Jaycee Clark's Blog

New Blogger?

2007-03-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

Can I just ask why certain people feel the need to 'fix' things that are not broken? Signing into this new blogger is a pain in the ass, I still can't post on other people's blogs and have NO idea WHY as I've followed all their pesky instructions. Perhaps this is a sign. A sign that I'm just not ment to blog. A sign that I'm better off saving my limited time to writing on my books instead of cruising blogs and trying to post. Who is Google to tell me I must update and roll a perfectly working blog into their new program anyway?

I'm just in a rant. I couldn't post to my friends' napped blogs yesterday and I've given up today.

And I can't find my phones, which means the batteries are dead.

Did I mention the youngest has the barfies again? Joy.

I'm going to go eat more coffee beans now and then find some characters to kill off.

Jaycee

Expectations and Willy Wonka

2006-09-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

The problem with exectations are that you...well, you expect them or the quality of them to live up to a certain level in your mind. There's a profound thought. hahaha.

So this week has taught me to expect a wee bit less on many, many levels.

First off there was the cancelled minitrip. I should do 'the bright side', I get to save on four hundred miles worth of gas--well, eight with the return trip. But damn, I sure wanted to go. However, an 8 y.o. with the barfies who has undoubtedly passed said virus to his younger brother is not really condusive to a long road trip. sigh. I swear if htere is a vomit bug within a mile of us, my kiddos will get it. Actually, it's going through the school. so it's been fun.

I'd 'expected' to be further along with Deadly Deceptions than I currently am this week (read above paragraph). And speaking of Deadly Deceptions, it'd be really, really, REALLY damn nice if those Kinncaid wouldn't throw those curve balls I didn't see coming, if they did the EXPECTED thing. But I'm working with it. I like this twist actually, so anywho....

And then there is the fact of females and salons. Why do we go into salons wiht ideas of what our hair should look like when we come out? Actually, I'm not that difficult to please. Really, I'm not. I was to the point that my hair was hitting below my shoulders and I knew I had to either trim it or style it because it was just ...blah... A damned if I didn't deserve to look HOT. So I decided to go really, REALLY WILD. That's right, WILD, with my very own classic bob. I know, could I have been any more conservative? But it was shorter, stress free and looks good. I'm thinking, new 'do', I'm looking gooooooood with my new hair and cool shades. It's about chin level. Yeah, so I pick up my darling children from school. My youngest says, "You cut your hair!" My oldest. "Yeah, you did."
"Get buckled up, boys, we're holding up the line."
Click.
Click.
"You look like..." --the youngest. "Like.. I know! Willy Wonka!"
Oldest. "YOU DO!"
OHMYGOD. Just the look I was going for. Johnny Depp in drag. --then again is there such a thing?
I love my children. They really keep things in perspective. :)

Have a LOVELY weekend! ~ Jaycee

THE DREAM --NOW available from Cerridwen Press

2006-08-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Dream By Jaycee Clark

Sometimes life teaches a woman that she must learn to stand on her own against adversity, even when she knows there are others who will stand with her.

The eccentric Jason Claymere, Marquis of Ravensworth, is looking for a wife. Since he doesn't believe in love, any wife should do. But the current offerings—innocents and frightened young fillies—cringe at his scarred countenance, and widows simply cannot be trusted. Hardened from the years spent in war, he has no real use for society's strictures.

Emily Smith, a young American widow, leaves battered memories behind as she searches for her mother and her maternal family in England. What she finds instead is danger and a handsome marquis who saves her life. However, Emily will never trust another man—to be at the mercy of any man ever again is unacceptable.

While these two waltz around pride and deeply imbedded fears, someone rages as he plots revenge. Jason and Emily must learn to trust each other before both their pasts rip them apart forever.

Read an excerpt
Genre : Romance - Historical
Book Length: Super Plus Novel

Our newest family member.

2006-08-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here's Mia. She's a Tri colored Welsh Corgie. Isn't she just the cutest thing? The boys and I just love her. The cats don't care for her much, but that's okay too. :) Today she gets to meet the rest of the fam at the reunion.

Caving, Exploring and Camping--Oh My

2006-08-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

How do single parents do it? Really! There must be some secret, some...wise bit of advice? I stand in awe, truly, I do. Why, one might ask... Well, I, me, myself and I had a trip planned with my two wondrous children. There was the well thought out, planned for road trip that didn't happen.

Soooo, with life as it was, we downsized.

Packing takes longer with only one adult doing it. :) Or maybe I'm just too slow. Anyway, we finally pull out of our driveway around 3:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. Stop for bathrooms, fuel, dinner.

Now, in case any are curious, if you drive from Hobbs, NM to Carlsbad, NM, say around midnight, the stars are really cool. My seven y.o and I saw several shooting stars. FYI, even on a Tuesday night the motels are full. FULL. BOOKED. NO VACANCY. This isn't a bustling metropolis, it's not like it's a weekend, or having an end of school thing. Finally at 2 am, I found a room at a mom and pop place. A bed, that was all I cared about. Rather nice bed too. But I digress. (This is where that prior planning would have come in handy). So we get up the next morning, later than I had planned, but come on...I'm tired. I figure, how long can it really take to hike through the Caverns?

So we get to Carlsbad and I say, "Of course we're going to hike down from the natural entrance" (vs. The elevator--where's the fun?). Now, here in Central TX, a mile-mile/half doesn't take that long to trek. Oh, but the difference is darkness, steep slick darkness. Did I mention the bats? It was cool as hell. I have to admit it. It really was. The formations were unbelievable. The kids liked it too. hahaha. Oh and what the hell happened to plain old shoe strings? The kind that TIE for the love of God? Well, the oldest's 'lace' (elastic band thingy) broke as we ate lunch half a mile under ground. Band aids have many, many uses. I assured him he didn't look stupid as the caves were so dark no one could see his shoe/lace/band thing. So I have lots of photos of speleothems or rather stalagmites and stalactites. And for any wondering, guano is used in makeup and several other things. My youngest was impressed with the giant fallen boulder and the fact that spiders lived down in the depths of the world by feeding off each other. :) I've decided that one day I shall take up spulunking. I think it'd be fun.

Then onto the inlaws for lots of visiting and playing with cousins. Next up, meeting up with grandparents so that we can all travel together. Red River, NM is a really neat community btw. Colorado here we come. And oh the lovely, wonderful, spectacular cool, wet weather. I LOVED it. I think everyone else did as well as we were all used to 100+ heat waves. Gotta love TX in August. Again fishing was a big hit (fishing in beaver ponds that is, not the lake--or so I was informed). My oldest wants a tackle box for his birthday. I think I can handle this. :) The youngest didn't care for fishing, liked digging for worms (hey--they're boys), but he refused to kill them on a hook and freed all the previously caught worms thoroughly aggravating his older brother. Fun time had by all. ;)

Then there was the camping experience. OK, so with my imagination, granted, I thought...hmmm...This is kinda creepy, WAY out here in the middle of nowhere. Grandparents and fam were all worried and concerned for me and the boys to go camping. It's trees, river, tent. No big deal, really. Everyone asked me if I had a gun. So anywho.... It gets dark and my youngest freaks. Literally has a panic attack once it got dark. Now this is around ten at night, the fire is finally roaring. We've inhaled several hotdogs and smores, have the sleeping bags and duffel in the tent ready for bedtime and stories.

BTW if you're out in national forrest land on an abandoned camp ground and the clouds have covered the sky---it is DARK. Not just, wait-for-the-eyes-to-adjust-to-the-starlight-dark. DARK. Can't see your hand in front of your face dark. Yeah, so my poor little one is freaking and we're trying to calm him down and he's plastered to my leg, won't budge. Now he's my adventurous one. Nothing is too scary, nothing can't be tried at least once. "If I move, Momma, the bad man might sneak up and snatch me". Hmmm. Perhaps all the 'don't move or a stranger will get you' speeches might have been uttered too often? No, apparently there are mean men that live in the woods. *cue in Deliverance music*

So we tried to get him into the tent. Nuh-huh. I mentioned how the kid wouldn't move right? Well, the tent is red and when I told him that no, a bear isn't going to eat us, he informed me that the bear might think our tent is cherry and be hungry and then try to eat it and if we're inside he'd eat us too. (really, HOW can one argue with that? )

"Anything else?" I asked.
"Yep, the trees."
"The trees?" I looked at the pines spearing up into the darkness on either side of the tent.
"They could fall on us while we're asleep and then we'd be dead."
The tent was quickly tossed into the back of the pickup along with all the other camping paraphenelia and the oldest and I doused the fire from the creek/river.
BTW, if you're ever in the Elk Mountains around Gothic, Colorado--Rustler's Gultch is really a great camping spot. (IF you don't have over imaginative five y.o.) :)
Needless to say when we arrived back at granny and pappy's place everyone was happy to see us. Apparently we were not meant to camp that evening. Poor little guy. I had to laugh.

