tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127009362024-03-14T02:32:12.555-03:00It Was a Dark and Stormy Night...Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.comBlogger727125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-65371356242377778222013-02-22T10:48:00.000-04:002013-02-22T10:48:12.676-04:00World's Worst Patient<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HI0ylEAUhJc/USeDbjVshqI/AAAAAAAABnE/LwTWgzeRIBQ/s1600/vomiting-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HI0ylEAUhJc/USeDbjVshqI/AAAAAAAABnE/LwTWgzeRIBQ/s200/vomiting-cartoon.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Health is not valued until sickness comes. ~ Thomas Fuller</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong></strong><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Confession: I make a horrible sick person. Horrible. It’s
true. Most things I can suck up and just deal with, but being sick has never
really been one of them. I moan, I groan, I whine ‘Why me? Whhhyyy??!!’ Thankfully,
I’ve been blessed with a kick ass immune system so I rarely have to explore
this aspect of my personality, but every now and again the ole immune system
gets caught napping and kaPOW!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And apparently it took the mother of all naps Tuesday
morning. I woke up feeling fine and dandy, but by 10am nausea set in, followed
by exhaustion. I thought, meh, just an off day. I’ll rest up tonight and be
right as rain tomorrow. Until the chills set in. Once I get the chills I know I’m
in trouble. It’s like my body’s way of saying, ‘Girl, you best batten down the
hatches, ‘cause there’s a storm comin’.’ And sure enough…<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I ended up leaving the day job early and made it home by 4pm
where I crawled into bed. I crawled back out when hubby and the boy arrived
home but it was a brief sojourn. I couldn’t get comfortable. All movement made
the nausea worse. My body ached. My skin hurt. When I finally crawled back into
bed, the dog was hogging my side. I didn’t have the energy to remove him and he
sure as hell wasn’t going anywhere of his own volition. I whined, possibly
sobbed, then collapsed half on the dog and half on the six inches of space he
left me.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I figured I would be better in the morning. I’m rarely sick
more than one day. But apparently the immune system didn’t fall asleep, it took
a hiatus. The next day the chills and most of the aches were gone but the
nausea, dizziness and exhaustion had taken root. I couldn’t walk across the
room without needing a two hour nap to recover. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t stomach anything more than water
and most times not even that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke the
next day after a restless sleep feeling even worse. How could this be possible?
I called in sick to the day job for a second day. Hubby brought me home some Gatorade
to replenish my electrolytes and potassium levels. I managed two small glasses
before my stomach cried, “Enough already!”<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This morning I felt a little better. The nausea has subsided
enough that I had a piece of toast with my Gatorade for breakfast. I even
emptied the compost bin. Although that left my knees shaking and my head
spinning so I had to sit down for about an hour afterwards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still not well enough to make it into work.
The last time I suffered an epic flu like this was around 1992, a little over
20 years ago. I’m perfectly happy if I don’t see it again for another 20. Maybe
by then I’ll learn to be a better sick person, but I wouldn't hold my breath.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-17157166752451360582013-02-03T13:15:00.001-04:002013-02-03T13:15:58.216-04:00Snow Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NVlyEGziEeM/UQ6ZcSyL4QI/AAAAAAAABm0/rAiYZbWUcF0/s1600/001%2Bsnow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NVlyEGziEeM/UQ6ZcSyL4QI/AAAAAAAABm0/rAiYZbWUcF0/s200/001%2Bsnow.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<strong>"<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Laziness will cause you pain." ~ Slogan on T-shirt worn at the Vee Arnis Jitsu
School of Self-Defense</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We’re having a snow day on a Sunday, which really isn’t
convenient at all. It meant my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Romance-Writers-of-Atlantic-Canada-RWAC/147622641957752?fref=ts" target="_blank">RWA Chapter</a> meeting was cancelled and any plans
I have for writing are nebulous at best with a nine year old running about.
Even when he tries to be quiet it means he only sounds like half a herd of
elephants as opposed to the whole herd.<br /><br />I’m still reworking my outline for A Heart Betrayed. Today
is my last day to outline because starting tomorrow I need to dive into the
actual writing and then produce 30 pages a week until the first week of April
in order to get the first draft down. I’m not sure how doable that is, but
given I’m running out of time and still need to incorporate time in there for
revisions, it’s going to have to be. <br /><br />Hubby suggested we take 5 day in April or May to go to
<a href="http://www.universalorlando.com/" target="_blank">Universal Studios</a> with the boy. I looked at him like he had two heads and said
something to the effect of, “Are you crazy?! I can’t go anywhere until I turn
this book in May 31<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>!” I then suggested sightings of me may be scarce
between now and then and he might want to take a picture. We’re not looking at
early June for the trip to the Universal. By then, I may need a few
days away from anything resembling a manuscript. <br /><br />But, because I like to heap a bunch of crap on myself at the
same time, I have also embarked on a new job with an old boss and re-started my
<a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-phase-1.html?mcid=TC-jelivefit&rmid=jamie_eason_livefit_week1&rrid=11798016" target="_blank">weight training</a> and running program which sort of fell by the wayside over
the summer. I figure if nothing else, the muscle building will give me the
energy/stamina to manage the writing and the new job.<br /><br />And that is about all that is new on this front. I’m going
to sign off now and go finish that outline. Now that I’ve totally revamped it
(yet again), it had better fall into place!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-91547809452337033482013-01-12T11:06:00.004-04:002013-01-12T11:06:42.025-04:00My 2013 Book Challenge<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hrr-zdZqubA/UPF61aHjylI/AAAAAAAABmg/y-845BPBTfU/s1600/forest-pb-175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hrr-zdZqubA/UPF61aHjylI/AAAAAAAABmg/y-845BPBTfU/s200/forest-pb-175.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First book on deck for 2013.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong><em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">"Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures." ~ Jessamyn West</span></em></strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />This year I am determined to read 2 books per month for a
total of 24 books in 2013. Now, I know that doesn’t sound like a lot. I’ve seen
some people with goals of 50 or 100 books over the course of the year. I don’t
know how they do it. I’m convinced these people either don’t sleep, or speed
read. I’d love to be able to manage that many books. Then maybe I’d put a bit
more of a dent in my TBR pile, because I know I will definitely buy more than
24 books throughout the year, leaving me no further ahead than when I started.
