Not so much resolutions, more guidelines...

It's no use me making cast iron resolutions at the beginning of the year, because my willpower has the consistency of a poorly set blancmange, and I know I'll only falter and fail miserably in some of the things I resolve to do. But I am going to try a bit harder in some areas...

1. going to try not to put off important decisions because they are uncomfortable
2. going to try not to be scared of things and people
3. going to try and keep doing a bit of writing every day, so as not to lose contact with my muse and my projects
4. going to try to keep reading more and maybe sample new genres and subgenres
5. going to try and be a bit more organised
6. going to try and procrastinate less generally
7. going to try not to go ballistic over small setbacks and disappointments, and to maintain a more c'est la vie outlook
8. going to try and self publish something
9. going to try and do something about the Dumpster Office of Doom [yeah, I know I said that last year]

I'm sure there are other things, and I might post about them later, but that seems like a reasonable list... and I'm just trying to do this things, not saying I'm going to do them... and then end up feeling pathetic because I didn't. :)

Dumpster Office of Doom

[It's far, far worse than this now!]

People who know me know that my office is an uninhabitable, unimaginable pit full of clutter, crap and the detritus of a thirty plus year career of total irrational hoarding. It's bad. And it just seems to get worse... and not always down to me. Certain home improvements have impacted unfavourably on my office and created an even greater disaster zone of books and paper and 'stuff' recently.

And today, this is getting me down more than ever, because himself is sorting *his* office out and has lots of space, can move, and can find what he wants. Which makes me very envious, even though I know my predicament is mostly [well, completely] of my own making. Sigh...

Something needs to be done, but I think I can't really tackle it until I get the first draft of IN THE FLESH done, something I intend to complete by the end of April, with luck. But when that time comes, I'm going to take action. I'm going to have to be stern with myself over things like magazines, and set a date before which everything will be thrown away, with no exceptions. I've always found it hard to let go of such things as books, magazines and VHS tapes, my thinking being that one day, I might need something I've read or watched as research or background for my books. Not being a person who's travelled much or done much in the way of exciting jobs, I depend on research materials a lot, to supplement a vivid imagination and a sort of 'empathy' for other lives and times and situations... But I started all this hoarding long before I had access to the internet, and now, my first port of call for research/background is the web, where I can usually find much, much more information, and probably better, than I might have gleaned from an old magazine article or a book I read years ago....

So, come the merry month of May, I'll be starting the long, long project to restore my office to the state of... well... and office. And that, I suppose, is my greatest, belated, New Year's Resolution. Wish me luck...

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Eating: chocolate finger biscuits
Watching: snooker
Reading: Daily Life in a Victorian House - Laura Wilson [excellent children's book]
Writing: nothing yet
Feeling: completely fed up and frustrated by Dumpster Office of Doom

Semi Hibernation of the Blog

So, this blog is pretty much in a semi hibernation, hiatus type state at the moment. Bit like Kuffer, above, and me a lot of the time, especially in this foul snowy weather we're beset with at the moment. Naturally, at the beginning of the year, not much is happening generally in publishing, and not much is happening here at Casa Da Costa writing-wise either.

2010 will be a strange year for me. The first in many, many years when I've not had a new full length novel published, thanks to the decision by Random House to do away with Black Lace [boo hoo]. Times will be tough. I'm not without publications altogether this year though. I've got my two 'Gentlewoman' Victorian set Spice Briefs sometime in Spring, and a contemporary Spice Brief called Another Chance, later in the year. I'm also a contributor in a couple of Harlequin Spice anthologies during the year too: Naughty Bits 2 contains my story Chance of a Lifetime and Alison's Wonderland has a story of mine in it too, called Unveiling His Muse.

But as it stands now, there are no new novel length works out by old PDC until the beginning of 2012!!!!!! That's when my first full length Harlequin Spice novel comes out, the infamous Victorianoid aka IN THE FLESH. I'm beginning to work on that in earnest now, and really having fun [and buying far more research books than I can really afford] but it does seem a long, long time until it hits the shelves. I just hope that my readers don't forget me, and can wait that long to read the story of bold and impetuous Beatrice Weatherly and her Victorian style 'indecent proposal' arrangement with the gorgeous but scandalous Edmund Ellsworth Ritchie. He's a very naughty man, with issues, but also a sense of humour. :)

What else have I been up to lately?

