Goodbye to 2008...

Thank, God!

2008 was a weird year, but the most important thing was that it zoomed by. Getting older was a lot more fun when I was fifteen going on sixteen, or twenty going on twenty-one. It was one of those years that was mostly insignificant and partly boring. The extent of my exotic travels took me to Tulsa Oklahoma, where the strangeness of the bats was only beaten by the strangeness of the filking (see earlier posts if you're confused). Let's just say that I'm really looking forward to 2009. I've listed some highlights of the year below. As you can see, the list isn't very long.

1.) On the writing front-I finished an adult mystery and a young adult urban fantasy, three short stories and two proposals. Not too bad. My goal since I've started writing is to finish 3 books a year,but with a very active one-year-old, I find that goal is harder to reach than it used to be.

2.) On the friendship front- 2008 was a year of new friendships. My local writing organization has really started to become a second family, and I've met some of my closest friends through it. The Conestoga Conference changed my life. I never would have learned how cool Jaye Wells was, or how disturbing Mark Henry was if I hadn't attended.

My friend Jo Davis' first book, TRIAL BY FIRE, made it's way onto the shelves in August. It was an awesome read and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. My friend Jaye Wells sold her first book to Orbit back in the first part of the year. RED-HEADED STEPCHILD will be out at the end of March, so mark it on your calendars. I've read it, and I can tell you it's a page turner. Another pal, Kay Thomas, also sold her first book to Harlequin Intrigue this year. BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF will be out on January 13th. And then finally, my friend Franny just recently sold a very cool paranormal proposal to NAL. It'll be out in 2010, so I'll let you know more about it as the time draws near. I'm thrilled for my friends who've had these very first sales and releases. Go get these books from the store and keep the publishing industry afloat.

3.)On the book front-2008 was a great year for book releases. I read two of the most entertaining and gripping books I've experienced in a long time in 2008. The first was Linda Howard's DEATH ANGEL. This book was so out of the norm for her and not like anything else she's ever written. She stepped away from the romantic suspense's she normally writes and delivered a fast-paced thriller, complete with an anti-hero you loved to hate and page after page of twists and turns. Congrats to Linda! The second book that was highly anticipated and delivered in 2008 was SWALLOWING DARKNESS. Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series just gets better and better with every book.

4.) On the personal front- The year was spent at home with the new baby and working on new books. The occasional Rock Band marathon became the norm, and every once in a while we'd venture out of the house and go to the movies. It was also a great year for movies. And no, I have no desire to see The Dark Knight like everyone else on the planet. I did enjoy movies like Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, Wanted (despite the loom of fate), Horton Hears a Who, Indiana Jones, Tale of Despereaux and Kung Fu Panda. I'm still determined to see Hancock and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button this week. The last thing about 2008 is we found out at the end of September that we're going to have another baby. And yes, we were extremely surprised. It'll make for a hectic year, juggling three other kids and writing, but it will round out our family nicely.

Everyone have a safe and happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas to All...

Well, the kids are tucked into bed, and the husband and I are decked out on the couch in pajama'd splendor, waiting for them to actually fall asleep. I can hear the occasional snicker coming from upstairs and the door squeaking as they try unsuccessfully to open it quietly. Apparently, children don't learn the finer points of deception until they reach their teenage years.

We've got a long night ahead of us (Toys must be assembled that have thousands of tiny pieces and decals must be put into the most awkward spaces possible), but we're going to persevere. The milk and cookies are set out, and the Norad Santa Tracker says that the man in red is in Brazil, so I think we have a little time to recuperate from the hectic night.

So to all you others out there who are facing a similar fate, grab a bottle of wine--Or if you're like my husband and prefer to put toys together with Jameson's and Coke--And have a very Merry Christmas!

Books for Christmas

Everything is in the dumps right now with the economy and such, including the publishing world. But you guys can help! Books are a great Christmas gift. Give them to everyone. It's cheaper than a movie and it lasts longer, too.

Is out...

I can't think of anything else I want for Christmas. Does anyone else feel like it's not really Christmas. I drive around town and hardly anyone has lights up this year. Christmas trees look like something out of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and the garland and tinsel seems limp. We had snow yesterday and tomorrow it's supposed to be seventy degrees.

The only good thing about this year is I haven't stepped one foot inside a shopping establishment. I've done everything online, and it's been awesome. Seriously people, stop going out and shopping. It just puts the rest of us in a bitter and unhappy frame of mind. There's nothing like standing in line behind a bunch of people fistfighting over the last Wii. And no, I'm not kidding. I live in the most lame town in America and the Walmart here still managed to have more than one fight break out on Black Friday.

Sorry to be so Bah-Humbug, but I'm having trouble getting into the spirit of things. Maybe some of you should share your holiday stories to put me in a better frame of mind.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

On the fifth day of Christmas,

My true love gave to me,
5 Gel Pro Mats

(These things look awesome, folks, and I want some baaaaad)

On a completely different note--

It snowed today. In Texas! Not only did it snow, but it snowed all day long. This is the puny tree in my backyard. Probably those of you up north are laughing right now, but this is serious stuff down here. This is the kind of weather that causes mass chaos and a governmental meltdown.

This is the front of my house, which strangely enough looks weird dusted with white. Most things look better with a layer of snow. Just not my house. You can see the slickness of the sidewalks in the picture. Also a good reason to stay off the roads and away from the crazies. And this is Texas, so there are a lot of crazies driving around, sliding across the pavement at high rates of speed with their shotguns propped across their laps for easy access.