But whatever. A girl can never have too many books. <br /><br />Given my inability to read at the speed of light, I will
stick with my 24 book goal. And, since I never met a list I didn’t like to
make, I’ve…well… made a list. I went through my TBR pile and picked out the 24
books I plan to read. Now I say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">planned</i>
because, as my goals group partner Anne MacFarlane asked, “What happens if you
buy a book and want to read it right away?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My incredibly articular response was, “Uh…then I’ll probably just read
it.” The list isn’t written in stone so much as a guideline. The overall number
of books read is the ultimate goal. <br /><br />So here is my planned but not written in stone list of books
for 2013:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<ol>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Dove Keepers – Alice Hoffman</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Inside – Alix Ohlin</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Broker – John Grisham</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Litigators – John Grisham</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Life You Longed For – Maribeth Fischer</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The House at Riverton – Kate Morton</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Rose Garden – Susanna Kearsley</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Lost Wife – Alyson Richman</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Duchess (a novel of Sarah Churchill) – Susan Holloway Scott</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Eighty Dollar Champion – Elizabetth Letts</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Silent In the Sanctuary – Deanna Raybourn</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Falling Together – Marisa de los Santos</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Book of Negroes – Lawrence Hill</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Forest of Hands and Teeth – Carrie Ryan</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Graceling – Kristen Cashore</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A Storm of Swords – George R. R. Martin</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Last Night In Twisted River – John Irving</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rebel Heiress – Fiona Mountain</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sarah’s Key – Tatiana de Rosnay</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Emily Hudson – Melissa Jones</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Preacher’s Daughter – Cheryl St. John</span></div>
</li>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Dressmaker – Posie Graeme-Evans </span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">First up is The Forest of Hands and Teeth by </span><a href="http://www.carrieryan.com/books.php" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Carrie Ryan</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So what about you - have you set any book challenges for 2013?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em><strong>~ Kelly</strong></em></span></div>
Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-86237484150456772802013-01-05T10:14:00.000-04:002013-01-05T10:17:24.295-04:00To Sleep, Perchance to Dream...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0wExCBG8MFQ/UOg052zUUZI/AAAAAAAABmM/61yZZIkddEE/s1600/episode-13-walkers-fence-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0wExCBG8MFQ/UOg052zUUZI/AAAAAAAABmM/61yZZIkddEE/s200/episode-13-walkers-fence-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>“When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep, and you're never really awake.”~ From the movie Fight Club, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk</em></strong></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong><em><br /></em></strong></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I feel like the walking dead.<br /><br />I’m in the middle of a lovely bout of insomnia that has been going on for three weeks now. I’ve hit the point where I start giggling partway through a conversation. With myself. Or I wander off in the middle of someone else’s conversation because I’ve forgotten we’re having one. While they’re still talking. This can’t end well. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’ve tried a few different methods that usually help break the bout and get me back on track: melatonin, hot bath/shower, reading before bed, Advil PM. My insomnia just laughed at it. I swear. I heard it. Oh crap…I’m hearing things now. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I figure it’s just a matter of time before my brain shuts down completely and I wander into a wall or a tree. Maybe traffic. I probably shouldn’t be driving come to think of it, but I’m too tired to walk. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Oddly, I’ve managed to meet my weekly goal of 30 new pages written. Granted, when I edit them this weekend I may find I’ve nothing but the scribbled gibberish of a madwoman. Seeing as I'm off to Starbucks momentarily to do my editing, I guess I'll soon find out!<br /><br />Hope everyone has a great weekend!</span></span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-7013985304345818982012-12-29T20:08:00.000-04:002012-12-29T20:31:52.812-04:00A Brand New Year<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UA18VP_8sFw/UN-CRXAjBRI/AAAAAAAABl4/xf73agb_VNA/s1600/Cedar+bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UA18VP_8sFw/UN-CRXAjBRI/AAAAAAAABl4/xf73agb_VNA/s320/Cedar+bw.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Cedar checking out the holiday action.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Okay - it's not quite a brand new year, but since I have decided to resurrect this blog and try to post more regularly, I figure the weekend is the best time to do that. And given we are supposed to get hit with a winter storm warning in effect for tomorrow, I thought tonight would be a good night to start. With gusty winds there's always the possibility the power could take off to parts unknown (probably Cuba if its smart) come tomorrow.<br />
<br />
So here's a bit of an update since I've been out of the loop for a bit. I'm thrilled to report I have signed a two book contract with <a href="http://www.harlequin.com/store.html" target="_blank">Harlequin Historicals</a>. The first book is <strong>SALVATION FALLS </strong>(although I suspect the title will change, stay tuned) and will be released in early 2014. The second one I am working on now and is tentatively titled, <strong>A HEART BETRAYED.</strong> If some of you diehards from a few years back may recall, Salvation Falls was the book I did for my first NaNoWrimo. Both are western historical romances.<br />
<br />
My deadline for A Heart Betrayed is May 31, 2013. I've completed the research and outline and now I'm writing madly to get the first draft done by March 9th. This is the first time I'm writing on someone else's schedule other than my own. Gulp.<br />
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In other news, I will be ending my tenure at my current job on January 17th and starting a new/old job on January 21st. I say new/old because my former employer made me an offer I'd have been a fool to turn down. It will allow me more writing time, and hopefully work out when it comes time to transition to working part time and writing full time. I'll miss my current boss, she's been great to work with, and the friends I've made there, but in the end I had to make the decision based on what was best for my writing.<br />
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And in exciting news - I'm currently planning a trip to Rome, Italy in 2013. I'm slowly working my way through my list of places to go. Checked off my list - Paris, New York City, San Francisco and Prague. Next up Rome. Then...maybe Croatia. Or England. Maybe Bulgaria. Who knows...<br />
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Meanwhile - let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous 2013! Hope you all had the best of holidays and that the new year treats you right!<br />
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Just a reminder, if you're looking for me on the interwebs, here's where you can find me:<br />
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Website: <a href="http://www.kellyboyce.com/">www.kellyboyce.com</a> (in process of being updated!)<br />
Facebook Page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Boyce-Author/167747449914858?ref=hl#!/pages/Kelly-Boyce-Author/167747449914858?fref=ts" target="_blank">Kelly Boyce, Author</a><br />
Twitter: @KellyLBoyce <br />
Pinterest: <a href="http://pinterest.com/kellyboyce1/" target="_blank">Kelly Boyce</a><br />
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And, of course, here. :) <br />
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~ <em>Kelly</em><br />