There was also the ski lift, the waterfalls, more beaver pond fishing and 'gold' digging. (Iron pyrite sure does sparkle).

AND we have a new member in the family. If I get my digital downloaded, I'll upload a photo of Mia. :)

Have a great one!
Jaycee

What Reviewers Are Saying About ANGEL EYES

2006-07-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

Praise for Angel Eyes

Recommended Read – Five Angels
“Angel Eyes is absolutely fantastic! She keeps readers on the edge of their seats throughout the book and her antagonists should definitely be feared.”~ Reviewed by: Jaymi for Fallen Angel Reviews

* * * *
“Jaycee Clark's ANGEL EYES is a keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspenseful romance that sent shivers down my spine. With her compelling storyline and engaging characters, Jaycee Clark's ANGEL EYES is unforgettable.” ~ Sinclair Reid of
Romance Reviews Today

* * * *
“Angel Eyes is a spine tingling and extremely suspenseful novel. Ms. Clark’s story will keep you riveted to the pages.” ~ Reviewed by Susan Tam for The Road to Romance
* * * *
“Jaycee Clark writes romantic suspense extremely well. Her blend of twisted villains, steamy sex and tender romantic moments thrill me every time I read one of her books.” Reviewed by Nanette of Joyfully Reviewed
* * * *
4 hearts
“Ms. Clark has written a truly suspenseful tale. Reader’s who enjoy a writer who gives credit to their intelligence will definitely enjoy ANGEL EYES.” ~ Reviewed by Lil for Love Romances
5 crowns
“To be honest, I have been reading a lot of suspense stories but Angel Eyes is one of the best! It’s suspense with a capital S. If you like suspense, do yourself a big favour and read Angel Eyes.” ~ Reviewed by Annick of Euro Reviews

I'm ahhhllliiiiiivvveeeeee

2006-07-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

What to blog about. I could rant and bitch all day, but really, that would gain very little. It's a sad fact I so suck at keeping up with this blogging thing (or anything anymore for that matter).

What am I doing? What have I been up to? Well, I realize that I haven't posted in ...jeeze, two and a half months. Flog me, tar and feather me--whatever. I'm doing good to meet dealines these days, but I'll attempt to be a better blogger.

Let's see, Angel Eyes was released back in April. I've since done the edits for print and it should be out next month I believe! (yeah). Also heard that THE DREAM is finally, yes that's right, FINALLY going to be out in August. I'm both excited and nervous over that one.

I've finished a novella for the TALONS Anthology with several other Samhain authors. I believe that will be out in October. I'm currently scrambling to meet a deadline for another antho with NCP and the characters are being too dang difficult. One would think with all the stress, they could be nice, my muse, Nyx (the witch) could let the inspiration flow. I'd be very appreciative.
I've also played with a couple of other genres, trying to branch out--those are under another name and I'm having fun with it, even though it's very challenging for me. We'll see how that goes.

For those interested, my PLAN is that after I finish the next three small projects I must get done, I'll launch into .... drumroll please... can anyone guess? No? No takers? Fine, I guess I'll just have to save that secret. But I'll give you a clue. The title begins with Deadly. ;)
Have a great day everyone. Hoping your week finds you all well and happy.

Best,
Jaycee

Ramblings

2006-04-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

I suck at blogging. I do, I readily admit it. I go through spells when I seem to have lots to say, or lots to jaw about as my grandmother would have said. Then I go through spells where I don’t seem to have a thing to say or I’m so busy I just can’t get the time to talk about it.

Well, I’m excited as tomorrow I have a release of Angel Eyes. My first in a while. I’m nervous, not sure how people might take it, or like it, or whatever.
Guess we’ll see.

I did get another round of edits finished on The Dream, it’s now with FLE’s. J So maybe there will be a release date on that soon.

What have I learned lately.

That my grandmother knew ALL. That’s right. When all else fails in life, just think of what my grandmother would do. She’d be right, I’d bet you.

I’ve also learned that turtles are a heck of a lot faster than one might give them credit for, I won’t go into how I know this.

Six little boy cousins between the ages of two and seven can get soaked faster than you can blink when roasting hot dogs down at grandpa’s creek. But oh the fun. Frogs and rocks were big hits. And it doesn’t matter that their lips are blue, or that their teeth are chattering, of course they’re not cold—why the very idea!

Men who have sported guns most of their lives during whatever hunting season happens to be open, find women holding a gun, even an air pellet gun, sexy for some reason. Men.

Family is wonderfully dysfunctionally functional. We all have aunt know-it-alls and uncle I-can-do-it-betters and cousin I’m-better-than-yous, with the eccentrics thrown in for good measure. Am I the only one that sits back and thinks, one day I’m going to write a book and probably piss one of them off. Of course with a family as large as mine on whichever side you count, I’m bound to model someone after at least one of them.

Yard work with sunscreen is WISE. I am not wise. I am a lobster. You’d have thought I’d’ve learned after the beach blistering I got in March. No one ever said I was wise.

And to any wondering I’ve managed to cook several meals, even bake cakes, pies and cookies in the oven (not the microwave)without burning a thing. Yes, it’s nice when the kids yell, “Yay! Mom didn’t burn it!”

Small amusement parks that follow county fairs around, only use water to rid the rides of vomit! Think of that the next time you climb into the ‘rocket’, or the hammer with your true love. J
Have a lovely day!

Jaycee

House cleaning vs. My Mother's house cleaning

2006-03-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

I just cleaned my house, or thought I did on Tuesday evening. Cleaned the kitchen, swept, mopped, cleaned the bathrooms, did most of the laundry.

However, yesterday my mother decides to 'surprise me' and really clean my house.

Does anyone else ever feel like they are in an 'Everybody Loves Raymond' Episode?

I'm not a neat freak. My mother on the other hand is. I don't mind things on my countertops and I tend to 'organize' by piles. This is nothing new.

I can't find a blasted thing!!!! *sigh* However, my countertops and the few appliances left on top (only because there was no place left for them to go) sparkle. My piles---I'm still looking for those.

We leave on vacation tomorrow and now I'm repiling piles so that I know what I need to take, to pack, to leave.

I'm smiling. Just keep smiling. Just keep smiling, smiling, smiling.......

Jaycee

Fun...

2006-03-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

I love writing kick-ass women. Just thought I'd share. It's been awhile since I really had one. Strong ones, yes. I like all my females to be strong in one way or another be they stay-at-home-moms or hired assassins. ;) So I'm currently writing Reen. Who's a shifter. More about her later when i can talk about her. She's fun, so is Saker, her mate. :)

What else? this week, I've done all the laundry, cleaned half of my house, finished a story, started another that's a short and am currently about a forth of the way through it. What's left? Packing. I hate packing. Really I do.

And that sums it up for me.

Thought for the day: What am I forgetting now?

Jaycee

Musician: James Blunt

The name game

2006-03-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

We have a new cat we adopted. Her name, from the adoption agency was Bobbi (she's a bobtail cat). My youngest decides he's going to rename her.
in a week the cat has been called:
Bobbi
Bob
Diamond
Cowboy ( I have no idea)
Tuesday
Darling
Sasha
Darling again
Bobbi
Amy.

I'm told that he might call her Vadar. Vadar could be a girl too. Or maybe Jedi. He tells me names are very, very important. Can't argue with the kid. Took me nine months to choose his and I won't admit how long it takes to come up with character names. I'll have to remember to post a picture of the still-naming cat.

Jaycee

Never Give All the Heart

2006-03-03T11:07:00.000-08:00

Never give all the heart, for love
Will hardly seem worth thinking of
To passionate women if it seem
Certain, and they never dream
That it fades out from kiss to kiss;
For everything that's lovely is
But a brief dreamy kind delight.
O never give the heart outright,
For they, for all the smooth lips can say,
Have given their hearts up to the play.
And who could play it well enough
If deaf and dumb and blind with love?
He that made this knows all the cost,
For he gave all his heart and lost.

---By Willaim Butler Yeats

It's March, who else would I be reading?
Current Album: The Cheiftans : Tears of Stone

Blessings upon you and yours.
Jaycee

Perception

2006-02-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a yoyo, dropping, pulling, bouncing, rolling. Up, down, side, up, down.....

I thought I was the hand.

I've realized I'm just the yoyo.

At least it's Friday.

Jaycee

Current musician: Jack Johnson

I feel smart

2006-02-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

Why you might ask. Because I called and hounded Mandy until she sent me her HTML codes to Blogspot so that I could 'understand' wtf it was I was supposed to be doing. And I did! I think. At least it looks right to me. We'll see if it stays that way. lol.

