Cleaning House
Well we finally got around to taking down all our Christmas stuff this weekend. I start putting everything up the first weekend in November, because there’s so much ot it and I figure I might as well get to enjoy the fruits of my labor for a couple months. I always dread taking it down again because it’s such a huge undertaking, but at the same time I love getting my house back to its uncluttered state. Of course now we’ve got three hundred new toys for the weasels added into the mix, so they’ve still all got to be sorted and put away before we drown in them.
In writing news, I’m happy to announce I’ve finished the draft of my paranormal romance. Gotta admit, there were times I thought I’d never finish it. It still needs something, something I can’t quite put my finger on, but I’m going to send the last bit off to my awesome crit partner and then put it away for a week or two before going back and seeing what I can do with it. From here on out, each pass will only strengthen the plot. Yippee! Love this part.
Got a road trip coming up next weekend, up in the Okanagan Valley of BC, a place famous for its lakes and wineries. It’s my favorite uncle’s 50th birthday, so hubby and the weasels are coming with me to celebrate with him. He’s the one that served in the military (gee, I wonder why I love him so much?) and plays softball. Oh, and he’s also a history buff. I lived with him and his wife for seven months while I finished massage therapy school up in Vernon, and got super close to them.
Anyway, before I forget I wanted to post some pics of our place at Christmas. Might as well show off all our hard work, right?
Front of the house, viewed from the street.
Family room. Trust me, there are decorations everywhere in this house, so I’m only showing you the highlights. You’re welcome 🙂
Mantle in family room.
Here are some things I’ve painted over the years. What, you didn’t know I paint? Well, not so much anymore, but that’s how I burned up my free time before I started writing.
The Santa gourds are still some of my fave decorations.
Front hall entryway. My little snowman family and my favorite Santa, who stays out all year in our living room because he’s too big an precious to be put in the garage. Everything on him is antique.
Hands down my favorite holiday decoration is this massive arbor in the entryway, framing the entrance to our living room (parlor, since it’s a Victorian house). Isn’t it something? Because I have to move all the furniture around upstairs to make room for everything, I have to give up my writing spot for a couple months and work out of the parlor. I love sitting there with the fire going while I write when it’s Christmastime at our house.
Inside the living room. That trunk I painted is just one of the many hiding spots for our decorations when they get put away.
The tree in our master bedroom, done in blue because it matches my toile duvet cover 🙂
And, finally, the pile of loot we woke up to on Christmas morning. Santa even left another trail of footprints this year! The weasels were beside themselves, and seeing their excited little faces adds a magic that makes Christmas even more special.
All put away and tidy now, but hey, it’ll be coming back out in a little under ten months!
Bye Bye 2010
Just got back from Whistler yesterday (where many of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games events were held), and the drive was beautiful.
This time of year it’s kind of rare to have a perfectly clear sunny day up in the mountains, but that’s what we had. We left the snow-capped peaks of Whistler-Blackcomb behind us and drove down the gorgeous Sea To Sky Highway back into Vancouver, passing breathtaking scenery like this:
And this:
Unfortunately my hubby didn’t make the trip with us, because he threw out his lower back two hours before we were supposed to leave, so I took the weasels by myself. We had a small, stupid accident on the way home, shattering my rear window which I then had to bang out of the frame and cover with plastic wrap before I could drive the rest of the way home. After a long ordeal with my insurance company and the body shop/glass people, I learned I won’t have my vehicle back until sometime next week. But, no one was hurt, and that’s the important thing.
2010 was a busy year for me in terms of releases, and I’ll have two more in 2011. In fact, my Carina Press editor just e-mailed this morning to say I can expect edits for Deadly Descent shortly, and I’m both excited and a little nervous. 
It’s been a year since I wrote the story, and I’m sure there will be lots of thing that jump out at me when I look at it this time. It’ll be interesting to see what changes my editor has in mind, and I hope I can make the book even stronger. I’ll inform you about the release date when I hear anything.
I’m also 75% finished with the draft of my paranormal romantic suspense that I’m tentatively calling The Coven Leader, and hope to get that wrapped up in the next month or so. Once that’s done, I’ll need to plot out the second one and dive back into book 2 of the Bagram Special Ops series, Crash and Burn. I’ve got lots to do, and this year I’ve got to make sure I’m more disciplined at the keyboard. Hello, New Year’s resolution! *cough*
Here’s hoping all of you have a happy and healthy New Year, and that 2011 has all sorts of wonderful surprises in store for us all.
Kaylea 🙂
Happy Holidays!
I want to wish all of you a very happy and healthy Christmas season and a joyous New Year. Things have been mighty hectic around our house lately, and I’ve been super sick the past three weeks with a very tenacious strain of bronchitis so it’s been tough going. I think I’m on the mend now, but I’ve torn some abdominal/intercostal muscle attachments on the right side of my ribcage and that’s slowing me down a lot. Whee!!!
On the plus side, I got word from my Carina Press editor that my manuscript with them will officially be titled Deadly Descent, and I’m pretty pleased since that was my favorite of the suggestions I sent them. I’ve also received my first few reviews for Absolution, and thus far people seem to be liking the story so that tickles me.
In other writing news, I’ll admit I’ve been a very bad, bad girl recently. I think I’ve written only a couple thousand words in my latest WIP over the past two months. That’s inexcusable and I know it. *hangs head* I’m having serious trouble getting my words flowing, and I hope I figure out what the problem is sooner rather than later! My New Year’s resolution is to finish this story and get to work on the second of my Bagram Special Ops series for Carina.
We’ve got an action packed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ahead of us, then on the 27th we’re heading up to Whistler to stay with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law (one of my best friends that I used to play ball with, and she married my hubby’s brother) for a few days. Then my dad has rented us a place right in Whistler so after we visit with the hubby’s side up there we’ll spend a day or two with my dad, step mom, sister, step siblings and their kids. Should be fun!
Please remember to count your blessings this Christmas, and don’t forget to send out some love to our troops stationed overseas, in harm’s way and far from their families this holiday season. Let’s hope 2011 is good to us all!
Merry Christmas,
Kaylea 🙂
Come Meet Anna Leigh Keaton
Today I’m at Writers Gone Wild hosting a rare appearance by award-winning erotic romance author Anna Leigh Keaton. Come on by and meet her, say hello, and read all about her upcoming release with Carina Press.
Hope to see you there!