<br />Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-34273499024034272472012-08-13T12:26:00.000-03:002012-08-13T12:26:40.340-03:00Much Overdue Update!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My poor, poor neglected blog. I know, I know. I kept promising to set up a regular schedule for this and then time just slipped through my fingertips and before I knew it, months had passed. Shameful, I know. I debated giving up, but I'm a horrible quitter and I've been blogging for so long I hated to throw in the towel even though so much of the media world is now focused on the quick hits like Facebook statuses and Twitter quips.<br />
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I have both, but I still like my blog. Call me old school. <br />
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For a quick update - I'm toiling away at the second book in the BRIDES OF FATAL BLUFF series. THE OUTLAW BRIDE is out in the big, bad world and appears to have been welcomed warmly. A big thanks to all of you who have left such lovely feedback for my debut effort. Next up will be THE WIDOW BRIDE. This will focus on one of the other brides that took the train ride to Fatal Bluff with Kate in THE OUTLAW BRIDE. Faith meets up with Nate Thompson, who was also introduced in Book 1. This meet up throws Faith's world into a bit of a tailspin, but I won't say why just yet. Wouldn't want to ruin the fun!<br />
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After THE WIDOW BRIDE, we'll find out what happens to the last mail order bride on the train, Elizabeth. She has a backstory that was loads of fun to write and was rivaled only by her intended groom's, Tanner. I'm really looking forward to sinking my teeth into this one!<br />
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And for those of you who have asked me about Ed Devers and Garrett Bentley, not to worry! I have a book planned for each of them as well. As for those of you who have inquired upon the fate of the real Hannah Stockdale from THE OUTLAW BRIDE? I have something up my sleeve...<br />
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Meanwhile, I'm have another western historical I'm waiting to hear from a publisher on, so fingers crossed on that one. There is also a regency historical series that I am debating whether to shop around, or jump into the self-publishing pool. Decisions, decisions...and never enough hours in the day!<br />
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And in case anyone is interested, you can find me on Pinterest at <a href="http://pinterest.com/kellyboyce1/">http://pinterest.com/kellyboyce1/</a> where I have a board for each of the series I'm working on filled with character pictures, settings, etc.<br />
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Enjoy!Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-23901124758556429242012-03-05T10:24:00.000-04:002012-03-05T10:27:52.594-04:00I've been a bad, bad blogger<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;"><strong>The waste of life occasioned by trying to do too many things at once is
appalling. ~ Orison Marden</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">But I can explain. Really. I've spent the past few months with my nose to the grindstone, grinding away at revisions on An Invitation to Scandal. Now, it is finally done and has been sent out to the editor and agent that requested it, and I am onto something new! Woo hoo!!! I've spent so much of the past 2.5 years doing revisions on previously written material I almost forget what it's like to write a brand new book. Even the new manuscripts I've written in the past few years have been <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a> books, which meant spewing it out in 30 days or less. To actually take my time (okay, 3 months as opposed to 1) will be a nice luxury.<br /><br />The book that is up next is book 2 in the Brides of Fatal Bluff series, The Widow Bride, and a follow up to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Outlaw-Bride-ebook/dp/B004RQD40Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330957621&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Outlaw Bride</a>. I'm looking forward to returning to the town of Fatal Bluff and see what is going on with the other two brides who were on the same train with Kate. <br /><br />To help with my plotting and note taking, I'm using Microsoft Office's OneNote. I had been hearing about it from a few different people but hadn't had time to look at it. Then at our RWA Chapter meeting yesterday, <a href="http://www.michellehelliwell.com/" target="_blank">Michelle Helliwell</a> did a presentation, part of which was extolling the virtues of OneNote. After getting started with it this morning I can officially say I love it! All my notes in one tidy little spot. Character pixs, plots, subfolders. It's enough to make a girl lose her mind. I'm big on organization, and I really haven't been keeping up my usual standard of late, so this will help big time. <br /><br />In other news, I have become totally addicted to <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>. I expect I'm a few short weeks away from needing a 12-step program. On the plus side, I'm finding the visuals incredibly inspiring for writing and I'm creating little collage like boards for my books that have been a lot of fun. If you haven't tried Pinterest, I highly recommend. I've found plenty of character, setting and atmosphere type pictures. I've also found hoards of different recipes and workouts and humorous sayings. I've even built my own dream closet (that periodically makes me weep because it isn't my real closet). <br /><br />So now that I have lifted my head up from revisions, I'm hoping life gets a little bit back to normal. Regular postings here. The website updated with new material. Back to regular workouts at the gym and training for the 10K race in May. I may even finally get my honeymoon pictures to Prague uploaded onto Facebook one of these days...</span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-55345561696288529082011-12-13T09:45:00.002-04:002011-12-13T09:46:45.590-04:00Who's The Fairest of Them All<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #660000;">I will admit, I am a sucker for a good fairy tale and Snow White and the Huntsman starring Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth looks awesome. The effects in the trailer were amazing and it follows the grittier original tale, not the Walt Disney-ized version. I will definitely be checking this one out.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">What about you? Any fairy tale movies you love?</span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-34090498947520763012011-12-06T15:43:00.001-04:002011-12-06T16:10:42.268-04:00Did You Know...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GXSZoS6-lEk/Tt5wYci9BiI/AAAAAAAABlU/KN91rppckfA/s1600/do+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GXSZoS6-lEk/Tt5wYci9BiI/AAAAAAAABlU/KN91rppckfA/s320/do+it.jpg" width="239" /></a><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><em>Every author, however modest, keeps a most outrageous vanity chained like a madman in the padded cell of his breast. ~Logan Pearsall Smith</em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So it turns out that for every pound of lean muscle mass I gain, I burn an extra 90 calories a day. Which is great, because according to my assessment, I am to gain approximately 7-8 pounds of said mass. All while getting rid of about an equal or so amount of, well, less than solid mass. I refer to it as goosh. You may call it chub, flab, or excess flesh. <br /><br />The great thing about gaining the muscle mass is it will actually be a lot more helpful in keeping weight off and helping me look good (I'm all about the vanity). And since I'll be constantly burning about 630 extra calories a day, I won't have to worry quite so much about gaining said goosh/chub/flab/excess flesh going forward. The bad news is, in order to get this lean muscle mass I have to work out. Hard. We're talking heavy weights and fatigued muscles 3-4 times a week.<br /><br />Now don't get me wrong - I actually love working out. If I had more time in my schedule I'd be at the gym every day of the week doing something. But the initial period of re-starting weight training is a huge OUCH. My muscles are revolting. I've broken my workouts down to segments that I do over 3 days: arms/shoulders, legs/abs, chest/back. Then I throw in 1-2 yoga workouts per week and hopefully a good ole cardio workout as well. <br /><br />I've gone through one cycle of the weight workouts and holy crap! I'm pretty sure there isn't a muscle left in me that isn't sore. If this doesn't work, there's a good chance nothing will. <br /><br />I'm also trying to eat clean - which means no processed foods, no sugar (outside of what's in fruit, etc), 6 meals day and protein with each meal. The clean eating will likely be a gradual </span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">shift. I need to meal plan and buy groceries. <br /><br />On the plus side of my assessment, my fitness level was above average and my blood pressure was 96/60 and my resting pulse rate was 59. All good stuff. So all I really need to concentrate on is building the lean muscle mass and revamping the eating habits to make that an easier target to hit.