Feliz Navidad

Oops, I'm a bit too late for that, huh?

I can't believe it's been nearly five months since I posted here. What can I say besides life has sucked?

But that was then. It's a new year, with new opportunities, new chances, new goals to pursue . . . and a brand-new calendar to fill in with deadlines, conferences, fabulous vacations . . . I wish!

Hitting the highlights of the past months -- my birthday was cool! Spent it at a B&B with ten or twelve great friends, including my three twisted sisters, and had a ball.

Just a day or so later, the kiddo returned to the U.S. from Italy. He's going to an Army school, then he's got orders to a stateside post -- and he and his lovely bride will get to live together for the first time. Cool!

Hmm. Can't think of any other highlights. On to the lowlights . . .

Halloween sucked, not that we really observe it anymore since the kiddo's long since outgrown it. Okay, so I do buy bags and bags of Halloween candy, and I don't even try to pretend it's for trick-or-treaters. We live so far out in the country that the only people who come knocking on our door at night are lost or stupid.

Thanksgiving sucked. Family crisis, no family dinner. Christmas sucked. Ongoing family crisis, no shopping, no tree, no TransSiberian Orchestra CDs blasting on the stereo while I made cookies, candy, and rum cakes. No rum cakes, either. We did get a family dinner, though -- one of my b-i-l's saw to that.

New Year's Eve wasn't bad. Robert and I aren't into partying, but we went to the kiddo's for dinner. Good food, good company, and home in plenty of time to get tucked before the parties started.

The writing front has sucked, too. (I'm just full of giggles today, aren't I?) I'm working on the revisions for the next Selena book, SCORCHED. It's due out later this year -- maybe in July, maybe after that. All the suckiness in my life pushed me way past deadline on it, so I don't know whether it's been moved in the schedule or not. I love Tony and Selena and most of the other characters, but I have to say, I'll be happy to write The End on this one. Not literally, of course, but I'll be signing off on it in a big way in my mind.

But it's a new year!! Things will be better, or Baby New Year and Father Time are both getting their asses kicked!

Have a good one! Rachel10:11 AM