Photo's yesterday, graphics and links today. I've discovered that when you work with HTML codes, it gets easier. At least to understand. Now ask me tomorrow and I won't have a freaking clue, but for now, these few minutes.... I feel intelligent. :)

Everyone have a great day. I'll hopefully get some stuff posted later.

Jaycee

2006-02-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

Can I figure out bloggerbot? And uploading pictures to my blog? Let's see if I'm inteligent enough.

Valentine's Day

2006-02-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day

Valentines. Who in their right mind invented this commercialized holiday? Wait, I know, if you visit historychannel.com, you can read all about the varying legends surrounding this holiday. Personally I like the version #2, which was based on the pagan holiday for Lupercalia, secret meetings, blood, lottery wives. I mean, really it's the more interesting, don't you think? http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/?page=history1

So I'm wondering, if Bah-humbug has become the anti-thesis of Merry Christmas, what is the polar opposite of "Happy Valentine's Day?" F* off? lol Well, that's my idea anyway, but that's just me and my warped mind, so who the hell knows.
Jaycee

Workouts, donuts and fairies

2006-02-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

Work outs and donuts. Great combos don’t you think? Well I did my part. I went nad burned off plenty of calories this morning. Even worked out. That’s right. I worked on abs, hamstrings, my thighs, biceps, triceps, pecs. Managed to keep the hula hoop from hell right around my hips so now I’ll sport some lovely bruises tomorrow. THEN I went and bought a dozen donut holes. I really went in to get coffee because 1) it’s cheap 2) it’s so dark you can scrape it off your teeth and then jitter around all day. But there they were, fresh and warm and just sighing out. So I had to get them. BUT I was strong. I didn’t eat the entire dozen donut holes. Just like…3/4 of them. It’s like watching the food network, all the great recipes and decadent dishes only to go to a diet, workout, newest weightloss commercial. Am I the only one that finds the humor in this? Then again, I am a bit weird, so maybe I am.

I feel like a mom today or rather yesterday—we did the whole Little League tryouts. First time ever. Very exciting. Then we went and purchased a mitt and a bag to hold our bat and other sport paraphernalia in. Tonight is a family function night at the school. And the valentine’s party at the PreK. I learned last night that a preschooler who goes by initials doesn’t care to write out everyone’s name on their valentine cards. And not just any cards mind you. Star Wars. Yes, kids are never dull. He informed me that everyone else just needed to go by two letters cause it was a lot easier than the kid with eight letters in their name. He marches to the beat of his own drum that I think he sometimes gets from me. Since he informed his brother last night that the Tooth fairy did not have feet. I coulnd’t help. I had to ask. Well, what they need them for. They have wings. His older brother then pointed out that birds have wings, but feet as well. It’s was bedtime, I didn’t stick around for the rest of the heated debate on whether or not fairies had feet or only used them when their wings got tired. My oldest did ask, “what are they gonna do if a wing breaks or gets hurt? Roll?”

So, that sums up my weekend. Hope everyone had a great time. Laters!
Jaycee

OH and check out www.myspace.com/jayceeclark/

Friday's Thought

2006-01-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

Another Friday, thank goodness. I really hate Mondays, but today I feel like I actually accomplished something. If you can count fixing this myspace account the way I think I want it as something. Then again, I'll probably change it next week. But for now, I feel like I've done something.

Writing is going well, I suppose. Deadlines are biting at my heels and I know next week they'll be biting me in the ass. Woowwhhhoooo. Yes, i love to be stressed out. You should see me. I don't need shoulder pads--I have knots the size of gooseggs in my shoulders. OH well, at least no ulcers,right?

This morning I was grabbing a coffee at my local haunt when I spied an acquaintence and her sister. We were talking about dieting, calories, all the sinful goodies in the coffeeshop and our nil-to-nothing will power against such goodies, no matter the calories. Well, one sister claimed she was doing good until the other sister decided on this decatant pecan glaze pastry and offered to share. Which brought up my philosophical thought for the day:

We're taught to share, to be kind, to give others food. However, we're also taught not to tempt. Soooo if your best friend or sister is dieting and you, out of the goodness of your heart share the delicious death by chocolate cake, or the Italian lemon cheese cake, or the pecan glazed pastry with them, is it bad? I mean you tempted them from their path, didn't you? Silently relishing in the fact that they too are swallowing those sinful calories. So is it a good thing to share in such cases? Or not?

Personally, if I have a box of Godiva chocolates, my sister, best friend, or any other friend, better just think again. Cause, dieting or not, those babies are MINE!

And I hope you all have a WONDERFUL weekend!
Jaycee
www.jayceeclark.com

Another day

2006-01-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

Another day, another dollar, isn't that the saying? Yes, well, I've been busy writing, cleaning, writing, cooking, writing, cleaning, writing...you get the idea.

Plotting, plotting and more plotting. What can I say, I haven't been this swamped with ideas in a long, long time. YES, the VOICES are back . come Voices, come to me, let me hear you! *I just had a flash of the 'servant' on Dracula.*

Anywho, so the muse, Nyx, the ole wench is back with a vengence. So i've got one to finish this weekend. Another short to get done, another proposal to get in and then edits for The Dream! Hopefully, I'll have a release date on that book shortly.

What else? Anything? Oh, yeah, got a stellar rejection from Simon and Schuster. ;) I think Warner's is my favorite--I'm too dark. And Mira--too dark again. I LOVE being too dark. I'm so weird I know.

I'm also thinking of going red. Red highlights in my hair? what? Who the hell am I kidding? I don't have time to fix my hair half the damn time, who has time for highlights. I have stories to write, victims to stalk, villains to hunt and finally bring down. Guess I should let the heroes get a kiss or two.

Have a great one!
Jaycee

The Burn Bitch Strikes Again

2006-01-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

I swear! I think she sneaks in and just does it for laughs.

No, I set nothing afire . Really, I didn't. No smoking microwaves (the new one works very well, thank you). No candles to get rid of the reek of something smoldering.

So I decide to grill burgers. Now, in my defense, this is a relatively new grill and my first attempt to cook on it, AND it's dark. So I stick those patties on there and listen to them sizzle. yes, I am good. Got supper cooking. Run inside and do some laundry, check boys, load the dishwasher. Check burgers yet again, still not done, so I sighed and thought, dang, how long does this take?

Slap them back down and go back in the house. I swear it was only a few mintues. So yeah, they were a wee bit done. OK, really done. One side is kinda ...well...charred. The top fine. So I covered the charred with cheese thinking...maybe it won't taste so bad. *snort*

Again the seven year old looks at them, then at me and just shook his head. "Momma, next time let me do it." So we're eating, mostly chips and salad. The five year old takes a bite and then says: "Mom, I think it's pink. I see pink" (Now, I don't mind medium rare meats. They taste better. but I have issues with feeding half cooked meat to my kids, especially beef--but that's another neurosis). I explained it was the just the tomato. He argued.

Seven Y.O. shakes his head and says, "HOW can you see pink? There's no pink. How can there be pink? They're burned. Crispy."

So there's my grilling foray. I've decided cereal is very healthy. So are sandwiches and grilled cheeses. I really can't screw those up.

I wonder if the pagans believed in little kitchen spirits that burned food? Must find the answer to that one. I'll just blame it on them/it from now on.

Jaycee *yes, for any wondering, I have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. )

Divine Intervention to Dieting

2006-01-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

Fire hazard in the kitchen...that'd be me.

So i wanted a snack. What? Popcorn? No. Cereal? No. *bing* cookies! That's right. Chocolate cookies. Special cookies, homemade and sent as a gift. chocolate dough covering mint Hershy kisses. The best way to eat these babies is by nuking them for about twenty seconds so that the inner kiss is melted. :) Great! One? No, let's be really bad and go for two. So I grab a napkin (hey, I'd just finished washing dishes). Placed two of the little chocolate orbs onto the napkin, set the napkin with cookies inside the microwave. Since there's two, we'll go thirty seconds.

ALAS, at 10 seconds to go I smelled burnt chocolate. I quickly opened the door to be engulfed in smoke and to see sparks from where the edges of the cookies melded together and then charred the napkin. OUT the door onto the deck, the stinking mess went.

I'm standing there agast. Twenty seconds and two burnt chocolate cookies later, the kitchen reeking of smoke I'm thinking, huh, maybe I should lay off the cookies?

*enter seven year old* "Moooom. What did you burn now?" (Do you see a pattern here?) He looks out onto the deck, then back to me. "Cookies?" Then to the microwave. "In the MICROWAVE?" Total awe in three small words. He just shook his head. While I'm climbing ontop of hte cabinets to open windows, he's cataloguing all my past burning accomplishments. Yes, I've burnt teflon off the pan, boiled water down to nothing, burnt boiled eggs (I mentioned the water down to nothing, right?) My children still won't eat toast out of the oven due to memories of flames.