Well, writing a couple of shorter works. One's a longish short story which, all being well, will be included in the Mammoth Book of Hot Romance. This contribution is a sort of hot/cold winter sex romance story, with the temperature elements inspired by the current round of ice and snow. Very much a fun type story, which I hope readers will find entertaining. I've also be working on a shortish novella about a beautiful young man who may or may not be an angel, and the slightly older woman who falls head over heels in love with him. I did originally plan to submit this to a publisher's call, quite a while ago, but me being as slow a writer as a sloth on Valium, it didn't get finished in time for the deadline. I'm currently waiting for the right moment to submit it to a publisher.

I've also got a sort of category length sweeter type romance out at the moment, which I'm waiting to hear about - and which was a lovely change of pace to work on - as well as a couple of proposals and a shorter work sent out by my agent. So, a few irons in the fire, even if nothing definite...

So that's me at the moment, really. Nothing too earthshaking to report... just hanging on in there and hoping for the best, I guess.

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Eating: everything... I'm turning into a whale
Watching: lots of Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, cop shows
Reading: research for Victorianoid & a Victorian set novel
Writing: Victorianoid, plus assorted bits of ideas
Feeling: not sure

Yes, I'm still alive...

Sorry I've not been posting here much lately. I seem to be exceptionally busy at the moment, doing nothing much. Weird that, isn't it? The days seem to fly by and I don't have much to show for them, most of the time... Think it's the cooler weather, and a cold I had that seems to have induced a lingering lurgi... sigh...

Anyway, thought you would like to see the magnificent photo of Kuffer, that I took a couple of days ago. He's the King of Demented Poses, and even at his advanced age, he still manages to score high marks for artistic interpretation. :)

So, what have I been doing, apart from drifting about in a stupor and spending too much time on Twitter?

Before I throw myself commitedly into writing IN THE FLESH, my Victorian opus for Spice, I've been attempting to dream up a few ideas for shorter works, probably ebooks. At the moment, I'm grappling with a story that's about a fallen angel type character... Am not sure about the precise details of who or what he is, I'm just playing it by ear and trundling along with the writing. Which may or may not be a mistake, because I've a feeling I should have planned it out better first, and worked out some kind of mythos for my gorgeous angelic character. All I know for certain is that he bears a startling resemblance to a certain 'consultant' who helps the police with their enquiries in my current favourite cop show... ;)

Mmm.... sigh... yum yum...

Author's Birthday Headshot

In honour of my birthday, I've had a new author's head shot done.


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Eating: blueberry muffin
Watching: Poirot
Reading: various shorts
Writing: nothing much
Feeling: old

Happy Easter!

It's Good Friday and I'm eating one of these! Not all in one sitting, of course, but those mini eggs are awfully more-ish. :)

Nothing much else exciting happening here. Am still trying to maintain my positive outlook and determination to think nicer thoughts... although it's not easy in these times, and with my natural disposition towards being a miserable old curmudgeon! LOL

Credit crunch....

Times are hard, and I'm reduced to Tesco's 'value' chocolate digestives for my mid morning treat. Still yummy, though, but I yearn for the days of Hotel Chocolat and luxury muffins and whatnot... :(

Any road up, I know I've been a very poor blogger lately, so will attempt a bit of catch up here...

So, what's happening...

At the moment, I've got the contracts for my next two Spice Briefs on my desk. These are ANOTHER CHANCE & A GENTLEWOMAN'S RAVISHMENT. Another Chance is about further naughty goings on at Blaystock Manor, which is featured in CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, my first Spice Brief. This time it's Maud the archivist who's having some sexy, spanky fun with William the hunky estate steward. Hee hee! A Gentlewoman's Ravishment features Prudence Enderby, who gets a shock when her forbidden erotic fantasies about being kidnapped and ravished by a fabulously horny brigand start to come true!

Another Chance is nearly complete, but Ravishment is yet to be started. They'll both appear sometime in 2010, Ravishment in Spring, probably, the month after its sister story, A GENTLEWOMAN'S PREDICAMENT is published, and Chance, later in that year.

My next publication, due out on 1st May, is TWICE THE PLEASURE, the first in my Risque Reunions trilogy for Spice Briefs. I'm hoping that the other two stories in this trio appear in consecutive months... Twice is about Caitlyn, who, returning to her old high school college for a ten year reunion, meets up with the beau she was besotted with back in the day... and who unfortunately didn't seem to be besotted with her, because he was besotted with his best male buddy! But all is not as it seems, and the three old college mates come to an erotic and deliciously wicked understanding.

