And here are some pictures from her book launch party. The first one is with Tasha Alexander and Renee Rosen. The second one with J.A. Konrath and Sachin Waikar (hiding in the back).

And you're probably saying, White Stone what? It was about a year ago in February that I completed the outline. And today, I finally produced that crap known as the first draft. I have no idea how many words there are because it's all handwritten on a light blue Mead composition notebook.

The past year has been crazy. Corporate job's been crazy. I have teams in Madrid, Manila and India, so I can no longer call my paying job a day job. It's turned into a a night job, an early morning job, and most regrettably, a lunch job (I do like to take my lunches away from my desk, so I feel most horrible when I have to work through lunch.) Because of this hectic schedule, most of WSC's first draft was written on the Chicago L. On days I was lucky enough to get a seat, of course. Other days, I stared at passengers with seats, wondering what they needed their seats for. Wondering what I could bribe them with to give up their bum warmers.

Of course there were also days when I got a seat and simply slept. Especially after 10 p.m. calls with India.

It was a long road to get the first draft done, and it'll be a long road to editing. First, I must key all these in. If I can read my handwriting. But how to type? I do have a laptop, so I may still be able to do this on the train, but there's not enough room on my lap for both computer and notebook.

But those are worries for tomorrow. Tonight, after my call with India, all I'll worry about is finding that bottle opener. It's time for a nice, cold beer.

If you don't believe me, just ask Newsweek, Washington Post, Bookslut, Men's Health, Book Sense, and GQ.

And when you're done reading, I'm sure you'll be hungry for more. Here's the wonderful Finn site: http://www.readfinn.com.

Congratulations, Jon Clinch, and here's to Finn climbing all the way up to #1!

I don't write mystery. Don't write thriller. But somehow I always end up at this annual conference (must be because of the friends I've made.) Shown in the picture above at the bottom row middle is Ken Bruen and to his left, the lovely Tasha Alexander. Behind Tasha, you'll see Renee Rosen, whose first novel, Every Crooked Pot, comes out in June.

Also present was the always entertaining J.A. Konrath.

I didn't actually attend the conference itself. I just met everyone at the bar.

And if you're wondering, yes, this blog is still officially on hiatus, although I should probably change that soon. My husband, Jeremy, pointed out that hiatus doesn't mean forever.

I will continue to write fiction. You'll see that on my nav bar. Maybe I'll even write the flash fiction to keep the site up-to-date. And there may still be the occasional interviews.  But the blog? I just don't feel like I have anything to say about writing that other writing blogs aren't covering already.

So go visit my Links page, and check out the wonderful blogs by other writers.

And if something significant happens, then I will update the site with that information. Don't worry. I'll be around. I'll be visiting YOUR blog. See you around!

I spent the past two nights keying in this mess. Now, I have a complete narrative outline of WHITE STONE CHAIN. The outline is over 9K words.

I have a freakin' outline.

And so far, I think this might just work.  The outline is, of course, a living document, but I think it will be pretty close to how the novel will turn out.

And from the outline, I am guessing that this will be my longest work yet. The goal, though, is to keep it under 100K.

I'm really quite excited.

As for JACKFRUITS, I received another partial request today. The surprise, though, was the method of delivery. I actually got the request via my S.A.S.E. (And I was so sure that only rejections came via the S.A.S.E!) I guess there's no way to predict what agents will do :-). 

Maybe stamps are just pet peeves of mine because they remind me of Immigration offices. As a professional, I'm usually treated as such, but that has not been the case in the numerous times I've had to apply for visas. And usually, after enduring treatment as a second class creature, what I got in return were friggin' stamps on my passport.

So needless to say, this agency is off my list. If I'd known they were going to stamp my letter, I would have at least included an inkpad along with my S.A.S.E.