I am still rather shocked. I tried a grape experiement that my aunt passed on once she learned of my burned cookies. Sparks did not fly, flames arose.

So a new microwave later, the airfreshened kitchen, I am happy to report that I have been cookie free for three days! I figured it was divine intervention to diet. I'd rather have had "Lay off the cookies" written on the ceiling, but sparks, charred paper and smoke in all of twenty seconds works too!

Happy cooking all! And remember--Keep those fire extinguishers close! I think I'll stick to writing.
Hugs,
Jaycee

I'm Such a Girl, and a Blonde One at That

2005-12-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

What exactly does a rotar do anyway? In terms of wheels/brakes/driving? I haven't a clue. But apprently I've royally f*ed mine up. I kept telling hubby the expidition was making a funny noise, no warning lights came on and no one said anything about brake pads when I did the service thing a few weeks ago. I'm "into the metal" as one man told my husband who showed up when I called and did the... "Yeah, something about replacing rotars or something." He freaked.

Now I think "into the metal" sounds cool. But this is apperantly not a good thing. No, I'm really not blonde, okay, so I'm kinda blonde. But this is cars, not a crime scene or a fictional crime scene or on a more every day around my house--child scene. Let's face it, I'm just not a mechanically inclined person. Mechanics are like... geometry. I could do matrixes in algebra and loved them, not sure why everyone else got confused. But give me an algorith or Pathagorim's theory (at least I think maybe that was his name--sorry Mr. Gary), and I can't think my way out of a damn box. So geometry and mechanics just sort of go together in the 'things I just don't get' category.

Sadly, I'm thinking I should maybe do a book where the heroine works in a garage? I might learn something more useful than different ways to kill a person. Oh wait, this is me, I'd devise new plot scenarios with villains due to my surroundings. BUT I might also learn more about my cars and lingo that sounds cool. Yeah, so anyway, hubby is none to pleased with me. The wonderful guys at Larry's Lube got a kick out of me and my mother's upset because I can't drive her to my brother's tonight for a thing tomorrow. *sigh* Oh well, at least the bills are paid and it's getting warmer.

Have a good one
Jaycee *who'd have to get a manual out to change a tire*

Moods

2005-12-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

So I'm in a pisser of one. What else is new. I'm feeling stressed. For some reason this is how holidays always leave me. Not grinchy, but this mixture of ellation and anxiety. Why one might ask--who the hell knows. I think it's from my childhood. Too many rushed Christmases? The fact Santa got stuck in the chimney?

Or maybe it's a modern infestation of the holiday rat race. WHAT is Christmas about any more? The newest toy/gadget/thingy ma mob.....

OK, OK, I won't even go down that lane. Seriously, it's a slight pet peeve of mine.

On a happy note. I found all my ancient Christmas tunes. NO, not from high school, but in terms of the music composition themselves. I have several Celtic and one titled A Winter's Night--Christmas in the Great Hall by Ensemble Galilei. Drives everyone else bonkers with the pipes, dulicimers and harps. BUT they all leave me in peace. :)

So the tree is up, hanging with ornaments. I'm not a stickler on the strategic hanging of ornaments. I let the kiddos do it all except for the really old ornaments my mom gave us and very fragile (read breakable) ones. Other than that, it's up to them. My mother on the other hand is a strategist when decorating a tree. Since her health isn't what it used to be, my sister and I decorated the tree for her. No big deal--hahahahaha. If thou only knew. My parents have a seriously vaulted ceiling and the tree is a ten footer. We're talking LADDERS, here people. With Mom below letting us know where to hang each little thing. Needless to say, my sister and I found the absurdity to it all and just stuck them where we could. Mom is a---decorator. She really gets into decorating...and early. Very, very early in the year. Of course this is in juncture to the fact that at Thanksgiving her side of the family descends complete with family fueds (at least this year) to have their Christmas. We used to do this every year on Christmas eve until my grandparents passed on. Anywho, needless to say she has conquerored the art of mixing the fall festival theme with winter wonderland of Christmas. Either that or we've all just gotten used to it.

AT our house, though, we go for simplicity. I do the tree, hubby does the lights outside. We used to have inflatable yard art (dont' get me started on those either) but the dogs thought they were fun so Santa & Frosty don't blow no more! I know, that's horrible of me.

What else? Oh, my son, the five year old, wrote a book for his grandpa for Christmas. Going to Grandpa's House. There are a couple of death scenes--of hunters and animals. I think we've watched the Fox and The Hound too many times. Either that or he's starting to wonder why Dad isn't into the hunting craze like all the other uncles and cousins around here. They shoot the deer. We merely put out corn and sit and watch the twelve point buck prance across the yard. But I digress. My husband read the book, found the double homicides of an armadillo and a deer and said, "You're like your mother. Something must die." :) Progeny is wonderful.

This is such a pointless ramble isn't it? Well, then I'll give you some NEWS~ I finally got my Cerridwen Cover. You can check out the fabulous cover to my regency suspense on my homepage at www.jayceeclark.com. The Dream doesn't have a release date yet, but hopefully soon. I also have my cover art for Angel Eyes ~ a contemporary suspense coming soon from Samhain publishing. That can be found on my Upcoming release page. And before I'm deluged with more emails--YES Quinlan has a story. Deadly Deceptions is in the works. As is Cold Range and Buried Lies.:)

I hope you all are enjoying the festive time of year. Season's Greetings and Blessings. Until next time ~ Jaycee.

Blogging take three...

2005-11-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

What to blog about?

As I've said before, I'm horrible at this blog thing. I was doing pretty good. At least a post a week, then I haven't posted anything in two weeks, or is it three? Well, anywho, it's been awhile.

Things here have been busy. School stuff, life, books, edits, more book ideas, approaching birthdays and Christmas. I'm the idiot that decided to 'make' many of the gifts this year. Why did I do this again? I realize time is getting short and I really haven't even begun, and deadlines are looming and and and... I feel a panic attack coming on.

Yeah, so deep breath, get through one thing at a time and we'll see what happens.

I'm currently trying to come up with a good Christmas contest for the readers, but as yet, my creative muse is still rebelling. The witch. She gives me 'just enough' then flits away. I think she's pissed, about what, I'm not precisely certain. So the battle of wills begins. I have deadlines, I'll rope her butt and tie her to a chair and we'll see what we come up with. Nyx is very complicated and moody, ya know.

Well, I wish you all a very wonderful weekend. And maybe I can keep up with this a bit better next week. :)

Jaycee

New Release!

2005-11-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

Ghost Cats II
By Jaycee Clark, Michelle M. Pillow and Mandy M. Roth
Is NOW available from New Concepts Publishing

Return to the world of the ghost cats ... immortal lovers of fierce passions and deadly legacies.

Revenge II by Jaycee Clark:

Reya Lynx has all she's ever wanted. Life seems full of promise, with her husband, her pregnancy and her career. It's been a long time since peace has surrounded her.
But peace won't last.
Detective Lorenzo Craigen has just about had it with his wife and her procrastination of the inevitable. In one night, he reminds her who she belongs to, always has, and always will. She's his mate, his she-cat. When she finally agrees to claim before The Council she always has been and always will be his mate, he's relieved. Finally, they can have the life he's dreamed of for centuries, before everything went so blasted wrong.
Yet from her past, comes the wind demon Nybras. He's always loved his Precious, and he won't let her belong to anyone else….

Carnal Instinct by Michelle M. Pillow: When Fiona's boyfriend breaks up with her, he doesn't just leave, he cleans out her bank account, leaving her no choice but to go crawling back to her rich father. Now in her father's debt, she's practically forced to work at the Jameson Wild Life Rescue and Preserve taking care of animals.
Cade is a catshifter content to live out his day in cat form at the preserve. Besides, it's easier for him to be in charge of security if he's always on the grounds. But, when one of his new 'caretakers' can't seem to stop making jokes at his expense, he's determined to show her just how much of a man he can be.

Dance of Souls by Mandy M. Roth: Mason Blackwolf had no intention of settling down. His best friend Brayen has strapped himself to a woman for eternity and no part of that appeals to him. There are so many woman, so little time--if he didn't factor in being immortal and all. When his shaman grandfather, Running Elk, sends him on a wild goose chase, Mason soon finds that whatever his intentions in life were, they've now changed. He didn't plan on falling in love--he didn't plan on Chandra.
Rating: Contains graphic language, explicit sexual content, and violence.

Germ-a-phobe & idiots

2005-10-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

I readily admit it. I think I'm a germ-a-phobe. Really. Okay, I already knew that, but seriously. Our local library was renovating and needed volunteers this week. So I helped out, helped shelve books and today helped clean the pc's. REALLY clean them, keyboards with like....Qtips and alcohol. The best thing I can say is that I had alcohol. At least I could disinfect myself. I mean, have you ever thought about it? How many people use public things like computers and don't bother to wash their hands? That'll give you something to contemplate the next time you go to the library to look up research material. Next invention...portable, personal keyboards.

