I spent all last week trying to get a three-book proposal together to send my editor, and I’m very happy to report that it is done, finished, gone, out of my hands. Woot! Proposal-writing is the absolute hardest part of this gig for me…I’m not really sure why other than I tend to overthink everything and am afraid to commit to decisions.

Thursday I resorted to “going to the lake” to get some work done. My husband recognizes this as my time-to-get-down-to-business routine where writing is concerned. There’s an overlook point with a parking lot and a restroom, and it’s a perfect place for me to sit in the car and do nothing but write. No distractions. No phone calls, no kids fighting or whimpering because they’re sick, no day job interferences and probably most importantly, no email.

Here’s the view from my lake “office”:

So am I the only one who has a work at home job who can’t concentrate at home to save my life? What do you do when it’s time to get down to business, writing or something entirely different? I’m thinking I need my own mother-in-law quarters built out back where I can escape to, but convincing the hubby to build that might be tricky…

So as usual I sucked at taking a lot of photos at the Chicago conference, but I did get a few. I look particularly horrible in them, but everyone else looks great. Go check them out!

The aforementioned hurricane wasn’t actually a hurricane but it sounded like one. We got nailed by a wind storm last night and are now reckoning with roofers and electricians and insurance companies, oh my! No one should be allowed to have this much fun with repairmen. (Kidding, there.) The good news is our roof is still, well, ON. Unfortunately it has cracks and crevices everywhere. Top quality craftmanship, I tell you. The house is only 4 years old.

Anyone else have tornado warnings and hurricane force winds lately? Gotta love spring in tornado alley!

Had a GREAT conference! I went to some amazing workshops by Christie Ridgeway and Debbie Macomber (there were others but these were my two favorites), had a great time socializing and networking with authors and editors, met some wonderful readers, and learned some really helpful things for my writing.

Now I’m trying to get back into the routine and not count down until the next conference (Lori Foster’s Reader-Author Get-Together in Ohio in June.)

A couple quick things: Today’s the last day to enter my website contest, so hop over and answer my contest question.

Also, today I’m a guest over at Jennifer’s blog. She’s having all five of us from Writeminded this week, asking us to fill in the blanks to some fun, very open-ended statements. And she’s giving away prizes, so stop by and say hi!

I’m off to try to catch up on the day job and the writing job…if you can spare any extra hours in the day, send some my way! (Though I have no doubt you all are searching for extra hours yourselves! )

And it’s supposed to be windy this weekend. And cold. WHY am I going north?

Well because there’s a great conference to attend! At least I hope it’s great…it looks like it will be. Debbie Macomber is speaking and I heart her. Plus many others. And my editor will be there. I’m going with Jan Kenny, my CP and friend. Plus there will be BOOKS.

It’s all good.

I’ll try to report back when I return.

I’ve never been much of a TV watcher, for the most part. I might get hooked on one or two shows, but ever since I had kids, I can’t seem to make it to the TV on time each week, no matter how much I love the show. (Only exception is American Idol, and we usually make that just because the kids enjoy it too.)

My husband is a channel surfer. Tell me please, what is the point of watching 24 seconds of one show, then flipping and catching 3 1/2 minutes of the next?

He does this each night when we’re lying in bed, trying to wind down from the day. Normally I still have my computer on, sometimes I’m even working. And then something grabs my interest on TV. Almost always a reality show. And I get sucked in and put my computer aside and then…

He changes the channel.

*insert angry smiley with uzi here*

I need a bigger remote that will overrule his. *crazed grin*

So my question is…is this a male thing? I know being in charge of the remote is. I think there’ve been Harvard studies that prove it. But the surfing thing…I have yet to meet a female who commits this crime. Anyone out there want to confess?