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"THEY'RE BACK!"



So imagine my surprise to discover that I haven’t written a blog post since December 25th.  I didn’t even post my requisite Happy New Year sonata.  Then I had to think about it.  What the hell have I been doing the last few weeks because it feels like when I haven’t been writing, I’ve been writing.

And I’ve been writing.  Finally finished a long overdue book; one of the next in my Boudreaux family series.  It was Darryl’s story and I have to admit that it put me through some changes.  Midway through the story I didn’t like it at all but I pushed through.  By the time I found my way to the end, it was truly not working for me.  So much so that I amputated two-thirds of it and started all over again.  Not a good thing when your editor is knocking on the door asking why the delay.  Just when I thought I had it to the finish line, the characters pulled me somewhere else and getting to the end almost broke me.  LOVE my editor though.  She didn’t shoot me and if she was wholeheartedly unhappy with me she didn’t let me know.  At least not yet!  Her patience and overall kindness was really a help so my immense gratitude to Miss Shannon for the gentle nudges and overwhelming support.  I owe her BIG time and hopefully will redeem myself with Maitlyn’s story. 
I owe my agent as well.  She's been hammering me hard about being off schedule and I've been like a deer in headlights, unable to fathom what the hell she was talking about.  Then it hit me.  I am so far off schedule that I'm probably two steps from the last millenium.  It suddenly clicked and made sense and it's a wonder Miss Pattie doesn't want to ring my neck as well.  So thank you Miss Pattie for that much needed swift kick.

And I have't stopped writing.  Maitlyn Boudreuax is speaking to me now.  Darryl’s big sister Maitlyn has me going places I have no business going.  I asked Big Daddy a question the other night that actually made him blush.  But Maitlyn took us both there.  Usually when I’m writing romance there’s a little voice over my shoulder reminding me that my mother is going to read that book.  Maitlyn’s whispering, “Oh, well, guess mama is going to learn some new things!”  I won’t even begin to tell you what all the other voices are whispering!

And the voices are talking again.  Loudly.  They’d abandoned me for a while there and it had me concerned.  It dawned on me the other day that Miss Susie’s death last year hit me a lot harder than I’d been willing to admit.  Missing my grandmother made writing damn near impossible.  In fact, missing my grandmother made most everything difficult to accomplish.  But it’s starting to feel like I’ve finally weathered the storm and there’s sunshine on the other side.  Because the voices are talking again and I can hear each and every word!

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