2013--Going road warrior in my retro bikini

Now that I'm relatively caught up with all I fell behind on, I was reflecting on my goals for this year. I have to say, with last year's successes I'm feeling pretty ambitious. Not to mention I'm facing the big FOUR-OH this August. Keep moving forward, right?

1. Goal numero uno is to put out a book a month. What's that you say? That's crazy! Not really. I'm not talking twelve full-length novels. More like one novel, four novellas and seven shorter works. The wonderful thing about being part of the e-publishing world is I don't have arbitrary word counts imposed on me because an 85,000 plus word book looks better a display shelf than a 50,000. This gives me the freedom to exercise a whole range of storytelling skills--vignettes, short stories, novellas and, yes, the occasional novel.

Gone are the days when an author could put out one or two books every couple of years and rest on his/her laurels. It's truly publish or perish and I'm going road warrior this year! I've got some plans for several works with my main publisher, Ellora's Cave, plus an anthology of short stories with some wonderful authors (**Cindy waves to Jacqueline George**) and also I'm delving into self-pubbing some of my previously published work that I've recently reacquired the rights to. It's going to be an adventure, I'm sure.

2. Goal number two...okay, this might sound a wee bit silly, but given my recent weight loss (45 pounds and counting!) it occurred to me that I might, for the first time in decades, have a shot at wearing a bikini this summer. I'm not talking about the two pasties and some dental floss kind of bikini, but something classic and retro...something Marilyn would've worn. With that in mind, I started my customized Nike+ training today on the Xbox. Okay, so day one was really, really hard. Yep...it kicked my ass, but I think a new fitness regime is in order to keep challenged and motivated. I'll keep y'all updated as I keep things fit and slim in 2013.


So I'd love to hear what y'all have planned for the new year, please share! Happy 2013, may it bring you luck and happiness...or at least if life gives you lemons, make whiskey sours ;)

Cheers,
Cindy

On a sixty degree day, I found my Christmas spirit

The taste of peppermint, the scent of evergreens and holly, the sight of children excitedly awaiting Santa, the sound of jingle bells, the nip of winter in the air--these things speak of Christmas to me. Okay...so four out of five ain't bad. Today, on a warmer than usual December day, I found my holiday spirit.

It was one of those accidentally perfect days. My son and I were watching cartoons this morning and one show portrayed a Christmas parade.

"Hey--" he turned to me-- "when is our Christmas parade?"

The lovely little Northern Virginia town we live in has several annual parades, Christmas being among them.

"I don't know," I said. "I bet it's soon, though. Let me check."

I'm usually more on top of these things, but it's been a hectic autumn and a few details had slipped through the cracks. A check of the town website confirmed my suspicions--the Christmas parade was scheduled for today.

Quickly, we changed out of our jammies and headed out the door. The parade route is within walking distance and so is a cluster of local boutiques and the farmer's market. We decided to hit the trifecta and visit them all.

First we hit the Ben Franklin store. Yes, our little town still has a Ben Franklin. I love this place because it has a whole section of crafts for sale from local artisans. It also still has a coin operated rocking horse. I don't know what I'll do when DS gets too grown-up to beg for fifty cents to take a ride.

We purchased a couple of gifts and got each of us a pair of twinkle light glasses. Mine make the lights look like snowflakes, my son's create the illusion of tiny reindeer.

Then we strolled over to the Farmers Market. It's a wonderful collection of local artists, crafters, micro-vineyards and breweries, not to mention the actual farmers. We bought a peck of freshly harvested apples then munched on one while we waited for the main event.

As usual, the parade was uplifting. Not only are the emergency vehicles all in lights a joy to see, as are the floats, but it's wonderful to gather with our friends and neighbors to celebrate this beautiful place we call home.

Toward the end of the parade--just before the big man in red showed up--a girl scout handed me a candy cane and wished me a merry Christmas. I returned the greeting and watched her skip away to catch up with her troop. Once I popped the confection into my mouth and the uniquely candy cane peppermint flavor coated my tongue, I knew I was hooked--pun intended.

On the walk home, my son and I sang Christmas carols and put a dent in his parade candy. For me...the holiday season has truly began.

Happy holidays!
Cindy
http://cindyjacks.com/

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...so why don't I feel it?

The tree and decorations are up. I've purchased most of the gifts I'm going to purchase already and they've been wrapped and deposited under the tree. I've been gorging on Christmas movies. My son and I sing the Twelve Days of Christmas every night before bed. It's even been really cold here in NoVA. But I'm not yet in the Christmas spirit.