I'm an idiot. I know.

I really don't like germs. It's like doctor's offices for crying out loud.

And stupid people. I REALLY don't like stupid people. They tend to irritate me, then have the ability to infuriate me. And out of really stupid people, are stupid drivers. sigh. Maybe I should take a competive driving course. THAT'd be fun. I bet I could write it into a book and write the course off as research.

Okay, enough pointless rambles. Y'all have a GREAT weekend.

Best,
Jaycee

Mondays

2005-10-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

I really don't like Mondays. They're just NOT my favorite days, ya know? I don't want to get out of bed and the battle of convincing kids that school really IS fun seems lost so I pull the 'Do you really want to grow up in ignorance?' angle. For some reason, that seems to work.

What's new with me. Well, I'm older. That's right. I had a birthday last week. The milestone of 29. Personally, I'm not certain why this is a milestone to some people. Many people never seem to move beyond 29. Me? Heck no. I want to go all the way to 90! Next year is the BIG THREE-OH. I plan to have one heck of a party. Not sure why many get so depressed over getting older. Would they rather the alternative? NOt getting older? I mean, really, there is only one way for that to happen and it's not really pretty, I don't think. Dead or older? I'll go with older thank you. If I have a few squint lines (yes that's what I call them, thank you very much) it only adds character to my facial features. I mean I don't want to look like Joan Crawford *shudder* Someone stop that woman from the botox and lift treatment before she freezes.

Then there was the golf club incident. Two young boys, too close together and disaster was bound to happen. Thankfully, we have no fractured orbs, strained optical muscles or any other damage other than a shiner. The four year old thought X-Rays were REALLY cool! Great. Glad someone is finding true enjoyment out of this experience. I think they gave me a few more grey hairs.

And onto other topics. Like what? Hmmmm...that's a good question. Oh, my Mom and her sisters returned from the European Ya-Ya trip. They had a blast and mom brought me BOOKS. Is she great or what? I now have plenty of research material to set a book in several countries or German cities. :) And speaking of research, the current WIP, another suspense is moving right along. :) Thank goodness. I'm needing a dead body though. I think the plot is slowing down. lol. We'll see.

That wraps it up for me. Hope everyone had a great weekend and may your week be sprinkled with smiles. :)

Hugs,
Jaycee

2005-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

My inner nerd. I was a nerdy kid in school. Really I was. Younger, I loved science and loved to try experiments. I grew out of that and the need to fly and see if I could actually build a space ship that would defy physics and launch me and a crew several lightyears away.

Yeah, so anywho, then my thing was history and social studies. That's right. I love history, anthropology, political sciences...I'm a nerd. I knew this, after all who else gets as excited over researching a book as they do about writing it? Well, probably several others.

THE point, is that I've learned how to create decent looking websites. Really...okay, I think so. I was messing around trying to create one for a friend of mine. Little MS Publisher, some feathering and smudging, layering in photoshop, then import (read copy and paste) into Frontpage and viola... Website.

Maybe I'll stop writing and start creating websites for authors and charge outrageous sums or something. Then again, maybe I'll just write about a heroine who creates websites for authors and is stalked by a serial killer! That's more my style, don'tchya think? Bwwwaahahahahahahahahahahahaaha.

One day I will fascinate some poor psychiatrist.

Laugh just for the hell of it--I promise, people will stop, stare and ponder.....

Later,
Jaycee

Have You Ever noticed...

2005-09-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

...how sick everyone is that visits doctor's offices? Well, seems a given doesn't it? Am I the only person who doesn't want to touch anything while I'm in there? I mean people with the barfies have flipped through those mags, ya know? I go totally germaphobe OCD when I get into doctor's offices. Oh well, and what, you may ask brought this bout of dr. office fear to the fore--well, I had to take my youngest in today. Bless his heart. He was really sick and had a fever. So two hours later we see the doc and get some meds. Hopefully,they'll work.

It's Monday, no sleep last night, but that's okay, kiddo is tired too.

OH, and my mom and aunts are taking a ya-ya trip to Europe. They're leaving today and are so excited it's like watching a group of teenage girls get ready for prom. :)

If I thought hard and long enough, I migh actually come up with something important to say, but lack of sleep and NO CAFFIENE (don't ask) have left me sluggish.

Today's song: Citadel.Yeah, that's my song for the day.

Jaycee

Today is today...

2005-09-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

...very deep thought, yes? Well anyway, I've realized a few things.

1) There comes a point when anti-acids don't work.
2) PMS is a pain for everyone.
3) Men are idiots and will never get it.

That sums up my philosophy for the day. Have a wonderful Thursday.

Jaycee

It's Monday

2005-09-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

Amazing, I know. I've managed to post within DAYS of each other. No, the sky isn't falling. Does it feel that way? I know, I know, some days it just feels that way.

Well today is holding promise. Started off great, can't complain. Kids didn't want to go to school, but then it is Monday. We have soccer tonight. And WHY did I sign my kids up for this? sigh. Oh well, they needed to work on athletic coordination anyway and I really needed to learn that there is life outside my office and computer, right? Right?

BTW, I hate headaches, I just thought I'd let you know that. And for those who are interested, I have decided that scissors and me do not mix. Several years ago I nipped a chunk of skin out of my thumb making a 'bear' book--don't ask. So my left thumb print is forever changed. :) Now? Well, last night I decided my kids looked a bit grundgy so I sit 'em out on the porch to give them hair cuts. And since my brain was elsewhere, I decided I also needed to take a chunk out of my palm. Thankfully, I stopped before it cut completely through and left a gaping hole. Now I'll just have a pretty little inverted 'v' in my palm. Oh well, I always wanted to confuse a palm reader anyway.

Wrote a sucknopsis for my current WIP (Cold Range)--another contemporary suspense. Edited the paranormal and sent it to my editor and opened up several old documents to see what other short I might also want to try my hand at. Oh and brainstormed with my friend Erin.

That sums it up for me. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday and if not, tell the world about it. Really, it's Monday after all, we expect crap to happen. Or smile at everyone. I promise, it'll confuse them. :)

Until the next pointless ramble in this neurotic writer's world....

Jaycee

TGIF!

2005-09-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday, thank God! I'm really ready for the week to be over. I feel like I haven't been home all week. Yesterday was one child's birthday. Lots of fun after the soccer practice. But anyway, we celebrated and had a lot of fun. Daddy had even more fun when we opened the box of Extreme Marble mania---what is this? Think gadget with wheels and chutes that work when marbles are dropped and spin and roll down said chutes. It's about 400 pieces. LOL. Who said women weren't devious? My husband KNOWS I am.

And speaking of husbands, I was SO proud of him today. First off we were having lunch. Afterwards, he was inside paying and I was buckling child number two in the carseat. Well, this truck goes by and guys whistle. I look around? No one else and the dude waves. I smiled. It's nice to be whistled at. ;) So hubby comes out and I tell him. Like a normal guy, he scans the street and then proceeds to tell him about how the guy could have been some wacko. What if he got the license plate number? Had I noticed if the pickup followed me before? I just looked at him, laughed, then hugged him. I've taught him SOOOOO well. See a villian EVERYWHERE!!! Bwwwaaaaahahahahahahahahahaaaaa......

And what is my pet peeve of hte day? Obsessive compulsive, anal retentive cashiers. I'm in a hurry. Granted, I realize it's not their fault I'm in said hurry. Normally, I could careless cause let's face it--I'm a bit neurotic and high strung. Yeah, so anyway. I'm waiting in line and the lady in front of me wants a price check, then she wanted to put something else back, then she wrote the 'wrong' check. I smiled and didn't even sigh. Finally it's my turn. So I set stuff on the belt and wait. Now, I tend to be a bit OCD myself. I like all the dry goods sorta piled together, meats, frozen stuff...ect... you get the idea. But apparently that wasn't good enough. Kid you not, she rearranged the way stuff was 'stacked' on the belt, then slowly scanned each piece. Then, then she sorts it just so in the no-support normal plastic sacks, making certain the cans are all set properly, the boxes all lined from tallest to shortest. I'm thinking, I'm in a freaking hurry, just throw the s*it in already. BUT I didn't. I just smiled and told her to have a nice day then liked to have mowed down an elderly lady who was coming in as I was going out. *sigh* Yeah, I can be a witch.

So this week, we've had three birthday parties between everyone in the family, soccer, and I've driven.... roughly 420 miles this week and that's staying in town after I drop the kids off--and driving to the mall. I love living in BFE when the gas prices are what they are.

