Amy Ruttan

I was so excited to learn that Hard Candy, Madonna’s new cd, was released today.

I am OBSESSED with the new song 4 minutes. I love it. I hope when I’m fifty I look as good and move as good as Madonna. You know what the bonus is (I know how can their be a bonus with Madonna), well Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.

Guess what I’ve been listening to all afternoon. It’s interesting to write a historical with Madonna, Timbaland and Timberlake in the background; but whatever, it works. Ok I’m off to listen to 4 Minutes again, over and over and over. Also Kanye West is on here in a song called Beat Goes On, I haven’t listened to it yet, but I am a major fan of Kanye.

Enjoy the video, as I said I hope I look as good and move as good as she does at Fifty. She’s break dancing in whore boots! I adore her.

I think I’ve been tagged for this before and I think everyone in blogdom has been tagged.

 So I’m going to do it, because I need some diversion from my current WIP which I am steadily working at right at the moment. Also I have a huge paper cut between my index and middle finger which is driving me crazy.

 Not that, that has anything to do with my the 7 things meme I just thought I would add it.

Ahem *throat clearing* Seven Random Things:

1. I have such an eclectic taste in music. I love it all. Right now my faves happen to be Timbaland, Kayne West and Within Temptation. I have a huge music list I listen to over and over again when I’m writing.

2. When I have a shower I listen to Timbaland shock value. *Blushing* I like to rap in the shower. My favorite song to sing is Give it To Me or Bombay from the Shock value cd.

3. I am shy, and if pressed to speak in front of a crowd I will hyperventilate on you and pass out.

4. I am a Trekkie. Not to the point of William Shatner reeming me out at a convention (see you tube post below for one of the funniest SNL bits, sans the recruitment for the role playing game. LOL!); but I am obsessed with my Trek. Voyager is my favorite. I loved their quest. Exploring the unknown for real and struggling to survive 60,000 light years from home and in Borg territory.

5. My brain candy book, meaning the books I read for sheet relaxation and brain candy is any Connie Mason. Man, her books are enjoyable.

6. I’d rather have a bag of potato chips or a bowl of pasta over chocolate.

7. I have one vice, Diet Coke, and I’m not giving it up. Nope never.

And a bonus: A cheap drunk. It doesn’t take me long. San Francisco here I come.

So with the writer strike over my favorite show has finally returned The Office.

I’m worried though, because Jim and Pam finally got together this season, my worry, I know how American TV operates.

They are going to break up Jim and Pam … in envitable. My example every Soap Opera, Friends, and I’m fearing the same outcome for Sex and The City. Big and Carrie or Miranda and Steve (which I won’t be able to handle).

 This is why I like romance. Sure the characters have their black moment but they don’t mess around with other people. See above for examples of messing around. Plus the characters always get back together again and have their Happily Ever After. A good writer will make the reader think that they won’t though that’s the niche. I’ve come close to throwing books at the wall thinking characters wouldn’t get together. I almost did in JR Ward’s latest. Although I wasn’t satisfied with the outcome Vishous still got his “HEA”.

Anyways, I’m worried that Jim and Pam will break up and they will boink other people for awhile and I can tell you if that happens they’ve lost this fan.

I’ve been thinking about the black moment alot recently. My black momen is about to happen in my current WIP; so I’ve been accentuating the negative recently.

How do you feel about HEA? Have any good HEA’s you want to share for this poor soul stuck in the black moment. PLEASE!!

Oh yes, I found my groove thang last night. The last couple of weeks I had been struggling, and I mean struggling to get the words out. It would feel like I wrote thousands upon thousands of words only to discover that I wrote like three. LOL!! Well, not THAT extreme.

I found my groove last night. My hero has been in a horrible bloody war. A war that still gives him nightmares. In the company of a party he is requested to tell about his battle. So instead of using dialogue I had him describe in a narrative what was going through his mind.

He was speaking to the other characters; but to the reader it was more in depth. Instead of a long winded speech the reader is taken to his memories. The smells, the tastes, feeling his fear … how he waits to die.

I end it when he realizes that the only thing that got him through was the memories of the heroine; but he keeps that to himself and realizes that the room is silent and everyone is hanging on his every word. Looking up he only see’s the heroine’s eyes full of tears.

Of course I wanted to hit 3,000 words last night. I only managed about 2200 give or take. It’s because of the depth of the description. I actually had to put myself as a writer right there on a battlefield with a Zulu spear sticking out of me, waiting for death.

It was an interesting excercise to say the least and it got my groove thang back. Which is very important I finish this project by May 15 or I don’t get anymore ice cream. It’s a bet me and Christine made. Finish our current projects or no ice cream.

Oh yes, I am going to finish and then I’m going to get me a giant ice cream cake and eat it all by myself. Muwahahahaha.

Got any goals? Need motiviation? How are my fellow sweaters doing?

I’ve been having internet issues. Grrrr.

So this is long overdue.

The winners of the my April Newsletter contest are:

Virgina H: Who wins a Fox’s Bride Mug

Jane V: Who wins a Book tote bag

Eva S: who wins a T-shirt!!

Congrats! Email me with your address on where I can send your loot at ruttanamy @ gmail dot com (no spaces).

