Have you ever had a cheese string? You know, that processed cheese stuff that’s individually packaged for kids’ lunch boxes? Fecklet has some and I just tried one. They’re really really good. Just saying. You should try one. Don’t steal it from a kid or anything, but if you happen to be in the neighbourhood, pop round and I’ll give you a cheese string.

All in all, I’m having a pretty good week, having sold a short story and a novella…and it’s only Thursday! I’m also pimping myself a bit around the web, and in real life:

There’s a 75-word paragraph from my story ‘The Black Sheep’ on Paragraph Planet (it’s archived now, alas, but it was there!), and also an interview with me there.

My recipe for cranberry nut bread, and a giveaway of Getting Away With It, are on Chick Lit Central.

On Saturday 10th December, I’ll be signing copies of my books at the Local Author Fair at Reading Central Library, Abbey Square, Reading. The fair runs from 10 til 4 but I will probably only be there till 1.30 or so. I’ll have copies of my new hardback, The Summer of Living Dangerously, and also pretty much my entire backlist for sale, including my Mills & Boon stuff. There are lots of authors there so it’s a great place to pick up Christmas gifts.

On Sunday 11th December, I’ll be signing my books again, this time at Windsor Waterstones, on Peascod Street in Windsor. They’ll have my latest hardback, The Summer of Living Dangerously, plus Getting Away With It, Girl from Mars, and some of my others. That’ll be from around 11ish till 4ish.

I’ve done some little drawings for Christmas cards to give away at the signings, with the web address of my free Christmas read, ‘The Black Sheep’. I think he’s sort of cute. Though not as surprisingly delicious as a cheese string.

Click on his cute little miserable face to read the story.

I interrupt this Robert Downey Jr fest to post a few links, all about me, I’m afraid:

There’s an interview with me up today on the Minxes of Romance, where you can sign up for my newsletter to enter my contest for ARCs of GETTING AWAY WITH IT. If you haven’t already.

QVC presenter and lovely charming lady Debbie Flint has done a blog about my Cornerstones writing commercial women’s fiction course. There’s a video of my post-its, too.

There’s also a good roundup of the content of the course on Lisa Bodenham-Mason’s blog.

I did a guest blog about why CARS is the perfect movie for learning character arc and structure, on The Writing Playground.

There’s a fab review of NINA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF GLOOM on Singletitles.

And as always, don’t forget to check out my fabulous fellow bloggers on The Heroine Addicts.

Me…I’m trying to get this scene right! Agggh!!

It’s Friday! And that means it’s the last day for my contest to win a signed copy of Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom. Don’t forget to send me an email using the “contact” link, or leave a comment on this post if you want to enter. I’ll choose a winner tonight.

Meanwhile, I’m also guest blogging at the fabulous Romance Bandits, where I’m talking about gloom and spiders and also giving away a signed copy. There’s always a lot of conversation over there, so check it out.

I’ve also had my second review for Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom, by Debs at Novelicious, as part of their excellent Little Black Dress Thursdays feature. She gave it 9/10 and said it was “definitely a must-read book”.

You can read the rest of the review (and other LBD and chick lit reviews and news) here.

…And today I’m guest blogging on Hooked on Romance.

Meanwhile, it’s come to the point in my book’s life where I stop writing for a little bit and try to map out what’s going on, using different coloured index cards, on my closet door. Mostly, I’ve discovered that this book is a bit of a mess.

But that’s okay; messes can be tidied up, and books can be fixed.

Right? (Please reassure me.)

I’m totally a blog whore this week…today I’m on Romance Bandits, talking about comic books. And I’m giving away a signed copy of Girl from Mars.

(Don’t forget my contest for a paperback copy of Close Encounters, below!)

Okay, before I say anything else, can I just talk about HOW FRICKIN’ GLAD I AM TO HAVE THE INTERNET AGAIN!?!??!?!?!

I will admit it. I’m totally an addict. For the first few days in my parents’ cabin by the lake in Maine, my fingers would itch every ten minutes or so, about the time I’d normally be hitting “get mail” on my computer to see if anybody had emailed me. Or checking Facebook to see what my friends were doing. (All 1060 of them.) I kept on thinking about stuff I had to blog about.

I was going crazy!!

This was worse because I knew I had a book just out. And people were probably reading it! And reviewing it! And I couldn’t find out!!

AAAGH!

This is, of course, wrong. Big time wrong. Life is for living, not for checking the internet. Instead of checking the computer, I read the newspaper every morning. True, this was the Lewiston Sun Journal, and during the four and a half weeks I was home there were exactly two news stories. One was about a double murder not quarter of a mile from the house where I grew up—which was, admittedly, a big news story. The other was about a brawl that erupted during an annual greased cod carrying contest.

On the days that didn’t include these news stories, I read Dear Abby, the sheriff’s log, and the notices of births and deaths. You can learn a lot about human nature from these items.

I also read several novels, played with the Fecklet, talked with my family, and spent some quality time staring at the lake. I was in bed nearly every night by 9 pm.

You would think, from this experience, that I would have learned my lesson. But y’know what? I didn’t. The internet eats my time, it eats my brain, it makes me sit like an old lady at the computer…but I love it!!!

(For example, I’m interviewed today on Book Chick City. How was I supposed to do that without broadband? Huh? Huh? Huh?)

I’m blogging at Writers At Play today, talking about the fun things I’ve done for research and giving away a free signed book! So come visit.

I’ve been informed that Girl from Mars is being reprinted (and had to be in its release week, wow!) so my copies should be on their way later in the week.

Meanwhile, this is the FIRST DAY IN TEN DAYS that Fecklet is with his child minder and I get to write!!! Hallelujah!

It’s release day! Yay yay yay yay yay!!!

I’m guest blogging on the Writing Playground today, talking about GEEKS. More specifically, about my own geek credentials, which are many.

I’m also giving away a signed copy of Girl from Mars there, so come play!

Don’t forget my little fun giveaway in the post below (buried under all the stuff about my characters)!

I’m guest blogging on We Write Romance today, as part of their Women’s Fiction Authors’ Blogathon. My post is about moving from writing category romance to bigger women’s fiction books, and how for me, it feels like going from riding a roller coaster to journeying on a winding road through the mountains.

If you’ve got time, please pop over and say hi!

It would be interesting to hear your opinions about category romance vs. single title or women’s fiction novels, and whether you agree with me on the place of Klingons in both.

My friend Suzanne McMinn’s blog, Chickens in the Road, is a nominee in the 2009 Bloggie Awards. This is the Oscars of the blogging world.

Suzanne’s the only romance author to ever final in the Bloggies. Her blog is a warm, wonderful account of living on a farm. It’s also totally addictive. It’s in the “Best-Kept Secret” category.

If you get a chance, check out her blog. And, if you like, visit the Bloggies site and cast your vote for the best blogs around. You might see several of your favourites there. (On my browser, at least, it works by scrolling sideways rather than up and down.)

A cool link for today: a woman who takes pictures entitled things like “Death by Oreo”.

Drop Dead Gorgeous

Make sure you hit the “next” button underneath the photo so you can scroll through the gallery. My favourite is “Death by Life Saver”. I would like to see this exhibition.

In my own life, have started chapter two and my friend Ruth, after some brainstorming, has found me the perfect model for my next hero. Ruth, you rule!

Oh and on a more cheerful note than below, I’m guest-blogging over at category romance blogazine The Pink Heart Society today, about one of my favourite ever films, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Visit here.