</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">I'll keep you up</span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">dated on my progress. Provided I can still use my arms.</span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-20878806013885692252011-11-28T09:52:00.005-04:002011-11-28T10:19:27.487-04:00I'm Being Assessed<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KySWhVH5QG8/TtOX4EzGQZI/AAAAAAAABlM/k8KdMs9arpE/s1600/exercise.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 158px; height: 200px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680050544660857234" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KySWhVH5QG8/TtOX4EzGQZI/AAAAAAAABlM/k8KdMs9arpE/s200/exercise.jpg" /></a> <font color="#660000"><strong>A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise. ~A.A. Milne</strong></font><div><font color="#660000"></font> </div><div><font color="#660000">I have to go to the gym after work and get my annual fitness assessment done. This consists of 90 minutes of being weighed, measured, and told how much body fat you're carting around and how far that percentage is from where you should actually be. Then we go over my nutrition and what I'm doing workout wise. Then they will suggest I invest in personal training sessions, likely 3 times a week at the cost of a kidney in order to reach my fitness goals. That's all well and good. Quite frankly, if I could afford a personal trainer I would throw the money at them and tell them to get to work. But alas, my bank account tells me that lowering said body fat percentage is going to be all up to me. </font></div><div><font color="#660000"></font> </div><div><font color="#660000">The worst of it is, I know the assessment I get this evening is going to be worse than the one I had last year at this time. Mostly due to the fact that this time last year I was just ending my previous employment where my office was strategically located in the same building as the gym and my boss didn't care if I spent 1.5 hrs there over lunch. My work was done, he was happy. Sadly our office was shut down and with it my extended lunch hours spent at the gym.<br /><br />I managed to stay on top of the workouts until May while I was training for the 10K, but once the race was run I took a little time off. When I went to go back my TI bands screeched in protest and alas my running fell by the wayside because, well I don't know if you've ever had a TI band screech at you, but it hurts and I'm not generally partial to courting pain if I can avoid it.<br /><br />I kept walking and made it to the gym here and there on the weekends but things were going soft. Gelatinous really. I know people said this happens as you get older, but I have to confess I thought I would be exempt. Apparently not.<br /><br />So off I go, burying my head in shame and already cringing at the knowledge the assessment will not be pretty. On the plus side, it will undoubtedly be a motivating factor. Why, just the idea of going to the assessment made me give my schedule a good hard look and determine where I can fit in my gym-time to make sure I get to a couple of BodyPump classes, at least 1 yoga class and an RPM class per week. If that doesn't help whip my butt back into shape, then I don't know what will - aside from thrice weekly personal trainer sessions that require me to give up a kidney.<br /><br />By the way, the coffee consumption has been reduced. I suck back a mouthful in the morning to stave off the inevitable caffeine withdrawal headache. Except for the weekends. On the weekend I have a cup from the french press my lovely critique partner, <a href="http://www.pamcallow.com/">Pam Callow</a>, gave us as a wedding gift. And the chocolate has been reduced to one chocolate covered cereal bar per day.<br /><br />The writing is an ongoing process. I got stuck on something last week but I'm over that and have moved on. I really want this manuscript out by end of December so I can jump into January writing the follow up to The Outlaw Bride. </font></div></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-25416320452404891822011-11-07T06:00:00.000-04:002011-11-07T07:12:15.012-04:00When Chocolate Goes Bad<div><div><div align="center"><strong><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Time is what prevents everything from happening at once. ~ John Archibald<br />Wheeler, The American Journal of Physics, 1978</font></strong></div><div><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"></font> </div><div><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><br />I would totally disagree with Mr. Wheeler on that point. I'm pretty sure everything has been happening at once around here because I've spent the last month scrambling like a madwoman trying to get it all done. Don't ask me how I'm doing on that...<br /><br />One thing I have been successful at, however, is eating about 10 lbs of chocolate a day. I'd like to blame it on Halloween, but I actually started the process about a week previous...okay, maybe two. Either way, by the time the kids showed up at the door trick or treating, I was in a full blown milk chocolate addictive meltdown. By the way, did you know chocolate can irritate the bejesus out of heartburn. I do. Now.<br /><br />Needless to say, I am on a no chocolate hiatus. Just to add insult to injury, I'm also cutting out my one cup of coffee a day and adding 7 days of workouts to my schedule. Some days are just walking, which the dog will appreciate, but there's about 3 days of strength-training and 3 days of internal training and another 3 days of 30 min moderate/high cardio. Which, for those of you who are good at the whole math thing, equals more days than there are in a week, but I'm doubling up. And hoping to do a spin class and yoga class on top of that. I've noticed a softness creeping up where muscle used to be. Then I heard on the radio a week after my wedding that marriage makes people gain weight. I considered an annulment, but I kinda like this guy I married so figured maybe working out was a better option.<br /><br />On top of that, I need to develop a solid marketing plan for my writing to boost my profile, sales, etc, as well as a workable writing plan for maximum output of manuscripts over the next 18 months.<br /><br />All on no coffee and minimal amounts of chocolate.<br /><br />Please have the rubber room standing by...</font></div><div><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> </font></div><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 228px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672208600486404946" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aAi1y2A82nk/Tre7q2PoY1I/AAAAAAAABlA/_4u5dLbk_K4/s320/garden%2Bentry%2Bcrop.jpg" />This is me exploring the gardens on Petrin Hill in Prague. I'm still trying to get my pixs up on Facebook.<br /><br />Which reminds me...stay tuned on Facebook. Next week I'm looking at doing a book giveaway and visit to a blog where they're asking me lots of fun questions. </font></div></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-65165759417278496482011-10-20T07:20:00.001-03:002011-10-20T07:20:12.095-03:00I'm Back...Again!!<div><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><strong><em>Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads<br />which sew people together through the years. ~ Simone Signoret</em></strong></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"></span> </div><div><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">What can I say...it was a really busy fall season.<br /><br />In my defense, I got married, went on a honeymoon, did a writers retreat, finished a manuscript requested by Harlequin and...um...probably some other stuff. Right. Anyway - that is all behind me now and I am determined to get back to weekly blog posts.<br /><br />What am I doing now? So glad you asked (You did ask, didn't you? Let's imagine you did.) Writing-wise, I am revising An Invitation to Scandal to send off to Random House and re-plotting (for the 4th and FINAL time) the follow up novel to The Outlaw Bride, which is tentatively titled The Widow Bride. That one was hard. Every plot I tried to work up kept falling apart on me. Finally, at the annual RWAC Writers Retreat this past weekend, everything fell into place.<br /><br />I'm also checking out some some different writing software. I have the Snowflake plotting software, WriteWay Pro and Scrivener, which one of my RWAC buddies suggested. It's in beta format right now for Windows, but so far I'm liking the look of it. I was having a little trouble with WriteWay Pro (my own fault since I didn't read the manual yet).<br /><br />I'm hoping to update my website soon once I find a free minute and I also need to start working on knitting up some Christmas gifts now that I'm down to about two months to get stuff done.