Okay--Surprises...Let's take a closer look...

The thing about suprises, is there are so many kinds. I use to be of the mind that you could prepare for the little besties. That was before I started feeling trapped by the need to keep on the lookout and ever vigilant. Which of course, I was doing to myself. So after much pointless knashing of teeth and wailing, I did the self-slapdown and knocked off.

Not that being prepared is a bad thing. Preparation is where living life and learning intersect. But prepare for what you want and what you need, I always say--not for how the world could take away what you want or what you need. Be positive in your learning and experiencing of things that will get you where you need to go and prepare you for getting there. Nix the negative, protective "I can't trust myself or anyone else" stuff. That's just bad ju ju, and we don't want to upset the spirit gods so early in the Year of the Rat ;o) We'll have to figure out what Year of the Rat bodes, but that's for another day.

Today, let's gander at the transitive verb "surprise:"
(note: nouns and synonyms await further scrutiny as well)

1) To encounter suddenly or unexpectedly; take or catch unawares.
2) To attack or capture suddenly and without warning.
3) To cause to feel wonder, astonishment, or amazement, as at something unanticipated.
4) To cause (someone) to do or say something unintended.
5) To elicit or detect through surprise.

Interesting. A passive verb (to encounter) in only half of one of the definitions. The rest are active. Dare I say it, intentional. We can take or catch, attack or capture, cause, elicit or detect surprise. More often than not, do the surprises turn out to be what you seek, and not so much what's being done to you???

I really like the "cause to feel wonder, astonishmnet or amazement" at the unanticipated one. How often do you embrace the scary, new, shocking stuff that hurtles your way?

And then there's "eliciting or detecting through surprise". That's the learing part I'm growing to appreciate. The letting the surprise teach you what you didn't know you needed to know part.

Kind of like being asked to write a lighter, funnier story for last year's Singles with Kids series--which not only showed me I could do lighter and funier and actually LIKE doing it, but that's the book that's the RT Award finalist. And my latest, "do you want to?" surprise--the "Hot Winter Read" novella I'm doing for Harlequin Single Title (HQN). The synopsis was due yesterday, and it was like nothing else I've ever written--a cross between Sex and The City and My Best Friend's Wedding is all I can come up with, of course with characters you'll love or I couldn't write it. But it was a blast to dream up, and I can't wait to be able to dream some more of the sexy, steamy stuff ;o). REALLLLY can't wait, since I'd always rather be writing the next book than the one currently due, lol!

But I digress. 2008 out here in Annaland is supposed to be about the publishing world as an anology for the world at large. Surprise is such a big part of what writers put up with. In fact, we have to plan for it, learn to sniff it out, and pretend it's no big deal when we get smacked silly by it...wait a minute, that IS just like the world at large. You know what I mean, right???

Right???

2008--Let's Take a Closer Look

Yep--2008. Can you believe it!

Where did the end of 2007 go? Like the last two months of it???

Well, remember that old saying, be careful what you ask for... Here's the skinny...

1) 2007 was so eventful (don't believe me, check out the Appearances like above), I pretty much crashed into the end of the year. Not that I got to rest much, because...

2) I finished revisions on Atlanta Heroes: Book 2 (my agent's over the moon with the results)--Remember Me's title's now To Save a Child, BTW--then did quick Line Edits, too...

3) Took a week and a half to head down to the Isle of Palms outside of Charleston (for a writer's workshop weekend), then stayed a week to finish my Paranormal Thriller trilogy pitch--oh, and to pitch it to a big dog editor from a big dog NY publisher...more on that later...

4) Then there was Thanksgiving, and more work for Harlequin, including final packaging work on the Superromance Mother's Day anthology that's coming out in April with Lori Handeland and Rebecca Winters.

5) Oh, and GRW (Georgia Romance Writer's) stuff that had to get done (coming off of our 2007 conference and New Jersey's...my last speaking travel of the year...)

6) Atlanta Heroes Book 3 is due in mid-Jan., and I have half of that to write still, which means I wrote half of it between Thanksgiving and now...

7) While I was finishing revisions on the "Temple Legacy" series pitch--Book One: The Healer. My agent has all the final goodies, and she should be getting back to me this week about taking it out for a spin in the publishing world... I'll share details as soon as I have them...

8) Then came the surprise the week before the week before Christmas--a call from a lovely Harlequin NY editor (my super's are published out of the Toronto office), who wanted to know if I'd like to participate in a single title anthology (with their HQN mainstream imprint) that will be headed by a New York Times best-selling author, and, oh, will also be joined by a USA Today best-selling author:

I give you my newest partners in crime (the book's due hit shelves--tables, actually, because this isn't a series book, so I might just get to see my name on a bookstore table, he-he--in January '09):

Vicki Lewis Thompson:

http://www.vickilewisthompson.com/

and

Jade Lee:

http://www.jadeleeauthor.com/biography.shtml

The hitch...and this is the be careful what you ask for part)--we had to pull together a anthology overview and a blurb/short synopsis for each of our stories in a week! Eeeeeek!

Did I mention the revisions and line edits and new novel writing that I was supposed to be focusing on???

Did I say yes--you betcha! You have to be ready for your luck and opportunities, and you have to believe you can make what you want happen. It was exhausting, but that's part of the job. And it put me further behind during the holidays, but that's part of the job. And it was a blast, because the are great authors and fun ladies and we had a blast collaborating on the idea--one of the best and most surprising parts of the job ;o)

So, concept approved, all I had to do was write a book and I was one week further behind and more tired, and then the holidays came again, and

8) then came the surprise the week of Christmas ;o) I'm a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice nominee again--this time for All-American Father, the Singles with Kids continuity novel I was asked to do in '07...another surprise that I had to work hard to take advantage of, but that's the job... So, cool to be included with such fine writers...and the contest season's only just starting...

Pant, pant....

There you have it, where I've been and what I've been doing (sans all the personal life stuff that would make this long post even longer)...

And just what does that have to do with '08???

This year, I'm going to be focusing on the suprises of this business and the world in general (which I happen to think the publishing/writing business paralells pretty closely)... Because I'm sensing it's going to be a year for the unexpected...

What does Bette Davis say in All About Eve? "Strap on your seat belts, it's going ot be a bumpy ride."

So, I'm on the looking out for bumpy in '08. Bumpy but surprising and very, very good. I'll be ready this time ;o)

There's lots to catch up on, I know. If you've been trying to reach me, know I haven't been ignoring you. I literally haven't had time to check any of my three email accounts since befoer Thanksgiving. Of course, there will be prizes and I'm going to get a newsletter out regularly.

No real resolutions this year, except to enjoy each bump. I'm pitching workshops to cross-genre conference all over the country. So, hopefully I'll get to see some new places and people and to teach to lots of different types of writers. And who knows...promote that mainstream thriller series I'm hoping will sell ;o)

Otherwise, I'm sticking closer to home. Join me as we start a new year of blogging--we'll be inspirational and wild and fun and supportive and it'll be exciting. That's what I want for all my friends this year--exciting lives you can't wait to share!!!

Happy New Year, my friends ;o)