I think that's all of the pointless rambles I can give. I did finish a paranormal last week. Started back on a contemporary suspense this week. I'm trying to come up with some sort of Christmas short story idea. Anyone have thoughts? Email me. lol. Nyx, the bitch, is either striking her muse job, or drinking margaritas down in Mexico.

Have a great and safe weekend everyone!

Jaycee

New Do's

2005-09-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so I already said how I suck at keeping up with this blog thing, right? Just to reiterate, the obvious, I'll say it again....I suck at keeping up with this.

So what's new in my life? Well, let's see...A lot, but of interest to you? I have no idea. Kids started school, that was interesting, but glitches seem to be worked out now. I finally finished my paranormal novella that should have been finished like a month ago. *yeah, something new*. I'm still waiting on edits for my Cerridwen release. Bouncing around with new ideas.

But I have a new 'do'. For those that met me, or have seen pictures, I have, or rather had really long hair. Not just long, but LONG. Down-to-my-rear long, strangle-myself long. However, there is a downside to having really long hair, in case anyone was curious. That's right. You get headaches all the time. If I ever wore my hair up in any way, shape or form, I got a killer headache. Well, those I learned to live with. But the hair loss was another issue. I can do short and thick. Long and bald? No thank you. So I bought mags and looked at the 'new' do's. I'm sorry, but there are just some ugly women out there that make matters worse by getting some sort of funked hair cut that's totally lopsided and they think it's cool. I'll just let them live in their own delusions. Why burst their bubble, ya know? But I realized I'm more a classic than a feminist hair style type of person, or rather a follower of the 'grunge/short/electrical socket' sect. I know, I'm horribly antiquated.

So the stylist who has trimmed by long locks before figured it was the same or I'd cut some off. No sirree. I chopped it off to my shoulders in a sort of layered bob. (I felt you all really needed to know, just for information sake.) Easy, simple, no real hassle. And the long strangs got donated to Locks of Love. I figure some little girl is really happy she can have a wig in her color of hair, or close to it. Why waste it, ya know?

Yeah, so I pick up my four-year-old from PreK. He noticed about half an hour later and said, "Wow, Momma. You cut yewr hair!" In a completely affronted male voice. I asked if he liked it. He looked at me for a minute and said, "I guess so. But don't worry, Momma, it'll grow long again and then you'll be beautifuler again." What can you do but laugh? My six-year-old? I don't know that he ever noticed, but then he's still traumatized over the fact he MUST go to school when he's board out of his mind. He was concerned that if I cut all my hair off he wouldn't 'know' me when I picked him up from school. Husband on the other hand just kept looking, shaking his head and sighing. I said, "Don't worry. I'm told it'll grow long again and then I'll be beautifuler again." He did say it was sexy, but he misses my long hair for reasons I won't share. ;)

Men! I think it's a gene on their XY chromosomal make-up. Doesn't matter if their four or thirty. What is it with males and long hair? Really? Does it go back to ancient times that hair is somehow 'theirs'? *shaking head* whatever. lol.

So now I'm headache free and trying to figure out how the hell to use this brush thing without killing myself or tangling it and ripping what is left of my hair out. The things we do to look good.

Which reminds me. I'm back to using the hoola hoop from hell. :)

Hugs,
Jaycee

New Beginnings

2005-08-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

LIfe is full of new beginnings. Relatioships, love, children.... The list is endless. Well, today I had a new beginning. My first born started first grade. Granted he's been in a private school for the last two years, but it was half a day. This was different. This was 'big' school. All day, lots of rules, and not seeing his brother. Lots of changes.

No, I did not cry today. Really. I didn't. Thought about it. Got sniffly last night, but it's such a joy to watch them all excited, to see them walk in a new room and hear them say: "Bye, Mom!"

Now, here's the time I've always wanted, a bit more time for myself. School all day, think of the things I'll get done, the things I'll get accomplished. *snort*

Instead, the youngest and I piddled aroudn the house. I cleaned out dressers and closets. Lord forbid I sit and write. After being home all summer, all the years, the house was quiet. No fighting, no bickering, no mixed giggles and 'Quit it!'

Sort of a look down the road in a few years. One of those soul searchign moments and eye openers: Enjoy every minute. It'll all be gone before you know it.

Of course then we all got home and it was again a loving sibling battle zone over Lincoln Logs. Before I started hollering about sharing and not throwing, I realized, "I'm sick, I missed this."

LOL. Hope everyone had a wonderful day! To screaming kids, dinners no one wants to eat and not enough time in any given day! Life is great!

Hugs,
JC

Things in Life...

2005-07-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

...I just don't understand. There are many.

So what don't I understand? Well, hatred for one. Can't quite get my mind around it. I see where it might come from, see where dislike can distort views, but true, unadulterated hatred? Nope, can't get that. Have no clue what would drive a person to kill innocents, just because. Perhaps hatred isn't even it. More a twisted sense of motivation. Who the hell knows. I don't. Historians are still trying to understand how millions could be annihilated during WWII, the motivations, the causes, ect ect. Books will still be written on it hundreds of years from now, and so will the happenings of our current times. It doesn't however lesson the shock or devastation, the loss. Some people in this world are just ... there are no words.

My heart and sympathy go out to our friends in London. May your strength carry you all through this frightening time.

JC

I Don't Have Time for My Muse...

2005-06-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

To clean or not to clean...
That is the question. I need to. I spent all last week doing last minute edits. OKay, with me, I tweak, and tweak and then think... OH, I could fix this. I'm NEVER done. BUT, BURIED SINS is now winging its way to my agent. I hope she likes this version. Guess we'll see.

I spent the weekend at Amarillo--WONDERFUL writer's conference. If any of you ever have a chance to participate in the Panhandle Professional Writer's Conference, I'd strongly urge you to do so. They are just FABULOUS! You can find them at www.panhandleprowriter.org Great group of people. So much so, I joined the group and plan to attend every year.

So now I'm scrambling to catch up. DEADLY TIES and the GHOST CATS Anthology was released in PRINT while I was up in the panhandle. Thanks to Mandy Roth I found out and she's such a sweetheart, she announced it for me. I just today got it put up on my site. Hey, better late than never. I hope to get bookmarks with all the deadly covers ordered sometime this week.

I MUST thank several people here: Gail, Syd, Jackie, Cindy, Amelia and Dobby! If not for these fine ladies, I would not have questioned what I did on the last book and fixed it--or hopefully fixed it. They're cruel vicious women who bar no punches and let me know what I did wrong or what was needed. Thanks ladies.

What else? hmmm.. aren't you glad you decided to stop in and read a bunch of nothings? I'm currently trying to decide what the climax will be for REVENGE II that will be out in October. I have the characters, but I'm stuck on the peak.

I'm so happy to be done with one round of edits, but I need to clean up DEADLY GAMES for print either today or tomorrow. So, hey, if you noticed anything, feel free to let me know in the next couple of days since that's what I will be working on. I'd rather be writing somethign NEW but alas, doesn't always happen. And it's so THERE! Yep.

Today my muse taunts with ideas and snippets,
Alas I can't listen, I have to do edits,
There's laundry and dishes awaiting me too
Perhaps I'll get lucky, but tomorrow she'll snooze.
Witch.

Y'all have a GREAT day and if I think of something else to tell you, I'll hop over and let you know.

Hugs,
Jaycee

I should check my blog more often...

2005-06-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

I was tagged!

Breezy tagged me weeks ago and if I updated my blog more often, I might KNOW this. J I should really be writing, but hey, everyone needs a break.

Total number of books I own: Oh Good Lord! I don’t have a clue. There are my personal reads, my TBR pile, the books on my PC, all my reference books, literature books, poetry, all the kids books. LOL. I have way too many books to ever sit down and count them. The kids have three book shelves, I have four, and then there are the piles of books under the bed. Too many? Not enough? I admit it, I’m a bibliophile.

Last book I bought: Corduroy for my son and his friend for gifts. The Black Rose by Nora Roberts (it’s off limits until I get done with rewrites. J ) And a mystery trio from the UBS.

Last book(s) I read: Bait by Karen Robards. I read it in the car on the way to New Mexico. Other than that, it’s my reference books on Crime, Forensic Crime, and a couple of Fantasy, Celtic Legend Reference books. :)

Five books that mean a lot to me: Five? Only Five? Jeesh. Do they have to be MY books?

Well, off the top of my head, I’d have to say my grandmother’s family Bible. It’s old and full of family facts and history, but it’s not mine, so I guess it doesn’t count.

But if the five have to be on my bookshelf, I’d have to say:

Carolina Moon by Nora Roberts because it was the first Contemporary Romantic Suspense I’d read and turned me onto the entire genre.