<br /><br />Meanwhile, here is a picture from my honeymoon to Prague. It's an incredibly beautiful city and I'll write a bit more about the trip later, but I have to say this is a beautiful city and if you love history and/or architecture, a definite must see!</span> </div><div> <img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665516284587410178" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rDUC2RI839g/Tp_1CywGAwI/AAAAAAAABkk/aC-K2HhkfL4/s320/IMG_0146.JPG" /></div></div><br />Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-5638195814565601122011-08-29T15:40:00.001-03:002011-08-29T15:40:00.389-03:00Hellllllooooo....<div><div>I have been a very, very bad blogger this summer. I'd like to blame it on the lovely weather, but unfortunately we haven't really had any, so...<br /><br />I have had my nose to the grindstone however and that has claimed a lot of my time. Since returning from RWA #11, I've been trying to spend every spare minute getting my manuscript requests completed.<br /><br />So that's where my summer has gone. Writing, writing, and more writing. My fall is looking much the same. And when I'm not writing I've been reading up on marketing - both for my writing and for my Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/lochbriar?ref=si_shop">At Knit's End</a>, and knitting items for said shop.<br /><br />Somewhere in between there is the day job.<br /><br />Which begs the question - how is the whole cloning thing coming along...?<br /><br />But I am hoping to get back to regular weekly posts come September, so stay tuned!<br /></div></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-75994365791895090452011-07-22T12:50:00.000-03:002011-07-22T12:50:00.131-03:00Counting the Days<div><div align="center"><strong><em><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. ~ Earl Wilson<br /></font></em></strong></div><strong><em></em></strong><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X369ru-8T60/TimWMQsRDhI/AAAAAAAABkQ/g28hVWGL-Iw/s1600/photo.jpg"><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 200px; height: 150px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632197946386746898" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X369ru-8T60/TimWMQsRDhI/AAAAAAAABkQ/g28hVWGL-Iw/s200/photo.jpg" /></font></a><font style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">By this time next week, I will be on vacation. I cannot tell you how much I have been waiting for this. Not because we're doing anything super-exciting. We're spending the week at a cottage in PEI, which sounds nice, but after about 3-4 days I'm generally looking for something to do and starting to crawl the walls. And that's if the weather's good. It would be better if the cottage we rented had comfortable furniture I could hunker down in and read to my heart's content. But after 30 minutes in any of them and I'm in need of chiropractic care.<br /><br />Why not pick another cottage? Well, this one was 'inherited' I guess you could say. My fiance and his ex-wife would come here every summer with their son for two weeks. Now the two weeks is split, we get it one week, she the other and the boy stays down for the entire two.<br /><br />After the crippling effects of the furniture and my inability to get through more than one book in the week, I suggested maybe we consider going elsewhere next year. Somewhere closer to home even where we could take the dog. He gets stuck in the kennel now because we take one car and between the boy with his booster seat, food, toys, suitcases, etc, there's no room for a big, goofy golden retriever. And to be honest, I want my pooch with me, but taking two cars all the way to PEI just doesn't make financial sense. But if it were only an hour's drive away on the Nova Scotian coast, that I could do.<br /><br />Anyway, this year I'm taking my lawn chair with me which will help a little. Better than the plastic jobbies they have on the deck. It has a footrest and cup holder and if I use a pillow at my back I might get a couple hours reading time in before I need to jump on the yoga mat and start doing some back bends.<br /><br />So if anyone has some great summer reads to recommend, let me know! I have a week to decide what I'm taking with me.</font></p><p><br /> </p></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-60242961195796571352011-07-06T10:10:00.003-03:002011-07-06T11:17:33.910-03:00So Many Books...So Little Time...<span style="color:#660000;"><strong><em>“An ordinary man can... surround himself with two thousand books... and thenceforward have at least one place in the world in which it is possible to be happy.” ~ Augustine Birrell<br /><br /></em></strong></span><span style="color:#660000;"><strong><em><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 246px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626243186601537346" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7c1gaoGvWeI/ThRuXn1Yr0I/AAAAAAAABkI/L_Z--mZYcig/s320/books3.jpg" /><br /><br /><div></em></strong>I am back from conference in <a href="http://www.nycgo.com/">New York City </a>and wow – what a whirlwind. I’m still exhausted. Conference was, as usual, a fascinating and awesome experience. The keynote speeches were inspiring, the Literacy for Life book signing jam-packed (What does that mean, anyway – jam-packed? Who packs jam in things?), the workshops endlessly helpful, and my editor and agent appointments successful.<br /><br />But here’s the thing about conference – there are books everywhere! There are books to buy at the <a href="http://www.litforlife.com/">Literacy for Life </a>signing, free books in the goody bag you get at registration, books given away at the keynote speech luncheons, books to buy at the Book Fair, books given at the publishing housing book signings, and there are often free books at the Publishing Spotlights. At least there was at <a href="http://www.sourcebooks.com/">Sourcebooks </a>which was the only one I made it to and was very glad I did.<br /><br />Now to any writer and avid reader, the idea of all these books is enough to send you into a blithering state of euphoria. The only problem with this is, I only brought one suitcase and one carry-on and neither had a whole lot of room to spare, and shipping the books home was too expensive an option. So I told myself, “Self, you will not go hog-wild. You will take home only the books you truly, truly want.”<br /><br />Wise advice. The only problem with this is, I often truly, truly want every book I see, because each book holds the potential of an awesome story I have not yet read and what if I leave one behind that the one I leave behind is THE one that could ultimately move me, change me, alter the entire course of my life?! I mean, my God! The ramifications!<br /><br />You see my dilemma. Needless to say, I ended up wearing several layers of clothing for the trip home in order to fit my books into my suitcases. And even then, I managed to control myself somewhat. I bought 3 craft books: one on characterization, writing a first draft in 30 days (after my editor/agent appts this will be essential), and revisions (where most of my writing time is spent). I picked up a couple of books at the Sourcebook spotlight. I kept the books from one keynote speech and bargained with my roommate to borrow the other ones from her. I went to only two publisher book signings and picked up only 3 books (one being <a href="http://www.jennycrusie.com/">Jennifer Crusie’s </a>new book which I feel was more than justified!). I purchased 4 at the Literacy for Life signing (hey – it’s for a good cause!).<br /><br />So now my TBR pile has grown yet again. Which is a bit of a problem because my reading time has shrunk somewhat to give more time to my writing because after said editor/agent appointments I have much to prepare. Plus I need to do revisions for <a href="http://www.eharlequin.com/">Harlequin </a>and I need to get the second book that follows <a href="http://ebooks.carinapress.com/63E9FB90-2D7E-4761-B081-D1B338E3A40D/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID={52426668-9570-42E6-A359-84A961ADCB9F}">The Outlaw Bride </a>off to <a href="http://ebooks.carinapress.com/63E9FB90-2D7E-4761-B081-D1B338E3A40D/10/134/en/Default.htm">Carina</a>.<br /><br />Ack! I need to find more hours in the day and more days in the week! </span></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-61261190766947776502011-06-21T11:22:00.003-03:002011-06-21T11:31:51.466-03:00Cartwheeling Maniac Spotted in NYC<span style="color:#660000;"><strong><em>"I wonder what it is in the New York air that enables me to sit up till all hours of the night in an atmosphere which in London would make a horse dizzy, but here merely clears the brain." ~ James Agate </em></strong></span><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"><strong><em><br /></div></em></strong></span><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620680252036382722" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t503IDcCKP0/TgCq6NqugAI/AAAAAAAABkA/5FwkwW4VWKc/s320/cartwheel.jpg" /><br /><span style="color:#660000;">I am flying into NYC this Saturday, arriving at the ungodly hour of 7:00am. It isn’t so much the 7:00am that’s ungodly as the 3:30am wake up to get to the airport to catch the 6:15am flight to arrive at 7am that’s ungodly. But it’s for a worthy cause, so I’m willing.