What else have I been working on recently? Well, my first ever full length historical erotic romance! This is a first for me, as I've always been shy of attempting something that needs so much research, and have also always felt that I'm a person very much rooted in the contemporary... But the idea of writing a historical was suggest to me, and really took my fancy, so I thought I'd give it a shot and have written a proposal for a hot historical set in the late Victorian period. I must stress this is only a proposal, and not a commissioned work... so it's in the lap of the gods as to whether it'll meet the approval of an editor... In these tough times, when publishing opportunities are at even more of a premium than ever, I'm going to need the crossed fingers, toes and miscellaneous other extremities of all my friends and fans if 'victorianoid' is to succeed!

Sorry...

Sorry it's been rather quiet here lately. Am grappling with writing stuff and life stuff and time just seems to get away from me.

Here's a rather mad picture of Kuffer as a placeholder... and I'll be back when I get any interesting news of any kind... :)

I have been mainly...

watching this for the last couple of days and have been completely fascinated by it. Strangely enough, I still don't know whether I actually like the central character of Lillie Langtry. She was the Victorian equivalent of these celebrities who are famous just for being famous, and who got ahead by looking pretty and sleeping their way to the top. It's hard to tell if this is a true representation of the real woman, but it is compelling viewing. Lillie had her share of triumphs and tragedies and a lot of love affairs, and does seem to have been a shameless self promoter who sometimes caused pain to others and/or exploited them for her own advancement. And yet, she was feisty and used her own form of power in an age when men were pretty much in control of everything.

All in all, I think I admire Lillie more than like her, but it's the mark of fine programme making and intriguing subject material when you find you're not exactly rooting for the central character all the time, but you just can't stop watching anyway.

Today is the most important day of my life...

No, nothing majorly exciting has happened. It's just another ordinary day. But I've been thinking about how I waste so much time worrying over poor choices and decisions I've made in the past, and how I also waste a lot of time thinking how great if would be if X, Y or Z happen in the future. The thing is, though, I can't go back and change the cock ups of the past, and who the f*** knows what's really going to happen in the future. So, basically, the best way to conduct your life is to make the most of here and now and enjoy the moment, instead of spoiling it by brooding on what's been and what's to come.

That's all from philosophy corner for today! :)

Anyway, very sorry that there's not been much in the way of blogging here for a while. There just seems to be a lot of stuff I have to do, but not much of it newsworthy, with the exception of a jolly lunch I had with my buddy Saskia Walker on Tuesday. We haven't managed to get together for quite a while, so it was doubly fun to have our usual laff fest and dirt dishing session. We even managed to get a table in our primo venue, the M&S Cafe Revive in big town. Am afraid I didn't have a very healthy option, and could hear my arteries crying for mercy over the fat rich but very yummy cheesey toasted sandwich, but Saskia's soup looked far more nutricious. She's got so much more sense than I have! LOL

In other news, I was busy last week and over the weekend working on a story for an anthology I'm very excited to be a part of, and which is the brainchild of a v. prestigious editor. More on that to come as news filters through. It's with one of my very favourite publishers though, so am well, well chuffed about it.

Now that's out of the way, I need to return to a couple of stories I was writing/editing before the little rush job came in, a couple of subs for the last of the current round of Black Lace short story anthologies. They're both pretty fun-sexy, playful and hopefully entertaining, although one is a tad more kinky. They're also both loosely linked to another story I've written for this series of anthologies, so I do hope they get accepted and this little 'world' I've created is complete.

When they're done? Well, back to working on ideas and outlines for new books and stories, and whatever comes up next. Am not going to think about the things I'm waiting to hear about... because that would be anticipating the future at the expense of the present, and I'm not supposed to be doing that, am I? ;)

Weather outlook...

Feeling tired and brain-foggy today. So hard to concentrate on anything, yet my to-do list is miles long. Just want to sleep...

I should never get off the Merry-Go-Round!

I've come to the conclusion that I should never completely get off the merry-go-round of writing, no matter how ill or tired or uninspired I feel.

If I ever stop writing for a day, it's twice as hard to start again the next day, and three times as hard if I leave it a couple of days... and so on, and so on. And so the feeling grows and perpetuates until writing becomes some horrible, hated monster I just can't face.

I've been falling off the merry-go-round quite a bit in this last month or two. Health problems, other worries, life crap and other disappointments have all put me again and again in a 'I'll take a break today' mood and those 'day' breaks have turned into longer and longer intervals between writing. And this just won't do!!!!

These gaps make me easily forget that I *can* actually write, and even if I'm not one of these golden, talented writers who everybody adores, I am quite good at some aspects of the craft, and quite a few people *do* love what I do! :)

I also forget how much I *enjoy* writing, if I don't do it. I somehow manage to block all memory of the pleasure I experience from writing, and only remember the hard aspects of it, like coming up with plots and ideas... I focus on my shortcomings instead of relishing and celebrating my strengths.

