like that before. She is BIG and beautiful, but has a growl that sounds like a cross between a pirate charging sword drawn and a DOG, and she BITES. She, the vet tells us, is a Torti cat. That's evidently 90% black Persian and 10% calico (her mama, maybe?) and you can look them up on the NET under Torti Cats. They are beautiful and smart but TUFF. We just knew she'd climb the tree-it was a given. But she fell in love with a coupl of looooog green and gold decorations and made her a nest under it instead. Who knew? All we had to do since she wasn't interested in leaving her nest to climb the tree, was keep teh spray bottle handy in case she attacked the old car. (This is what the vet said to do - he has a Torti too, but she lives in the barn - he has horses. Our kitty stays in the house with the rest of the family both two and four legged, but we have to shut her up in a back bedroom if we aren't going to be able to watch her or leave. She quickly grew from a little fur ball (It took us a while to find out where tht Grrrowl was coming from) to a cat bigger than the old cat. and if no one is looking she runs up to the old one, grabs her around the neck and slams her with her other big paw. The only one she doesnt' mess with is Penney, the Chihuahua. It didn't take her long (I told you she is smart) to learn that Penney would arm-wrestle Godzilla for a piece of steak - ha! So we have survived Christmas, got all done we have to, Christmas dinner was picture perfect, gifts were small but fun and appreciated and soon as I get up the nerve to add them up, I think there will be enough to satisfy all outstanding creditors - we have a year to get the credit cards paid down to where me can survive till next year in case the new batch of politicians in Washigton decide this economly REALLY IS as bad as the Great Depression.
So may Christmas cheer be with you all through 2009 and best wishes to all of us.
Break's over!
i w merry Chreissomeerea, I hink@akill ahyely cwe . a keephevoeht tr and will arm wrestle. _on dog. between agrbi artssi is

Readers and Writers Update

Hi all you avid readers like me, also you writers like me - hope you're enjoying this wonderful fall weather wherever you are. This update is to remind me as well as to update you about what I've got 'in the works' and ask you for your imput on what you're doing and how things are going for you.

On the subject of 'what's in the works' for me, here's what's up: November 17, 2008-a large print edition of Spanish Eyes (romance-suspense HC from Five Star is already available); Stranger in Paradise, a HC romance-suspense coming out March, 2009 from Five Star; Dead on Arrival, a HC cozy mystery and the first of a new series coming from Five Star in 2010 (exact date to be announced); and since I've signed a contract with Zumaya Publications for the Maryvale series, the first Maryvale cozy will come out in 2010 also (exact date to be announced.)

Some tips to help me remember 'what's up' are (1) write dates and key words on the calendar near your computer to keep all these dates and deadlines in sight. (2) Review the files of books in print and those under new contracts to keep up with material to be submitted, blurbs, ancillary material et cetera. It's important to keep the research material in the file too (reference only in some cases-where you can get to it in a hurry if you need to.) (3) Answer e-mail as promptly as possible and 'block sender' spam whether it does any good or not. (4) Help any way you can anyone who asks for input on the digests for the other writers in your publishing group - and go ahead and ask if you need to know something - that's what the rest of us are here for.

I've also just changed my signature again to include a link to Fictionwise to look at my e-books. A signature is a good tool and you can change it according to what's going on for you, i e, list a new book when you get a schedule date on it.

Please let me know if you have any new books to announce, what really-really great mystery you're reading right now, and any other tips or funny things that have happened to you 'on the way to the publishing forum.' (I know there's bound to be some interesting experiences on this one because of my own stumbling and bunglings. Tell me about it - ha!)

I look forward to hearing from you.
Break's over!