<br /><br />I’ve already made up my packing list, printed off my event invites, worked up my workshop agenda around my agent/editor appointments and purchased all my little travel sized toiletries. I have a brand spanking new iPad 2 to take with me to stay wired in (thanks to J for the early wedding gift!) and I am ready to rumble.<br /><br />This is the first conference I’ve attended as a published author and I have to admit, it has a different feel to it for me. I’m not sure exactly why that is – I’m still doing all the same things. Editor and agent appointments, workshops, getting lost in the labyrinth of hotel hallways… Maybe the difference is that my goal was by the time the NYC conference arrived I would go as a published author. I’ve vaulted over one hurdle (only 1,486, 234 to go) and it feels good. I mean goooooood.<br /><br />FYI – if you see someone doing cartwheels through the hotel lobby shouting “I did it! I did it!!”, it’s not me. I don’t care how much she may look like me. Also, if that individual is doing these cartwheels while wearing a skirt, please tell her to stop. She’ll thank you for it later.<br /><br />But NYC isn’t all about the conference for me. I’ve wanted to see the City That Never Sleeps for eons and going down a few days before conference gets underway will be a great opportunity to do that. I’ve also tried to book out a little time each day for myself, even if that means just getting out and walking around Times Square or somewhere else. And given my horrendous sense of direction, there is no telling where ‘somewhere else’ may be.<br /><br />FYI#2 – if you see someone who looks a lot like the cartwheeling maniac from the hotel lobby wandering around Times Square trying to find the hotel, please send her back in the right direction. You may also want to watch for a minute to ensure she heads in the direction you indicated. Yes, her sense of direction is that bad.<br /><br />FYI#3 – if she starts up with the cartwheels again on her way back to the hotel, just let her go. You’ve done all you can.</span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-46527748109927333702011-06-01T10:53:00.002-03:002011-06-01T11:06:22.257-03:00A Nice Little Day Dream<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5zrXpUzHqyk/TeZHSNhP1mI/AAAAAAAABj0/MZF85enWCwU/s1600/farm1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613252363756230242" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5zrXpUzHqyk/TeZHSNhP1mI/AAAAAAAABj0/MZF85enWCwU/s320/farm1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"><em><strong>"Reverie is not a mind vacuum. It is rather the gift of an hour which knows the plenitude of the soul." ~ Gaston Bachelard</strong></em><br /><br />I woke up to the sound of birds chirping this morning. Not the angry squawk of crows, not neighbors mucking about in their yards (they tend not to do that at 5:30am), not the guy across the street revving his motorcycle engine for 10 minutes non-stop until I’m so angry I want to go online and order a rocket launcher. But birds. Chirping. And it was sunny, which after 60 days of rain, cloud, drizzle and general ickiness, made waking up a good thing.<br /><br />For a minute, I just laid there and pretended I didn’t have to get up, rush through my writing then trudge off to the day job. I imagined I wasn’t situated in the ‘burbs, but was lying on my bed in the spacious room of a sprawling old farmhouse. Outside, the yard was filled with thick old oak trees, their leaves still rife with the newness of spring green. There wasn’t even the faintest hint of smog or exhaust or fumes of any kind, it was just pure fresh air. A breeze wafted in from my partially opened window and the white sheers billowed out like clouds. Somewhere beyond the oak trees there was a little barn, and in that little barn was a horse, and a cow. Probably a pig, a barn cat, a few chickens with fuzzy little chicks, and a goat with a bit of an attitude problem, but no more than that.<br /><br />And in this wonderful daydream, I didn’t have to get up, rush through my writing and then slog to work. All I needed to do was get up, go milk the cow and feed the animals while Cedar lumbered along at my heels happy as a clam. When I get back to my rambling farmhouse, the coffee has percolated and the scent permeates the kitchen. I pour a big mug, grab a warm cinnamon roll, and amble into my writing room. The room is decorated in honey colored hardwood floors, butter yellow walls that glow warm and cozy in the sunlight filtering through the large window and a big comfy red couch. My desk is old and ornate with cubby holes and drawers and a modern addition of a keyboard tray at just the right height.<br /><br />I turn the computer on and print off yesterday’s writing then plop down on the couch with the coffee, kick my feet up on the rectangular ottoman (with interior storage!) and get out my favorite fine point pen. The dog curls up next to me, content to just hang out and snooze.<br /><br />The words flow off the page and—<br /><br />J nudges me. “You gonna turn that alarm off?”<br /><br />Sigh…back to reality. </span></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-82326021827118645902011-04-25T08:46:00.004-03:002011-04-25T08:49:07.941-03:00Book Giveaway!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OHQDAK_grPc/TbVfkeDmhJI/AAAAAAAABjs/cnctQjToQDM/s1600/TheOutlawBrideDraft6.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 126px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599486791853180050" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OHQDAK_grPc/TbVfkeDmhJI/AAAAAAAABjs/cnctQjToQDM/s200/TheOutlawBrideDraft6.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">To cap off my one week release anniversary, I am giving away a copy of The Outlaw Bride. Just pop over to my Facebook page (link on sidebar) and leave a comment to enter yourself in the draw. The draw will take place tomorrow morning.</span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-37995118838412330342011-04-19T06:24:00.008-03:002011-04-19T06:45:05.900-03:00Cloning<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-COwgV4ECKyE/Ta1Yjd11aoI/AAAAAAAABjk/W2UwvmVNxhU/s1600/outlaw%2Bbride.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 99px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597227278220487298" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-COwgV4ECKyE/Ta1Yjd11aoI/AAAAAAAABjk/W2UwvmVNxhU/s400/outlaw%2Bbride.jpg" /></a> <span style="color:#660000;">Normally, I'm opposed to the idea of cloning. The idea that you can take someone's DNA and somehow recreate them never sat right with me. Maybe physically you could have a life-like replica, but I'm still not convinced you can recreate someone's inside, their soul or their imagination or whatever it is that makes them who they are.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#660000;">That being said, if someone could clone me, just for the rest of this month, I'd really appreciate it. Because for some crazy, insanity-inducing reason, I thought it would be fun to do a book release and complete another manuscript to send off to HQ and plan the company AGM during work's busiest month, all in one shot.<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#660000;">I know I like a challenge, but the next time I try to challenge myself like this, someone give me a good, hard shake until my sense is restored.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#660000;">Meanwhile, here's a list of The Outlaw Bride Blog Train for promo week. There will be a book giveaway at Petticoat & Pistols on April 23rd, so hopefully you can all mosey on by and check it out.<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#660000;">And congratulations to Lina Gardiner who won the book giveaway on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Boyce-Author/167747449914858">Facebook Page</a>.<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#660000;">I'd also like to give a huge thanks to all the reviewers who have been singing The Outlaw Bride's praises. It is hugely appreciated to know your enjoying the read as much as I enjoyed the write.</span><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"><strong><em><u>The Outlaw Bride Blog Train Tour:<br /></u></em></strong></span><span style="color:#660000;">April 17: </span><span style="color:#660000;"><a href="http://julia-mindovermatter.blogspot.com/2011/04/through-opera-glasses-77-10-questions.html">A Piece of My Mind<br /></a></span><span style="color:#660000;">April 18 : </span><a href="http://www.thepopculturedivas.com/2011/04/where-do-ideas-come-from.html"><span style="color:#660000;">The PopCultureDivas<br /></span></a><span style="color:#660000;">April 18: </span><a href="http://manicreaders.