It could be that I've had a turbulent fall and I need a moment to catch my breath before I feel festive. It could be that December just started and in a couple weeks I'll be wearing Santa hat (complete with rhinestone tiara) everywhere. Or it could be that I'm just feeling Scrooge-y this year. I sincerely doubt the latter since I LOVE Christmas. Whatever the reason, I've got a case of the holiday blahs and I'm not sure how to kick them.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated :) What works for you to get you in that holiday frame of mind?

Cheers,
Cindy

I'm Not Ready

Easter was bittersweet for me this year. Oh, there was the usual fun. DS and I dyed eggs, stuffed ourselves full of Peeps, visited the local farm to hunt down plastic eggs filled with candy and pigged out on Sunday dinner. And as we were watching HOP, he turns to me with his big brown eyes full of doubt and says, "Mom, is there really such thing as the Easter Bunny? Or do you just hide the eggs when I'm asleep?"

I was taken aback. I mean, I knew this day was coming. He's seven years old, most of his friends no longer believe in Santa or the Easter Bunny. Most claim to await visits from the Tooth Fairy for obvious financial reasons, but it's just lip service. DS has stretched out, lost his baby fat, has all his permanent teeth in the front. Yes, I knew this day was coming, but I dreaded it.

"What do you think?" I ask him. It's a deflection, I know. But I can't just blurt out the truth and stick a fork in the magic. I can't because I'm not ready.

This year's been full of things like that. I wasn't ready for him to say, "See ya, Mom." as he darted off from the school parking lot when only a couple years ago he'd ask me to walk him to class and beg for more hugs and kisses before I left.

I wasn't ready for Legos and sports posters to replace teddy bears and choo choo train wall decals. I wasn't ready for him to wolf down ten chicken nuggets instead of just four--though he still wants the Happy Meal toy so there's that comfort.

It seems like I blinked and Thomas the Train books were out, Diary of a Wimpy Kid in. And somewhere along the way Chuck E Cheese became too babyish. We'll be having a laser tag birthday party this year.

It's all going so fast. I flash back to the seven pound four ounce newborn who squirmed in my arms. He's four feet eight inches, seventy-five pounds now.

I ruffle his hair and kiss the top of his head, awaiting his conclusion. With a sly look out of the corner of his eye, he nods and murmurs, "It's the Easter Bunny."

I can tell he doesn't mean it, that he doubts his own words. I know he speaks softly because he's trying to deceive both of us and he's uncomfortable doing it. And I know he's fudging the truth because he knows I'm not ready.

But he's begun the process of packing away childish things...it's a warning shot across the bow. Manhood is coming. And I have to get myself ready whether I want to or not.

Dream the POSSIBLE dream!

Happy Holidays,  y'all. I hope the new year brings you many blessings. And speaking of 2011, it's that time again--time to make those New Year's Resolutions. When I was younger I used to make outrageous resolutions like, "This year I'm going to write the Great American Novel." Whatever that means...and I didn't write my first novel until I was 33. Better late than never, right? Or I'd commit myself to solving some sort of complicated mathematical equation, though I am not at all mathematically inclined. Or--and this is my favorite--I'd resolve to workout like a madwoman and starve myself into supermodel-thin shape not taking into account the fact that my figure is naturally more Marilyn Monroe-esque than Kate Moss-y.

Finally, over the past five years, I decided to make resolutions I had a hope in hell of achieving. In 2010, I resolved to submit a manuscript to Ellora's Cave and that worked out beautifully! In fact I have a new release coming out at Ellora's Cave on January 7th titled Love Game. Woo hoo! So this year, I'm going to keep building on my momentum as a writer and keep up with my healthy habits like yoga and controlling my sugar intake (not insane, borderline eating disorder habits).

But then I thought, why not take these reasonable resolutions one step further? Why not make a few resolutions I know I can keep to bolster my self-esteem even more? It's time to dream the possible dream! Here's what I've come up with:

1. When I empty the garbage can, I will immediately put in a new trash bag. I'm sure I can stick to this one...okay, 75% sure.
2. I will clean the lint trap in the dryer between each load.
3. I will no longer buy Men's Fitness magazine under the pretense of reading the articles. And really, if they wanted me to be able to focus on the content, why would they fill it with smoking hot, half-naked men??? I mean, look at the dude on the cover--even he's checking himself out!
4. I will no longer sneak a few grapes from the bag while finishing the rest of my shopping. I mean, I still have to taste one to be sure they're worth buying, but I will stop at only one...maybe two, but that's it!
5. I will not ogle my yoga instructor's ass...hey, I have to make one resolution I know I'm going to break. That's half the fun, isn't it? *grin*

So now it's your turn--what grand and not-so-grand resolutions are you making this year?

Cheers,
Cindy