My Evonovich books because rarely do I read comedy or even laugh in books, but her Stephanie Plum Books always leave me with a smile. J

Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. It says a lot about life and sometimes I think we could reread it and learn how not to whine or to get our butts in gear and make something happen instead of waiting for something to happen to us.

The Life of Frederick Douglas. What can I say? It was haunting and stuck with me. Sort of like Achebe’s: Things Fall Apart.

And though I don’t have a copy, The Poisonwood Bible. I loved the theme of how perception changes absolutely everything in the exact same situation.

I know that’s more than five, but really, only FIVE?

Tag 5 people to do this:I'll tag

Mandy
Michelle
Sydney
Monica
Gail D.

RT Highlights

2005-05-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

RT Highlights~

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! If you EVER have a chance to attend this convention—you simply must! It was beyond a blast.

Granted, when I first arrived, I wondered, as no one could locate my boxes with all my stuff in them for about two hours. I went to the front desk, who sent me downstairs to the ‘dugout’. Where I ran into several Ellora’s Cave authors and a really spunky and sweet editor, Brianna St. James. –However, there was still no boxes labeled: Jaycee Clark. Okay, it could still be worse, I could still be waiting in the lobby for a room. At least I had that. So back upstairs I went, and this time flagged a manager (or some other person who actually had an office). He found my lost boxes neatly stacked in his office. I told him I could have kissed him, but he didn’t seem too interested. *shrug*. So I hauled them up, unpacked, waited another ten minutes for the elevator. (No, I wasn’t walking down 12 flights of stairs carrying a mounted poster, a box of pens, magnets, bookmarks and containers—I’m lazy, I admit it. But you’d think with 27/8 stories they’d have had more than THREE elevators for God’s sake!)

Finally I was all set up in promo lane/alley. I met several great people—Monica, Eden, Shirley. J Then I went and cruised the hospitality suite. And FINALLY met my great friend, Jaci Buton! I have to say, after knowing her for years, it was wonderful to finally get to ‘see’ her! Dinner was an experience. I was sitting quietly, breathing, thankful my little plane-let hadn’t crashed into the ground, that I had a room, that my boxes were found, and that it was a really spectacular view of the arch from the wall of windows, when a woman came up and invited me to join them for dinner. Holly Jacobs is the sweetest woman! Cathie Linz and Erin McArthy were also there. The ladies were so nice and welcoming, making my first St. Louis and RT experience a great one.

Next up—the EC party! I just have to say, these people know how to throw a great party! I ran into some old friends I’d met at the Merritt Conference in San Antonio—Delilah Devlin and Elle James. I met several playmates—Babs, Dobby, Renny (and some I know I left out, sorry.) I also got to finally meet Melanie Blazer! Needless to say, I crashed that night.

Thursday morning dawned and so did my nerves. Hospitality suite. I met up with all the NCP authors there—Shirley Martin, Monica Burns, Eden, and Janet. Our editor, Madris also stopped in for a quick hello and some pictures! We had a great time and it flew by much too quickly in my opinion, because next up was the RT awards luncheon. I hardly ate a bite. I’m not the best speaker. Speaking makes me nervous. (Think the Princess Diaries nervous. I’m-gonna-puke nervous. Please-don’t-let-me passout nervous.) But then it was my turn and I didn’t even trip going up the stairs! :) Y’all I LOVE my plaque. It’s got my NAME on it and everything! There were several winners at the table I was sitting at. Holly Jacobs, Cathie Linz, Anna DeStefano, Debra Webb—and probably a couple I forgot. Great time! The afternoon was spent meeting more people and getting ready for the ball that night. The costumes were awesome! AND I finally met Missy Andrews of Genesis Promotions, and S.L. Carpenter—who is a fabulous guy—and the lovely Saraha Kelley. We waited a bit and then all headed up to congregate in the ‘meeting place’—read bar. J It was great. Had a wonderful time!

Friday. By that day I had NO voice and felt awful. I got up, had breakfast, think I said hello to a few people then went back upstairs and crashed for several hours. I did drop into Eden Robbin’s and Cheyenne McRay’s ‘Out of This World Cocktail’ for a few minutes. Heather Graham’s Vampire ball was interesting. Can’t wait to see what happens next year!

Saturday was another nervous day for me. Book signing. But it was LOTS of fun. I met so many people and signed books, took pictures, and my favorite part—STOOD IN LINE. Yes, after it was over, the authors got to stand in lines as well. I waited about an hour to purchase my books. Then hurried upstairs to throw everything I could into boxes to haul back downstairs to the UPS store set up in one of the rooms. OMG. I got in line around five and left at almost seven! I did meet Eloisa James, Jordan Summers, and Julia Templeton. I also met a fellow reader and contest winner: Rose Germano and her husband. It wasn’t a total waste of time. To be honest, it was one of the more relaxing moments—but then being in a small closed room with boxes and several tired authors/readers doesn’t lead to a lot of excitement. None of us really wanted to see the Mr. Romance Pageant anyway. Lol.

Our NCP editor, Madris Gutierrez, took all the NCP authors out to dinner. It was great chatting with Joy Nash, Angelica Hart, Monica (who I must say is a true promotional genius), Janet, Anne Manning, Shirley, and Madris. It was fun. At that point, I thought I’d just head up to the room, finish packing and call it a night, but I couldn’t very well do that. J There was one last party. So I put on my 1920’s outfit and met up with some friends downstairs. It was a wonderful time. Seeing the models perform YMCA yet again just put the finishing touches on my night. One last drink and good-bye to everyone at the bar and I called it a night. I had that plane-let to catch back home.

And can I just say—it is WONDERFUL to be back home. Now to get caught up, finish rewrites and start on several stories I came up with. Yes, I must thank Dobby for the idea of wicked villain and Mandy for brainstorming with me this morning/afternoon. Now to get caught up……………

Daytona~~~~~~~~ It’s a hope. We’ll see later if it’s possible. J

Hugs and chocolates,
Jaycee Clark

PS there was also the tatoo issue and meeting Tracey West, and Cindy and Charlie and more people than I can ever remember. I know next year to make a daily diary just so I can keep up for reports once I'm back. :)

Waxing...

2005-04-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Wax on, wax off....

My a$$. OH MY GOD. Am I the only woman almost thirty who's just now discovering the 'joys' of waxing? I decided I'd wax my legs last week. I figured if I screwed up...well, it wasn't like I was going to scald something I might otherwise not want to, ya know?

Yeah, so here I go. Globbing it on, only to realize I'd gotten too much and made a complete mess. Then there was the ripping. You can take off SKIN! SKIN people. Now this is something we need. One shin looks like I took the top layer of hide off trying to climb our porch steps and the other resembled something from 'the mangy dog at the vet'. Needless to say I stopped at the thigh. No way in hell was I damaging other various parts of my body. Next time, I'm going to the spa and biting down on a strap of leather as they rip out body hair. Yeah. Medieval torture at a high point in modern times. And then there was the wax I couldn't get off. The oil they send didn't work very well. I must thank a friend for tipping me to baby oil. Really, have you asked yourself WHY do we do this? I know, I know. It's a pain to shave. So, next time I"ll just burn myself with acid...I mean... a depilatory and bladeless razor. The FUN. I can't wait!

OK, I'll stop with pointless rambles venting female frustrations.

laters~ JC

2005-04-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

It's Monday. It's like Murphy's Law meets Dr. Suess. That's what Mondays are to me. Of course if I had slept a bit more this weekend, that might help, but as it is, sleep is a forgotten luxury.

The weekend was great. I got to sign my books. My first book signing at Waldenbooks Store in Austin. It was FREAKING BLOODY WICKED. Yes. My first. Firsts in life are special, cause....well, they're first. Ya know? So I drove to Austin on Thursday for promo stuff to take to St. Louis. I decided to drop by the mall and check Walden's....just in case. Nope, they don't have my book and can't order it...so the computer tells them. Fine, nothing new there. I then went and blew entirely too much money at Barnes and Nobles, but man, I'm loaded on new reference books! So Friday the phone rings and guess what? It's Walden's. They've got a couple of my books in---would I like to come sign them? Does a new writer want to come sign their books IN THE BOOKSTORE? Well, lemme think aobut this---I had to struggle with my answer. Seriously....NOT. So early the next morning, armed with a digital camera, I hop into my car, zooom back down to Austin and arrive all of ten minutes after the store opened. Yes, it was simply bustling with activity. I didn't really notice, though. I got to sign my books! And they were nice enough to take pictures! AND they've already ordered more. AND, they faced mybook OUT on the bookshelf! It was so bloody wicked! I can't get over it. Surreal. Totally surreal.