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/dead-guys-are-useful-kelly-boyce/"><span style="color:#660000;">Manic Readers<br /></span></a><span style="color:#660000;">April 20: </span><a href="http://carinapress.com/blog/"><span style="color:#660000;">Carina Press Blog </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">and </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CarinaPress"><span style="color:#660000;">Carina Press Facebook Page </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">and </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CarinaPress"><span style="color:#660000;">Carina Press Twitter<br /></span></a><span style="color:#660000;">April 23: </span><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/"><span style="color:#660000;">Petticoats and Pistols </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">- <strong>BOOK GIVEAWAY<br />A</strong></span><span style="color:#660000;">pril 25: Back here for another <strong>BOOK GIVEAWAY</strong>.</span></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-67434348447226223132011-04-15T13:34:00.006-03:002011-04-16T09:06:48.741-03:00The Blog World Blitz<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vKFv1mBIhF4/Tah1suXwHhI/AAAAAAAABi8/GOXGYstpWCU/s1600/TheOutlawBride%2B-%2BCover.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 126px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595851948230188562" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vKFv1mBIhF4/Tah1suXwHhI/AAAAAAAABi8/GOXGYstpWCU/s200/TheOutlawBride%2B-%2BCover.jpg" /></a> <br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">I've been busy writing up a storm, preparing for the looming book release of THE OUTLAW BRIDE on April 18th (ack! only a few days away!). A lot of the prep has been writing up blurbage for a blog tour. So while I will only be popping into Dark & Stormy for one day next week, here's where I'll be the rest of the week: </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">April 17: </span><a href="http://julia-mindovermatter.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#003300;">A Piece of My Mind </span></a><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">April 18 : </span><a href="http://www.thepopculturedivas.com/"><span style="color:#003300;">The PopCultureDivas </span></a></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">April 18: </span><a href="http://manicreaders.com/blog/index.php/guest-authors/"><span style="color:#003300;">Manic Readers </span></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">April 20: </span><a href="http://carinapress.com/blog/"><span style="color:#003300;">Carina Press Blog</span></a><span style="color:#660000;"> and </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/CarinaPress"><span style="color:#003300;">Carina Press Facebook Page </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">and </span><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/CarinaPress"><span style="color:#003300;">Carina Press Twitter </span></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">April 23: </span><a href="http://petticoatsandpistols.com/"><span style="color:#003300;">Petticoats and Pistols </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">- </span><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>BOOK GIVEAWAY </strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">April 25: Back home to Dark & Stormy for another - </span><span style="color:#000066;"><strong>BOOK GIVEAWAY </strong></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">I am also hosting a <span style="color:#000066;"><strong>book giveaway</strong></span> on my </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/Kelly-Boyce-Author/167747449914858"><span style="color:#660000;"><span style="color:#003300;"><strong>Facebook Page</strong></span> </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">. The draw will be done on <strong>April 18th</strong> to celebrate my official release of THE OUTLAW BRIDE. You just have to click the "Like" button and your name will be entered in the draw. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">And that's it. For now anyway.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">Then it's back to work on SALVATION FALLS to finish the clean up and fire that off to Harlequin Historicals who requested the full.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;">The fun never ends!</span> </div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-1772715218118965412011-03-24T09:08:00.003-03:002011-03-24T09:14:32.703-03:00What Price Beauty<span style="color:#660000;">I'm ranting about plastic surgery over at </span><a href="http://www.thepopculturedivas.com/2011/03/what-price-beauty.html"><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">The PopCultureDivas </span></strong></a><span style="color:#660000;">today. Come join the party!</span><br /><span style="color:#660000;"></span><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587618640294539858" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lZNwBHjKizM/TYs1jIMbclI/AAAAAAAABi0/C6P58keVHw4/s320/daryl.jpg" /><br /><div><span style="color:#660000;"></span></div><br /><div></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-76185909932959771812011-03-14T07:15:00.004-03:002011-03-14T07:23:16.245-03:00The Week in Review<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gk-t6uqQcv4/TX3sDb-zizI/AAAAAAAABhc/p4aFFHBqfpQ/s1600/TheOutlawBrideDraft6.jpg"><strong><span style="color:#660000;"><em><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 126px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583878656804227890" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gk-t6uqQcv4/TX3sDb-zizI/AAAAAAAABhc/p4aFFHBqfpQ/s200/TheOutlawBrideDraft6.jpg" /></em></span></strong></a><strong><span style="color:#660000;"><em> "The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest, for he has not earned it." ~ John Lubbock<br /></em></span></strong><br /><span style="color:#660000;">It’s difficult to come up with a scintillating blog entry when you’ve only slept a few hours, so I’m going to forgo the linguistic gymnastics and just give a brief update on what’s been going on.<br /><br />The past week has been a busy one prepping for the upcoming release of <strong>The Outlaw Bride</strong> scheduled for <strong>April 18th.</strong> (Like that little plug? That’s as subtle as I get while sleep deprived.) But here’s what I’ve been up to. I ordered my bookmarks and ad design from<a href="http://www.crocodesigns.com/"> Croco Designs </a>and just received word from <a href="http://gotprint.net/g/welcome.do">GotPrint</a> that they are on the way. I also ordered business cards from <a href="http://www.vistaprint.ca/">VistaPrint </a>and they too are en-route. I sent in my first sale information to the <a href="http://www.rwa.org/">RWR </a>and that will show up in May’s edition, and then I reserved space in the June issue of RWR for my ad.<br /><br />I have a few blogs I’ll be appearing on (in?) the week of April as well and received a list of review sites my book will be available to through Net Galley.<br /><br />Then, in the midst of all this, my author’s copy of the book came in (which I had totally forgot about!) and I loaded that onto my kobo, ooh’d and ahh’d over it for a few minutes and then realized I needed to come up with some contest ideas for book giveaways.<br /><br />There’s a lot of stuff that comes along with releasing a book. It’s true what they say about the real work starting after you sign the contract.<br /><br />I’m also putting the finishing touches on <strong>Salvation Falls</strong>, cleaning up a few things, before doing the final revision on <strong>Invitation to Scandal</strong> in time for conference. I’m hoping to get a little time before conference to work on <strong>The Widow Bride</strong> as well, but we’ll see how it goes.<br /><br />Meanwhile, I’ve decided to take 2 hours each Sunday to hunker down at the local Starbucks and write whatever I want. Yesterday was my first stab at this. I just sat down and wrote whatever came to mind and I realized halfway through the first page, what I was writing was the opening scene to a contemporary fiction story, <strong>Talking to Winston</strong>, that I’ve been kicking around.<br /><br />Training for the 10K is coming along. My friend, Christine, took me hill training the other day and after 6.2K and a hill that I swore was never going to end, I crawled back to the office and questioned my sanity. Then I went out on Saturday and ran another 3K.<br /><br />I’ve also been trying to squeeze in some knitting time to replenish items on my Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/lochbriar">At Knit’s End</a>. I sold 3 items in the past week and a half and now I need to restock.<br /><br />I’ve come to the conclusion, there are just not enough hours in the day, and not enough days in the week.