So, from today onwards, I will be engaged in attempt no. #23,742 to write a little bit of something every single day, even if I don't feel like it and haven't the foggiest idea what project to work on! Call this me getting an early start on my New Year's Resolutions!

What's going on...

Ack, another terrible gap in my blog, so better check in and report what's going on around here.

Not a great deal to be honest. At the moment, I seem to be bouncing around between quite a few writing projects and finding it hard to settle on just one. My head is a pot luck stew of ideas, all milling around together, rather than gelling into strong story concepts. My jottings notebook has bits and pieces from across about half a dozen different stories, novels and novellas. I find it a bit disquieting, to be honest, too, as I'm an author who usually likes to immerse herself in one big project and really get inside my characters and live their story.

I think I'll be more settled when I hear some news from publishing land. Apart from one remaining Spice Brief, I'm pretty much out of contract at the moment. I have some stuff 'out' and my agent is pursuing it, so hopefully, I might have something to focus on soon. But it's tough right now, for obvious reasons, and horror stories keep floating around. Authors dumped, lines contracting or disappearing, publishers cutting back all round. Very scary. As my agent said, though, all I can do is keep writing my fiction. Actually, she said 'the wonderful fiction that you write'... so I'm hoping that I can manage to be wonderful enough to snag a new contract of some kind soon. :)

On the home front, the recession or whatever you choose to call it is hitting hard too, just as it is for many thousands and thousands of families, small or larger, across the globe. Like everyone else, himself and I are looking to cut our bills a bit, and squish any tendencies towards extravagance. Looks like we'll be plumping for supermarket own brands and cheaper options more than ever from now on.

And it's certainly looking like yours truly will *not* be winging her way across the pond to RWA in 2009, much as I'd love to. I had such a ball this year, and met so many fabulous buddies, but a major, major expense like that is just out of the question in the short term future.... Wah!!!!!

Anyway, to cheer me up, and to cheer you gentle readers up, here's a goodie I found at Cute Overload that has me chortling every time I watch it... Enjoy!

Bits and bats...

First of all...

READ A HOT EXCERPT OF 'CHANCE OF A LIFETIME' AT LUSTBITES!

Well, I've finished writing KISS IT BETTER and the manuscript file has gone off to the editor now. After quite a wrangle with this mutha throughout the months I've been writing it, I did end up liking the story and the characters very much. It's very sexy, in a playful sort of way, and has a rather touching [hopefully] romantic storyline at the heart of it. It's also a Stoneworld story, although characters from previous books only appear in a peripheral sort of way, and then only one or two of them. I didn't want to shoehorn everyone into it, and it seem too contrived in consequence. ;)

I've also just sent off a story for the Black Lace 'Misbehaviour' anthology. This isn't a commissioned piece, so fingers crossed everyone that the editor likes it and wants to include it. 'The Distraction' is a rather naughty BDSM type story, and another of my older woman/younger man tales... although not cougarish, as it's definitely the guy who's the hunter in this case!

With those two projects off my desk, I now have to decide what to do next. I've been working on the second of my Risque Reunions novelettes for Spice Briefs, and have a first draft of SECOND TIME AROUND. That's currently sitting and 'fermenting', ready for me to go back to it and edit and polish it with a fresh eye in a little while. I have the third of the Risque Reunions to write, but I need to give that some serious thought, as it's going to be the most emotional of the three and will need careful handling.

Aside from that, I'd like to sub to two more Black Lace anthos, The Affair and Sexy Little Numbers, although I must admit I don't have the foggiest clue what to write for either of those as yet.

What else? Who knows... I don't seem to be the most efficient of career planners, as there's nothing commissioned in the hopper after Risque Reunions. :(

I've got some ideas, but there's nothing 'big' enough somehow... no high concepts, no storylines that grab me by the throat and demand that I write them. It's hard... I feel I should be stretching myself and pushing myself, but I'm not quite sure in what direction.

Anybody out there got any suggestions? What would you like to see ol' PDC write?

Normal service...

will be resumed eventually! I've been hard at work finishing and polishing KISS IT BETTER, and thinking about new stories and ideas. :)

Grovelling apologies...

... for being a rubbish blogger.

It's the usual excuses. Busy trying to engage with the old WIP and not doing so great. Trying to come up with some ideas for new book proposals. And generally feeling a bit rough and under the weather. The latter is nothing serious, nothing to worry about... just basically the knackerage of old age and damp weather produce aches and twinges.

Still slogging away with KISS IT BETTER, which you'll see by my counter is nearly a third done. I really need to buckle down and crack on with this though. Time is flying by, and the deadline of 1st December is fast approaching... along with Christmas!!!! Agh!