There is also the issue of inlaws coming for the weekend for a visit. And this translates to: Oh Sh!t! Now I need to clean. After all I'm such a spectacular housekeeper. *snort* yeah, right. So that's me. I'm cleaning and doing the 'we'll-put-it-off-until-we-simply-can't-any-longer' jobs. But I'm smiling. I signed my books!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great day and a wonderful week. I'm trying to get my yahoo group started for chats. Maybe this week. One can annialate only so many dust bunnies (or in our case jackrabbits...maybe jackalopes?) before going completely insane. :)

Until the next report, or pointless rambling....

Jaycee

Ever Wonder... WHY a bunny?

2005-03-23T14:30:00.000-08:00

I must do better at keeping up with this blog thing. Really. It’s sad, neglected and silent. Perhaps, in my current frame of mind, the title should be… “I’m bitch, hear me yell!” Yeah, not sure exactly what that means but it does fit my mood.

Well, it’s another holiday (read marketing gimmick to overdose your kids on sugar). And what the heck is with the bunny? Eggs I get. Lots of cultures have used eggs as a sign of fertility, spring, hope of life, ect ect. WHO in the heck one day decided a GIANT bunny runs around hiding eggs? Does anyone else ever wonder…huh? WHERE does he get them? Does he raid the henhouse? WHY a giant bunny? Why not a giant chicken or goose? Wouldn’t that be more appropriate in terms of hiding the eggs? Or some other form of fowl? Personally, I think it’s sad we’ve created this day with a rabbit that has serious identity issues. Maybe his mother was killed when he was young and he was raised by the chickens? Thus, he thinks himself as one? Or perhaps this is an annual statement of rebellion on the fact he’s now displaced?

I know, what is going on in my brain—who knows, I’d invite you in, but you might not survive. Lol.

Actually, I get the ancient pagan symbols of spring and fertility in the rabbits and eggs, I just can’t get where we decided to evolve this spring time festivity into what it is today. I doubt the pagans envisioned a giant rabbit merrily hopping along with nothing better to do than to hide a bunch of eggs.

But I’m exhausting this topic. Until next time, after the spring time ritual of strange animals and their symbols.

Happy Easter, Spring Time, coming April~ Whatever have you.

Laters~
J.C.

To Ponder...

2005-02-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been awhile, yes? Sorry about that. Time got away. Then again, where else will time get, if not away?

I've been buried in edits. And am still in the edit mire. Let's see, what all has gone on. There was getting stuff ready for the taxes. Check. And I mentioned in my previous blog the fun to be had in reinstalling hard drives? Yes, well, there are also pesky things like lost files that will not open from back up disks. :) I'm smiling.

Oh and I learned this week that my month of workouts left me fat weight loss and muscle weight gain, along with several inches lost. No pain, no gain and all that jazz. So I was happy.

And Valentines is over---thank goodness. Not that I don't enjoy romance as much as the next person. Call me cynical, or jaded. And yes, I got flowers, and champagne and chocolate and... Well, anyway. But I looked at all this stuff in the stores and thought---My God, we're materialistic. No, this is not one of those epiphany moments. It's more a soap box, of which I will spare you the majority of. But seriously, men and women, do we *really* need an excuse to tell loved ones we love them? Would it mean more to get the flowers, gifts, cards, whatever on any given day just because? Or do we all like slotted days for such things? Granted, this hasn't really worried me as I have more cards than I know what to do with. BUT, I mean the marketing and commercial worlds make a killing off holidays, special days, any day. Good thing I guess. And what is the point of all this? Don't have a freaking clue. Just thought I'd share with you all. Simply because I CAN.

Hope you all have a great day/week. Until next time that I see fit to bore you and share useless info...........

Jaycee

F-U-N

2005-01-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

...otherwise known as reinstalling the hard drive on your computer with the help of Tech Support. :) Yes, I had A BLAST. I think EVERYONE should do this. I realized I was in the wrong business and should have struggled through those college calculus classes and majored in computer programming. It would have been easier. There is more I could say, but it just wouldn't be nice and my grandmother always said if you can't say something nice, then hush up. So I guess I'll hush up on that topic. Or not.

Also getting tax stuff together. I think to round the week off I'll have a mammogram and a root canal. Yeah.

Best moment of the day: Watching my kids climb the tree outside the window and remembering simply joys of life. :)

Until next time..........

I realized...

2005-01-13T11:41:00.000-08:00

...I'm sadly out of shape. Today was my first 'workout'. Remember that New Year's Resolution? Well, I joined a local women's gym. Now, I thought I was in decent shape. Today that dillusion was shot to h*ll and back. My most favorite machine--the oblique twister. (Can you tell I really know the names?). Yeah, well, I still hate, and always have the 'kicking' machine. Then there was the hula-hoop of torture. Sadistically--or would that be masochistically?--enough, I enjoyed it. Nothing like self inflicted pain. The hoop weighed four pounds with these inner 'rubber nubs'. No problem I thought. OH MY GOD. It hurt like H*ll. And yet, I found myself going through the cycle waiting to get back to the rainbowed hoop of Hades. My stomach hurts. :)

Why do we do this to ourselves? To stay healthy. Well, I know my grandmother lived for 92 years and she never used a gym. So I wonder....what am I missing?

OH well, perhaps I'll finally have those pre-children abs back, or at the very least a closer image to it, the pre-children a$$? Well, as I said, there is hope. And it's a goal right?

Of course, as soon as the workout was over, I went and got a mango tea-zing. Hey, at least it was better than say--pouring sugar straight down my gullet. There was fruit--at least flavor--and caffiene. And I earned it. That hoop will give me nightmares.

~JC

I'm a hamster.....

2005-01-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

...and I've got a squeaky wheel.

Ever had one of those days where you do all this....stuff, yet you can't really pin point any one thing you DID. Or rather there is nothing 'showable' for what you've been so busy doing? No? Well, I knew I was weird anyway.

I think everyone will be happy to know that I have found the top of my desk! That's right and it's brown! I also found the poisonous seeds that Mr. Procrastination left in hopes to rue more woe. Alas I beat him this time, but he's like the 'one who must not be spoken'---he keeps returning. One day I will completely conquer Procrastination. Then I'll vanquish him to the deepest darkest pit on earth. Yeah, and the Rocky Mountains will move east.

Managed to get my newsletter out today. Next up: Updating a few things on my website, hopefully at some point today, check in with the boards and edit a few chapters in my historical.

We will see how productive this day has been later. Oh, and laundry...did manage to get laundry and dishes done. Now, don't you all feel so very informed? LOL. One has to just love these blogs.

Sweet moment of the day: My son informed me who he was going to marry. He's in preschool. :) I was devastated that I've been shoved aside for a beautiful classmate of his.

Until next time ~ Adios!
JC

Monday~~~~~~~~~

2005-01-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

Why, may I ask, are Monday's cursed? I woke up in a good mood, for crying out loud and I'm so not a morning person.

Nothing too bad, nothing catastrophic or horrific, just those stupid Monday blunders where anyting that could go wrong, does.

Plus it's all dreary out, and I'm just glad to be back home with the boys playing with their trains and tracks in the living room.

I was constructive over the weekend. I got this wonderous little blog going and really think it's cool that I can write and post anything I want to--well, just about. I put away all the Christmas crap--er decorations and am glad I don't have to mess with it until next year. Laundry done, house was clean, but with kids, clean is a relative term. I'm learning there are many 'relatives' in life and not the ones that are siblings of family or extened family.

Now I'm cleaning my office. Okay, more like organizing, but really, I want it color coded before I begin my next work.

Hope you're all having a great day!

~JC

2005

2005-01-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year one and all. Got to love New Year's.

Today, I find myself looking back over last year, one I suppose because we're 'supposed' to, and two I just returned from a funeral. Makes one look at life and question, rearrange, prioritize. Today is the day to make resolutions and the beginning of an entire year to see if we can meet them or if we're going to break them. Does it count as meeting if we meet them the first half of the year, then slack off the second half?

Well, for my resolutions, I have three. Basically.

1. Remember what's really important. Too often we get bogged down in jobs, deadlines, bills, schedules to remember that this is life and we should enjoy it!

2. Overcome procrastination. (Hey, I can be hopeful.) Be it organizing my office, writing the next book, or updating my website, putting off doesn't make things easier, usually harder. Deadlines loom, and the the procrastination monster, lurking in the corner, laughs because he knows blood pressure skyrockets as I scramble to find...write...or get something done I should have already accomplished.

3. Lose those extra 5 (okay, ten) pounds. Seems almost Cliché to mention it, but really, what kind of woman would I be if I didn't list this as one of my New Year's Resolutions? Plus I figure this also covers the 'health, get in shape, eat better' canopy.

I do believe that's it. I'll keep it simple. Now I wonder how long it will take me to remember to write '05 on my checks instead of '04. :)

Happy New Year one and all. May 2005 shower all with blessings!

~JC

Test

2004-12-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

Can I figure this out?