</span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-60608829783719159002011-03-07T11:00:00.006-04:002011-03-07T11:09:29.137-04:00The Things I Do…<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eaaSfs8-n4w/TXT0i7-FHTI/AAAAAAAABhM/ARi_kyBK46k/s1600/Female-Runner2.jpg"><span style="color:#660000;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581354719269690674" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eaaSfs8-n4w/TXT0i7-FHTI/AAAAAAAABhM/ARi_kyBK46k/s200/Female-Runner2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#660000;"><strong><em>"Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts." ~ Steve Prefontaine<br /></em></strong><br />This one I blame my sister-in-law for. She started running last year and we batted around the idea of doing a 10K together. We had both run 5Ks before (she this past summer, me a few years ago), but she wanted to up the ante. Unfortunately a bad chest cold and injuries thwarted our plans.<br /><br />But the other day, while I was at my nephew’s birthday party (and while she was waving a cheesie in front of my face), my SIL suggested we both sign up for the </span><a href="http://www.bluenosemarathon.com/en/"><span style="color:#660000;">Bluenose Marathon 10K</span></a><span style="color:#660000;">. The early bird sign up ended the next day, so if we wanted to get the cheaper rate, we had to act fast.<br /><br />Now this suggestion was made on Feb 27th. The race is on May 22nd. And unless I’ve lost my ability to count properly, that means I have a whopping 2.5 months to go from not running for about a year, to running 10K.<br /><br />I blame the mesmerizing power of the cheesie that made me nod and mumble something that sounded like, ‘sure…sounds like a plan…you gonna eat that cheesie?’<br /><br />So here I am, in training mode. My friend, Christine, took me out running on my lunch hour the other day indicating she had a great route in mind. Christine is a runner. That should have been my first clue that this was not going to be an easy little jaunt. By the 4K mark I was starting to feel it. By the 5K mark I wasn’t sure I could lift my legs much longer. Thankfully, the route ended at 5.13K.<br /><br />I hobbled back to the office wondering what the criteria for a lung transplant was.<br /><br />Still, I had done it. After not running, I managed to live through a 5K run. Sure I felt it the next day (or three), but I was already half way to my goal, and still had a little over two months to build on that.<br /><br />Am I crazy? Maybe. But every time I think I’ve completely lost my mind, I remind myself that summer is right around the corner. The time of shorts and skirts and bathing suits, and suddenly, running 10K seems like a really good idea…<br /><br />Vanity. The world’s greatest motivator.</span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-12235091630000116752011-02-25T12:04:00.003-04:002011-02-25T12:12:41.368-04:00My Night at the Theatre<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vIgVYjugiOk/TWfU62CrmXI/AAAAAAAABg8/KpE_Ma67g9A/s1600/Beauty-Queen-web.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 217px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577660770925910386" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vIgVYjugiOk/TWfU62CrmXI/AAAAAAAABg8/KpE_Ma67g9A/s320/Beauty-Queen-web.jpg" /></a> <div><span style="color:#660000;"><strong><em>"Family quarrels are bitter things. They don't go by any rules. They're not like aches or wounds; they're more like splits in the skin that won't heal because there's not enough material." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald<br /></em></strong><br />This past Wednesday, I went to see <em><a href="http://www.neptunetheatre.com/Playbill/?show=38">The Beauty Queen of Leenane</a></em> at the <a href="http://www.neptunetheatre.com/">Neptune Theatre</a>. Written by Martin McDonagh and directed by Rosemary Dunsmore, this play delivers everything you could want. It’s a strangely twisted gem, blending comedy and drama in such a way that one moment you are laughing out loud, and the next you are gasping in horror and shock. Either way, both ends of the spectrum keep you riveted to the players on the stage.<br /><br />Set in a small village in County Galway, Ireland, Maureen Folan (Laura deCarteret) - a bonafide 40 year old virgin, lives in a sparse little cottage with her mother Mag (Mary Colin Chisholm), a relentless harpy of an old woman. Maureen has been trapped playing caregiver for the past 20 years and as the play goes on, seeds of why that is are sown.<br /><br />The two women share a completely dysfunctional relationship and it is clear Maureen wishes she could escape, but seems unable to do so. At least until a hint of romance begins with Pato Dooly (Hugh Thompson), a man from town who is bitter about having to constantly move away to England to work. It is his younger brother, Ray (played hilariously by Ryan Bondy), who delivers much of the comic relief, acting as messenger for his brother. And it is these messages that ultimately lead to tragedy and betrayal.<br /><br />I don’t want to say too much about what the tragedy is or how it comes about; the not knowing is what keeps you perched on the edge of your seat. But I will say this, if you are in the area, buy a ticket and treat yourself to the experience. You won’t regret it. And if you are not in the area, and this play comes to your town, make sure you take the opportunity to check it out.<br /><br />And that was my night at the theatre. </span></div>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12700936.post-32713735372916258002011-02-21T06:54:00.006-04:002011-02-21T07:13:05.408-04:00New York City Bound<strong><em><span style="color:#990000;">"Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along." ~ Hugh Allen</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zKRYqD3CIPA/TWJGbym86iI/AAAAAAAABg0/jtJvqyfr6xA/s1600/nyc.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 251px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576096731893656098" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zKRYqD3CIPA/TWJGbym86iI/AAAAAAAABg0/jtJvqyfr6xA/s320/nyc.jpg" /></a><span style="color:#660000;">I’m getting excited about </span><a href="http://www.rwa.org/cs/conferences_and_events"><span style="color:#660000;">New York </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">in June. I know I have a while to wait, but I can’t help it. I'm arriving in the Big Apple on Saturday before conference starts to spend a little time exploring the city with my two RWAC cohorts, <a href="http://www.lillycain.com/">Lilly Cain </a>and our chapter prez, Annette Gallant. I’ve never been to NYC before, so while this is a work trip, it’s also a pleasure trip as well.<br /><br />I love that we’re staying in the middle of the action. It’s a great central point. I plan on doing a little shopping, a whole lot of sightseeing, and a general wandering around. I’d love to take a run through Central Park too, though I have no idea how close the park is to our hotel. Time to break out the map.<br /><br />The other thing I’m happy about is that I made the goal of going to the New York conference as a </span><a href="http://ebooks.carinapress.com/6282EADF-00A1-46B6-86D7-1C55A58E9A6E/10/134/en/default.htm"><span style="color:#660000;">published author</span></a><span style="color:#660000;">. Check and done. By the time conference rolls around, <strong>THE OUTLAW BRIDE</strong> will have been on the electronic shelves for two months. Where I don’t have a print book to allow me to do the literary signing, etc, I will have to get a little inventive on what promo materials to take with me to help get my name / book out there.<br /><br />Would walking through the lobby of the hotel with a bullhorn be too much do you think? Perhaps so. A more subtle approach then.<br /><br />Just as an aside, while I am typing this, my dog has his nose jammed under the register and is snorting up a storm. I don’t know what he thinks he’s going to find there other than a dust bunny or three…<br /><br /><span style="color:#660000;">Meanwhile, back in the everyday, this will be a busy week. My partial of <strong><em>Salvation Falls</em></strong> sent to </span><a href="http://www.eharlequin.com/"><span style="color:#660000;">Harlequin </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">over a year ago, seems to have fallen through the cracks somewhere. So I need to resend it to the editor. I’m doing one final read through and then off it goes. Wish me luck.<br /><br /></span>I will be attending the </span><a href="http://www.neptunetheatre.com/"><span style="color:#660000;">Neptune Theatre </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">this week to see The Beauty Queen of Leenane. My friend </span><a href="http://julia-mindovermatter.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#660000;">Julia Smith </span></a><span style="color:#660000;">hooked me up with the theatre’s Word of Mouth evening. I was given two tickets to see the show, then will blog afterwards to promote it, hence the Word of Mouth. Or blog as it were. So stay tuned for next week’s blog to hear all about my night at the theatre and a recap on what went on this week.<br /><br />Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go dislodge my dog’s nose from the register. </span>Kelly Boycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15459592836145655997noreply@blogger.com12