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.

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.)

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

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’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!

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)!

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.

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.)

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.