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Posts Tagged ‘jimmy thomas’

Plotting. *quivers in fear*

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on August 22, 2013| 18 Comments »

During lunch today, I took Lynn Lorenz’s spreadsheet template and started (oh my!) doing a little plotting. I actually filled in chapters and scenes that I had already done on my WIP and will work on the future stuff tonight or this weekend. I can already see that I’m going to have to tweak it a little and do it my own way. Lynn makes a great big cell for each chapter, and I have trouble fitting stuff in. I think I’ll make rows for each chapter and maybe have columns in each row for my scenes. I don’t know. I just love playing with spreadsheets. I do want to pay attention to her plot points, though.

I remember when I was eating with Kait Nolan and Susan Bischoff one time, they were trying to explain to me that plotting didn’t have to be scary. That I didn’t have to lose my creativity. That I could still be flexible. Then I tried it and failed miserably. Did I do it wrong? IS there a wrong? Was I just not ready then? Or was the thought of USING A SPREADSHEET what sparked my interest? I don’t know, but I was all excited after I talked to Kait and Susan that time, and then I was disappointed that I couldn’t do it. I think maybe we should have talked about it longer, and they should have beat me senseless so I could have awakened as a plotter. LOL. So let’s see how my latest venture in plotting will go. I’ll keep you all posted. 🙂

Now for something fun. These are the guys we got to spend time with all week at the RNConvention in Vegas. Four of them were the Mr. Casanova contestants, and the one in the middle is a Hunk-O-Mania dancer and a friend of Jimmy Thomas, who was the creator of this convention. Their names are Justin Tatum, Michael Mecucci, Julian Mora, Michael Hendrickson. and Shawn Cunningham. Shawn won the Mr. Casanova contest. The guy is 6’8″ tall! And all of these guys are really sweet and friendly. You know, because it doesn’t matter that they’re GORGEOUS.

the guys

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What I Want to Bring Back from Vegas

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on August 5, 2013| 7 Comments »

My brain is all over the place right now. I leave for Vegas tomorrow evening for the RNConvention, and I’m nervous, excited, and other emotions that are all over the place. I haven’t even posted in about four days because there’s been so much to do. I also haven’t had time to comment on other people’s posts, so I hope I’m forgiven. 🙂

Anyway, there’s a buzz all over Facebook about this convention, and there are so many excited people posting on the event page about all kinds of things. But I’m seeing a trend that’s bothering me just a bit. Yes, I KNOW it’s Vegas. And Vegas is about fun. But this is a convention with lots of classes that Jimmy set up for us to learn. He worked hard on getting the speakers lined up. But I’m not seeing ANYONE saying how excited they are to be attending these classes. It’s all about drinking and dancing. I’m not criticizing this at all, because I know most of these people have never been to Vegas, and many of them have never been to any writing conferences. It’s okay to have fun. (I’ve even posted about how I’m worried about what clothes to bring.) But I think some people have missed the whole point of the convention. As writers, we need to learn all we can about this business because it’s not as easy as it used to be. When I first started publishing, there was very little competition. Now there’s LOTS of competition, so it’s hard for readers to find us unless we stand out. Yes, we need to write a good book. But then readers have to FIND that book. It’s getting harder. I’m hoping to learn some marketing strategies as well as how to write a better book.

So what I want to bring back from Vegas is lots of knowledge that will help me in my business. Well, that and something for my husband from the Pawn Stars shop. 🙂

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Costume Ball at RNConvention

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on July 17, 2013| 6 Comments »

I’ve never been to a costume ball before. But it’s going to be a lot of fun seeing what everyone comes up with to wear. Jimmy Thomas is getting professionals to decorate for it, so it’s going to look awesome. Only the best for our Jimmy. 🙂

Anyway, my friend’s mother and I went to look for material for my dress last night. We looked and looked, and I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to find what I really wanted and would have to settle. Not so! There it was. The perfect material. I’m so excited that we found it. And I’m so happy that I actually know someone who can make a dress like this for me. We never could find the lace we needed to match, but I’m going to look at some different places. I just hope we don’t get down to the wire on this. The ball is only 3 weeks away! But I have confidence that my dressmaker is going to get it done and it will be perfect. I will NOT stress over this. 🙂

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Fitness Friday – Ten Reasons for Losing Weight

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 8, 2013| 18 Comments »

1. Losing weight helps control diabetes (I REALLY hope I can get off insulin).
2. Losing weight can help prevent heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses.
3. Losing weight can give you a whole new wardrobe because you can suddenly wear clothes that have been in your closet for a long time.
4. Losing weight can boost your self-confidence and give you a feeling of accomplishment.
5. Losing weight can make you finally weigh less than your husband. (I’m not there yet, but I’m getting close.)
6. Losing weight can keep your body from continuing to move after you’ve stopped jumping up and down for joy.
7. Losing weight can make you able to shop longer…so, you know, you can buy more stuff.
8. Losing weight can make you able to tie your shoes straight instead of off to the side. (Does anyone understand what I mean here?)
9. Losing weight can make you feel more confident when you’re going to Las Vegas for the RNConvention in August and you’re going to meet the cover model (Jimmy Thomas) that’s been on many of your books. 🙂
10. Losing weight can make you want to start helping OTHER people be healthier because your excitement is contagious. Yay!