Proposals-wise... well, it's always a struggle. I am so crud at coming with new ideas! Have a few bits and bobs slowly coalescing, but my agent would like to be sending stuff out sooner, rather than later, so must try and focus on that too!

Keep watching my Tweets on the right, by the way. Even if I'm not doing full blog posts, I mostly twit on a bit, several times a day! :)

Here's a nice piccie...

... of Kuffer, posing as only he can! Note the magnificent 90 degree tail, cutely tucked front paw, and classic hind leg drape on the edge of the bed. Eek, I've obviously been watching far too much of the Olympics because I'm grading my cat on his sleeping positions now!

Anyway, now that the Olympiad is over, I'm hoping I'll get more work done. I've found myself getting drawn into watching sports that normally I'm barely aware of, but now that temptation is gone and I need to focus on my writing, on writing related activities and web design stuff when it comes in. I think I'm going to try and cut down some of my web surfing activities too. I love visiting blogs and sites and boards, and being part of communities and making friends, but sometimes, just sometimes, I come across things while I'm surfing that irk me out of all proportion to the degree they should... and that's not good for my temper or my general health. I'm one of these silly old sods who has a tendency to get in a state about nothing, so giving myself slightly less exposure to these 'nothings' has got to be a good thing, eh?

And I need to concentrate on Kiss It Better. This is proving to be quite a challenging book, because there's a lot of character history, character psychology and complexity to get into it... all without compromising the degree of sensuality in it that I know the publisher expects! I love writing super hot, and the characters in KIB are sexy, imaginative people... but there's a part of me that would have loved to write this story as a deeply emotional, character driven *romance* instead. There would have been sex in it, of course, as sex is a crucial key to the story, but I'd like to have had carte blanche to dwell much more on other aspects of the plot and characterisation, making up as much as half or even three quarters of the wordcount. I've always been interested in the bigger picture in my stories, and one of these days, I'd like to be in a position where I'm writing works that allow me this freedom.

No Olympics all day for me today!

Not that I'm not patriotic, and not that I don't enjoy brave and brilliant performances from athletes from all nations in all Olympic disciplines... but watching big sporting events like this just sucks me in and makes it hard for me to focus on my own challenges ie. writing, catching up after RWA, and doing a zillion other jobs!

I'm just going to dip into the Olympics now and then, today, and catch highlights segments for all the best bits and standout performances.

On the subject of catching up after RWA... basically... I'm not. Still tons to do. Still stuff in my case even! Still washing festering in the laundry basket. I've got to get on that as well as push ahead with Kiss It Better. I did get around 500 words done yesterday, in between mending the garage door which I'd managed break, and dealing with a pipe leak in the bathroom. Himself is away on his own jollies at the moment, in France, so it falls to me to handle these small domestic crises. I think I'm doing quite well, especially with that m***********g garage door, but it's still all time spent wrangling with 'stuff' instead of focusing on writing!

So today I will be mainly:

Writing some more of KISS IT BETTER
Catching up on to do list
Doing some web design bits
Washing
Not going anywhere near the garage
Doing a little bit of static cycling to get back into it
Trying not to spend too much time on Twitter
Generally trying to behave like a committed and professional writer [stop laughing!]

My RWA spending money!

Have been to the Post Office and got myself some dollars for my trip to America... although not quite as many as shown above! LOL! I don't think the bills for drinks and snacks and coffees and souvenirs will quite come to $26 millon...

Have also had my bushy eyebrows groomed into an nice neat feminine shape as opposed to my usual Denis Healey style... Tomorrow, my pale and whispy eyelashes go dark... :)

The Mad Hatter

Here's a piccie of my new bush hat/sun hat that I just got for my trip to RWA. It's for just in case we choose to go out for a stroll and the sun is bright. I'm not one for exposing my lily white face to the rays, and also with my hair being so chemicalised so brutally, it's not a great idea to get too much sun on that, either. I think the chapeau looks quite nifty, even allowing for me looking like a dead dog due to lack of makeup. :)

In other news, I had a sleepless night, mulling over something, so I feel pretty knackered today. I've made my peace with the issues that were bugging me, and actually see positive spins now, but it's left me weary. I may have forty winks in a minute, or, if I can't nod off, I might relax with Saskia Walker's gorgeous book RECKLESS, which I'm currently loving and savouring.

In even *more* news, I've been interviewed again! This time it's at the wonderful WE WRITE ROMANCE site.

Click here to learn some not particulary dirty secrets about me!

I.am.a.serious.writer not a.kink.penning.freak... Yeah, right... LOL