I May Be Addicted

I just submitted "My Secret Sweetheart," a second story to Gia Portfolio, editor for True Experience magazine and True Romance magazine. I had a lot of fun writing it and if it sells, I'll make about $200. If I keep this up, I'll have the money to pay those hefty show choir fees. Woot!

Since I finished my first round of edits on Once Upon A Kiss, I wrote a thousand words for a new "True" story. I'm finding that part of the fun of writing these shorts is that, because you must write in first person, I'm getting to try on all these different voices. "A Gigolo of My Own" was told by an older woman. "My Secret Sweetheart" was about a young , principled schoolteacher. This new story features a cynical young woman who falls in love with a stuntman. I have no idea how it's going to end other than it being happy. But then, I never do. That's half the fun, discovering the plot as I go.

Shorter Fiction Woots

I sold an 800 word story to Woman's World magazine, and it'll appear in the August 6 issue. :) It's about a guy who has to start eating healthier.

I also sold a 5,500 word story to True Experience magazine. That's coming out in the fall. This is about an older woman who built a cupcake empire and the man who woos her.

It'll be interesting to see if either of my ebooks (Fit To Be Tied and Once Upon A Kiss) will come out before then. I doubt it. But I don't mind. I like it when there's a little time between publications.

Thursday 3: Paperwork

Thursday 13 is too many. I only do 3.

This week I'm listing three types of paperwork and the length of time you need to keep them, according to Real Simple magazine.

1. Credit card statements - 7 years

2. Paycheck stubs - 1 year, after that, just keep your W2

3. Tax returns - 7 years

Unnecessary Knitted Item

I saw this in my Real Simple magazine and couldn't believe it. It's a knitted coffee cup sleeve. Guess how much it retails for!

No, really, guess!

$18.00, no lie. I suppose there might be some eco-freaks out there who might drag this thing into Starbucks to use. (If you're one of them, I'll knit you one for only five bucks.)

This is the place where you can get the original if you want it. They also have slingshot pencils, hair clips that look like googly eyes, and tiny herb gardens whose pots are porcelain eggs. Those things are kind of cool.

Thursday 3: Accomplishments

Today I felt productive. Here are three things I did.

1. I went through the pile of junk to deal with, which included a few days worth of mail, various coupons, papers from the junior high and high school, tax forms, a check, and magazines to distribute either to Mr. T (aka dh), my sons, or my TBR pile.

2. I sent my entries and fees to Passionate Ink for their Passionate Plume contest. However, I'm not sure I'm going to DC for the RWA conference. *sighs*

3. I made a pot of split pea soup from scratch. It turned out yummy!