I’ll try to get to blogs in a few days on my lunch at work when my internet won’t be so screwy louey. I’ve got to fly right now. Got to get my May newsletter ready.

Sign up by April 30th for a chance to win an E-book copy of Love Thy Neighbor and Fox’s Bride which are both being released in May. I’ll announce the winners in my May 1st Newsletter.

I’m also doing a contest with my Six Degrees of Sexy Sisters. I’ll give you more details later.

That’s the card that greeted me this morning from one of my coworkers who is only 22. HATE HER!! LOL!

 She got me an Oil of Oil firming mask.

She’s soooo getting Barney sheets on her birthday.

I’ve passed the mark. At ll:54 a.m. EST I turned 30. Sigh. So I did a Hump day Hunk post at SDoS and I’ll hear no complaints to it. It was my birthday and I’ll post Dr. Who if I want too.

 Happy Wednesday.

Yes that was my reaction. I’ve never been surprised. You know truly and absolutely surprised, but I was this weekend.

I went to the TRW for my montly meeting not knowing there were conspiracies afoot behind my back. Now, usually after a meeting I get to chat with my friends like Wylie and Leah. After the meeting I went to talk to Leah … but she had mysteriously disappeared. So I saw Wylie.

“Hey are you going or –”

“Yeah yeah got to go, talk later.” She runs out in her short self. (I’m a giant btw)

“Ok.”

Now I knew that I had Christine caught, she travelled with me. So I went out the room into the hall and Christine is whispering with Natalie. I head over and things get awkward. Christine and Natalie looking askance. Natalie says “Ok … um well bye then.”

Michelle, Bonnie and Laurie lingering before some odd looks and “See you later Amy.”

Here I am thinking WHAT DID I DO???

Now usually Christine and I scoot out of a meeting pretty fast. We come from a long way away.

“So you want to go to Milestone for a drink?” My DH suggests. I look at Christine.

“Sure,”

“Ok.” I say though I’m kinda bummed that no one else could come, (I LOVE you C) I love when we all get together as a group. So we head over to Milestones, I walk in and there’s everyone milling about.

“SURPRISE!!!” Instead of me reacting, cause I am a goof, I point at Wylie.

“You said that you had some where to go.”

“SURPRISE!!” They say again.

“Huh?? Wait … what me?”

“SURPRISE!!”

“HOLY CATS!!!”

Yes, I was a little slow on the take. I had a great time. Bonnie wrote me a wonderful song, and a John Barrowman book from Christine. SCORE!!! Apprentice Writer the mysterious M (though not mysterious to me) gave me flowers, saying something about flowers that wouldn’t die because there potted. Oh M … I kill grass. LOL!! No they are doing well and I plan on nuturing them fully.

It was a great surprise 30th birthday. From what I remember. I had some drinks … I don’t remember much of dinner and apparently after dinner when we were walking back to the parking garage underground Toronto Christine told me I tried to go up a down escalator and had issues doing up the buttons on my sweater. *sigh*

But it was wonderful, one of the best spending it with people that mean so much to me. I wish all my blog buddies would have been there. We have San Francisco.

Here’s a couple of picturse, graciously taken by Leah.

I try to explain this to people, it’s my children’s latest obsession. There’s no way to explain this freaky show other than to show you so you know … I wasn’t kidding.

Yep I got word this morning that Cerridwen Press is now releasing Fox’s Bride on MAY 29, 2008!!!

 Holy Cats! That’s coming up fast. So May I have two releases Oh Yum Love Thy Neighbor tentatively on May 22, from Ellora’s Cave and Fox’s Bride on May 29, from Cerridwen Press.

So much promo to do … so little time.

I’ve decided enoughs enough! Today I am dejunking and cleaning the house. Time to wash away winter and greet spring.

Also I’ve been cross stitching a lot lately and it’s gives my hand a bit of a break. In a few minutes I am going to crank Timbaland and attack my house.

Later … I’m going to attack my writing projects. Lots to write. Lots and lots. I’m trying my hand at humorous paranormal. Most people tell me I’m funny or a nut or as Christine D’abo usually refers to me GOOSE. I thought maybe writing humorous would be easy. Oy veh but it’s not. That has to be the hardest thing to do, writing funny.

First it has to be a humor that would appeal to most and it’s not just telling jokes, like for example:

These two nuns were driving in Transylvania and this great big scary vampire leapt out in front of their car. One nun turns to the other nun and says “Quick show him your cross.” So the other nun nods rolls down the car window and says “Get out of the way you great big toothy git.” Badum Ching.

A novel with GMC and stuff wouldn’t make sense it was just a succesion of jokes. I’m trying to channel my goosey self into my character; it also helps that I made her someone who can talk to ghosts and she just happens to have two Jewish old lady ghosts who won’t leave her alone. Dinah and Faye can do whatever they want. They’re kooks.

It’s funny I said to another author on line, geez writing funnier is harder than writing erotica, when it should be the other way around. Wink wink nudge nudge.

I’ll stop my yammering for now. I’m going to keep plugging and then run it past my usual eyes to see if I can get a laugh out of them. If I hear crickets and see tumbleweeds roll by I know that I’ll stick to the straight romance.