Maggie's Newsletter
July 19, 2008
Okay, so it’s now past
July 15th, and the book’s still not done.
But there’s a REASON. We had a close call here, with my
firstborn, who is expecting her second son soon. She
has placenta previa, and had a bad bleeding episode, and
the ambulance couldn’t find her house, and it was very
touch and go there for awhile, leaving my lovely state
of serenity rather frazzled for a few brief hours.
 But
she’s okay. And after five days in the hospital, she is
now home with orders to stay off her feet except for
bathroom and shower use. And her husband has to work
and she has a gorgeous two-year-old, so of course, that
means the family has to step up and do what’s needed.
Which means, the book gets worked on when I’m not on
duty at her house, and which also means, I probably
won’t be going to the RWA Convention as planned. We
still have two more weeks before the baby can be
delivered as safely as possible, and even then he’ll be
four weeks early. But I wouldn’t want to be anywhere
else right now, and she’s okay, and the baby’s okay, and
the other girls and her mother-in-law are stepping up to
the plate to give me breaks, and weekends belong to the
daddy, so it’s all good.
And the book will still
be done on time. I figure three more really good
writing days, and I can type THE END with a huge sigh of
relief. (By the August 1 update for sure!)
 Meanwhile,
I have some REALLY BIG NEWS to share. I have
agreed to a brand new five book contract with MIRA. And
even more exciting, some of those books will be suspense
novels, while others will be more vamps. Which means,
those who’ve been waiting impatiently for the fourth
book in what’s come to be known as the Mordecai Young
series, (THICKER THAN
WATER, COLDER
THAN ICE,
DARKER THAN MIDNIGHT) will finally be written.
Dawn’s story is finally under contract. And while the
editors and I still have to work out which books come in
which order under this new deal, we should know within
another month or so when you can expect Dawn’s story.
Yay!
 This
deal couldn’t have come at a better time for me, as it’s
going to enable me to pay off the debts I’ve piled up
since the fire and other life changes, while at the same
time, allowing me to continue working with MIRA and my
fabulous editor there, Leslie Wainger. I’m extremely
overjoyed.
 Now
I have a note for my Australian readers, who’ve been
emailing me, one at a time, but in tremendous numbers
for the last week or so. It seems
LOVER’S BITE must have
just recently made its way Down Under. And inside,
there’s a list of the entire vamp series to date. That
list includes “Before Blue Twilight” and everyone has
been asking where to find that book. Well, the answer
is, it’s not a book, never was. It was an online read
that we only available at
eharlequin.com.
It was posted just prior to the release of
BLUE TWILIGHT (the
novel) and was more or less a super-prologue, telling
the story of Vlad’s distant past. I don’t know if it
can still be found on the
eharlequin site, or if not, whether it will ever be
re-released, or whether Harlequin.AU might post it on
theirs. I hope so. But if not, please be assured that
you don’t need that bit of story to enjoy the rest of
the series. It was an extra piece, and you won’t miss
any vital bits of storyline by missing it.
 Okay,
onward. I suppose this is where I post a Serenity
Rising progress report. It’s still moving very slowly.
Last update I think I told you the spackling “crew” had
arrived. One guy. But he quit after his first visit,
and the company doing the rest of the work sent their
own guys out to do the job. So far, the upstairs is
done, and they’ve begun painting the ceilings. The
downstairs still needs a couple more coats of “mud,”
before it can be painted.
And once the painting is
done, kitchen cabinets, countertop, appliances, flooring
downstairs, and carpeting upstairs, and finally trim
will be next in line, and I have no idea of the order.
I know there’s more electrical work to be done, lighting
fixtures to be installed. I know the security company
needs to come back out and finish re-installing the
alarm systems. I know the plumber needs to come out and
put in new baseboard heating thingies and turn the water
on that feeds them. And turn it on in the upstairs
bathroom too. And someone needs to install thermostats.
There’s still so much to
be done. But I’m focusing on what’s been done already,
and on every little step forward, and so looking forward
to the end result. I think maybe, by the end of August,
I’ll have my house back and be buying furniture to fill
it. And thanks to MIRA, I might not have to settle for
a few beanbag chairs and some overturned milk crates, as
I had begun to fear. =)
Dozer is still thriving
and growing like you would not believe. I don’t know
his weight, because I can’t pick him up to stand on the
scales, and he’s in between vet visits--but he’s huge,
and six months old now, and madly in love with a
green-eyed blonde. You see, when I spend so much time
at my daughter’s, he goes with me. And they have a
yellow lab who is also six months old. Her name is
Chloe, and my Dozer is thoroughly smitten. They race
and run and play together 99% of the time. And 1% of
the time, they lie down to rest, with their forelegs
wrapped around each other, nuzzling necks and nibbling
ears until they get up to play again. It’s just about
the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. Though I have to
keep a close eye on them, because neither has been
“fixed” yet. Ah, love. Isn’t it the best? And my
personal opinion is that a litter of hybrid “Mastadors”
(as I would call Mastiff/Labrador puppies) wouldn’t be
the worst thing in the world. I could start a whole new
breed!
Okay, I’m trying to get
all my news into this update, so let me add this note.
I’ve withdrawn from participating in the Witchychicks
group blog. With all the added demands on my time, of
late, it was just one thing too many for me to manage.
And I think one group blog is enough, and I’m still over
at
Storybroads, so it’s all good.
I wish I had pics to post
with this, but alas, no time. However, I fully intend
to grab some shots of Dozer and Chloe together, and
really, I might even have house pictures that show more
progress soon. Colors on the walls would be nice, yes?
Our summer of fitness
challenges is still going on over on my Health and
Fitness email group, so join in if you want a
challenge. We’re in the middle of our 30 for 30
Challenge now; 30 minutes of exercise every day for 30
consecutive days. We’re giving away great prizes at the
end, and we’ll begin a new challenge as soon as this one
wraps up. (Oh, all right, I might give them a day or
two off first.) We’ll announce the next challenge here
at the next update (around August 1st,) so
stay tuned.
And remember, we’re all
creating our own reality with every thought we think.
If something you’re focused on feels bad to you, or
brings you pain, and you keep focusing on it, you block
out all the good things waiting to manifest in your
life, and invite in only more of the bad. The more time
you spend in joy, the faster that invisible genie will
begin granting your wishes. Being happy is like rubbing
that magick lamp, and setting your personal Genie
loose. I’ve been living it this past few weeks, and I
promise it’s true.
Find reasons be happy, no
matter what’s happening around you. And before you know
it, the outside will come into alignment with your inner
joy!
Until next time,
Maggie
Previous Newsletters
Maggie’s Feel-Good Websites:
www.hayhouseradio.com
www.abraham-hicks.com
www.effortlesshealing.com
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