Those are just a few. Some of them are humorous and some are serious. But they are all relevant, at least in my case.

Stats for this week:
Beginning weight: 193
Today’s weight: 178.5
This week’s loss: 1.5 lbs.
Total loss: 14.5 lbs.

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Going to Vegas Next Year!!!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on October 2, 2012| 13 Comments »

I am absolutely on cloud nine. Because of this.

RNConvention

One of the cover models I use on my books is putting this event together. His name is Jimmy Thomas, and he’s not just a pretty face, um, or body. He’s a savvy businessman who launched the website romancenovelcenter.com. It’s a place where authors, cover artists, editors, readers, etc. can get together. It’s a great networking site.

The convention includes classes, seminars, parties, a costume ball, meet and greets, and so much more. There are so many things to do, I can’t list them all here. And the price is all inclusive! I think it’s a reasonable price for the hotel rooms, the classes, the food…awesome. Anyway, you might want to check it out. Just click on the link above and you’ll have the info you need. There are some things they haven’t gotten completely worked out yet, like the full schedule, but it’s almost a year away. I can’t wait!

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Cover Reveal and Blog Awards!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2012| 21 Comments »

I’ve been very nervous about every aspect of this book. So the cover is no exception. But I think it’s time to let people see the cover of my current WIP, which will also finally give my title away. This is the first time I’ve ever had the title before starting the story. In fact, it was the title popping into my mind that actually started this story. So, without further ado, here is the fabulous Jimmy Thomas, cover model extraordinaire with “the bottle”. And you have to read the book to understand that part. LOL

Also, on another note, the lovely and sweet Emma Meade nominated me for three blog awards. 🙂 I’m also supposed to tell seven things about myself. I’m going to break the chain (sorry) and not nominate seven more people because I don’t want to miss anyone I should tag. Anyway, here are the awards.



And here are seven things about me:

1. My favorite author is Stephen King.
2. My favorite movie is Half Light.
3. I love roller coasters.
4. I’m a coffee snob…I love the good stuff.
5. I have a very strong southern accent.
6. Hubby and I are about to celebrate our 30th anniversary.
7. And here’s the embarrassing story. One time my husband and I were in a restaurant with another couple. I was wearing a black skirt, black leggings, and black boots. The two men got up and went on out to the car, and my friend and I got up to start on out a couple of minutes later. I realized that for some reason, I couldn’t walk. I looked down, and there was my very white slip down around my ankles. My friend and I burst out laughing, and I reached down and pulled my slip out from around my ankles and put it in my purse. My friend and I were laughing so hard, we could barely walk, and it took us forever to tell the guys what had happened.

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My Cover is #3000 for Jimmy Thomas!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on May 24, 2012| 12 Comments »

According to Jimmy Thomas, the gorgeous cover model on the Libby Fox novellas, the Loving the Dead and the Undead cover (print book soon to be out), is the 3000th time he’s graced the cover of a novel. See his post and comments on his Facebook page. Jimmy Thomas In Fact, he’s actually made this cover his icon for right now. 🙂 My cover artist, Anya, is about to wet her pants go nuts with excitement. Jimmy Thomas is not only gorgeous, he’s smart, funny, and has great business sense. Check out his website, Romance Novel Center and his stock image site, Romance Novel Covers. Many authors, cover artists, editors, reviewers, readers, and more have joined Romance Novel Center. Take a look and see if it’s something you might be interested in. *doing the happy dance*

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Cover Model Jimmy Thomas – New Website!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 25, 2012| 12 Comments »

I’ve been meaning to post about this for awhile, but I just keep forgetting. A few weeks back, Jimmy Thomas launched a new site for authors, cover artists, publishers, editors, readers, etc. to connect on a site dedicated to the romance novel industry. I was one of those who got to try it out ahead of time before its official launch, and I think it’s a great site. Jimmy is a professional with great business sense, and it shows. In other words, he’s not just a pretty face. (Although his face AND body are swoon worthy.) Jimmy has been on my last four covers (the Libby Fox novellas and the Libby Fox trilogy). My cover artist has been using his site Romance Novel Covers for the cover art. His new site is Romance Novel Center. One exciting thing about this site is that he’s eventually going to let us sell our ebooks directly from the site. I CAN’T WAIT for that to happen. Anyway, thank you, Jimmy for developing this site. I love it!

These are all Jimmy

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