This was taken from my front porch. Remember how I blogged about my neighbors and their insistence on putting everything in their yard to celebrate Christmas? This is only a small part of it. The singing Christmas trees, wooden cutouts, reindeer and blowup snow globes are hidden from my view but can be seen clearly from the front of the house. Also shown here are the puny trees in the front of my yard and the weird-ass grass we planted that seems to be multiplying in epic proportions. Note to self: Strange grass grows in Texas. Trees do not.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

Okay, so I'm a little behind. I got swamped with a seven-year-old's birthday party this weekend and forgot to post.

On the fourth day of Christmas,

My true love gave to me,

Four chocolate pies

Three excited Children

Two days of quiet

And Season 3 of Bones on DVD

On the First Day of Christmas...

Make sure you sing along in your head. I'll post a new one everyday as we countdown to Christmas.

On the first day of Christmas,

My true love gave to me,

Bones Season 3 on DVD.

Dear Santa,

I've decided this year for Christmas that I don't want anything wrapped under the tree in shiny paper with my name on it. But I would like a few things of a different nature. I've attached my list below, and I leave it to you to decide which ones you think I deserve. I've been mostly nice this year, with the exception of a few conventions I attended and that trip to San Antonio. And I've kept most of my naughty thoughts to myself except for those same conventions and that trip to San Antonio. Please don't scrimp on the generosity.

Leah's List:

1.) No more dirty diapers- If, by some miraculous event, you could keep my son from pooping for the next year I would greatly appreciate it.

2.) Winning the Lottery-I know, you hear this one a lot. But if you could find a way to grant me this windfall of cash so I can continue to stay home and write books instead of having to put on pantyhose and find a real job, I'd be forever grateful.

3.) Having a strange woman appear at our door begging to cook our meals for free- We'd let her sleep on the couch if only she'd take the annoying duty of cooking dinner out of my hands. And if she washed the dishes when we were finished I'd even give her a blanket and a pillow.

4.) Maybe the same strange woman has a brother who would enjoy mowing our lawn (for free of course)- We're compassionate here at the Hodge household. We like to keep families together. And though we might run out of couches to sleep on, we have a lovely shed in our backyard that could feel downright homey with a few scented candles.

5.) 48 hours alone with my husband- This is the tough one. I haven't been alone with my husband in almost eight years. I consistently forget what he looks like and our alone time is often interrupted by bad dreams, tummy aches or crying infants. Of course, after eight years of not spending any time together, we might find that we don't want to spend 48 hours alone with each other after all. I'll leave this decision in your capable hands.

You don't have to wrap any of these gifts, but it wouldn't hurt to drop me a note and let me know what's taken care of. I'd hate for my children to starve while I'm waiting for the strange woman to show up at the door.

Christmas, A Holiday Meant to Suck the Life Out of You

Has the Christmas season always been so full of useless crap?

I'm fortunate enough to live in one of those competitive neighborhoods. You know the kind I'm talking about. Where the Yuppies mow and trim their hedges the same height every week and give you disgusted looks if you don't follow suit. Every holiday is a reason to put up decorations or some kind of wreath on the door. And again, if you don't do the same you might as well hang your head in shame and turn in your HOA badge. Christmas is no different. Only more extreme.

This is only our second Christmas in this house, but let me tell you last year was an eye opener. At the crack of dawn, on the day after Thanksgiving, the neighborhood is full of hired workers putting up Christmas lights and yard displays of epic proportions. We thought, "No big deal. We'll put up some Christmas lights. Piece of cake." We were so wrong. We lined our yard and house in lights, while secretly coveting the dancing Christmas trees and singing snowmen of our neighbors. We weren't about to go out and drop a bundle on decorations just to keep up. Wrong again.

Every day we'd drive down our street one of the neighbors would have added something new, each of them topping the other in grandness and size. Now I'm a pretty competitive person, so you can see how it would be simple to get caught in this mindless trap. But finally we had to stop. We'd never be able to outdo the neighbors, especially the guy across from us who always measures his grass with a ruler. So we're the house on the street with only simple Christmas lights lining the roof. And I'm okay with that. Mostly. I've learned to ignore the disgusted looks and shaking fists as we drive by.

Is there a lesson in all this? Probably somewhere. Enjoy the holidays!

More Good News!!!

I just got the email that one of my manuscripts is a finalist in the Suzannah contest. For those of you who don't know what the Suzannah is, it's a contest that's open to both published and unpublished writers. There are no categories. All entries send an anonymous manuscript, which is then assigned a number. Judges pick the top six manuscripts out of those entered, so the finalists are a mish-mash of published and unpublished and category romance all the way to mainstream.

Just thought I'd share!!!

Stuffed and Proud of it!

Hope everyone had a drama-free Thanksgiving. The most exciting moment of my holiday was wrestling a 23 pound wet turkey and doing unspeakable things to its insides. The turkey was yummy, so my embarrassment, as well as the turkey's, was well worth it.

My pal Mark Henry launched his new website today, so everyone take a gander in that direction and enjoy the hilarity and strangeness that follows. www.markhenry.us You won't regret it. Though it might not be appropriate for anyone under 25 or over 60.

We did a little post holiday word wars today, and I finished my eleven pages before I had to pick up the kids from school, so that's always a positive sign. I actually have this book pretty well plotted out--I know. I'm amazed, too--and I can see the end looming before me. I'm about a hundred pages out, so hopefully I'll type THE END just before Christmas. That's also a good thing about Young Adult novels. They are a heck of a lot shorter than what I usually write.

On a GOOD NEWS note. I just found out today that my manuscript, WHISKEY REBELLION, won first place in the Get Your Stiletto in the Door Contest. HOORAH!!! I took the news gracefully by scarfing down a box of mac n' cheese (the kind with the powdered cheese because that's the best) and then I continued writing. My life is so glamorous. I might even change out of my pajamas at some point today, though it's almost night again, so I might as well leave them on;-)

Anybody have any good news they'd like to share? Actually, what I could really use is a few embarrassing stories. You never know what's going to end up in a book.