irrelevant (and sometimes questionable) ramblings

One more day!

One more day and then the Offspring will be edumacated for several hours every day, and the house will be quiet and peaceful!

I really can’t wait.

Perhaps it’s psychological, but it also feels like autumn. The air yesterday had that crisp coolness to it that only comes in fall (minus the hint of woodsmoke that I love, but that’s okay). The next two weeks are supposed to be comfortable (mid-20s Celsius) but no more heat (not that we actually *had* any, anyway. )

It also doesn’t hurt that we’ve done our fall registrations for extracurricular activities, as well. Nothing says “Autumn” like signing up for things!

I actually like this time of year in general. I’m looking forward to what can be done over this school year. Time to buckle down and get to work!

< / little mary sunshine >

Hehehe.

I can’t wait until the Offspring goes back to school on September 1st.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore my child, but trying to get anything productive done around the house when she’s at home is nigh impossible. (Hence the lack of blog posts, as well!)

I’m warming up my fingers in preparation. It’ll be time to get back to the books as well as get back to blogging. I also plan to apply for some grant money from the Canuckian Government so as to supplement my trickle of a writing income, and I’ll have to get started on filling out that paperwork and gathering all my additional materials.

That, and well, I’d like to spend a bit of time each day perhaps emptying a box or two. That’ll also be easier once our basement renovations are complete. I could unpack books and CDs and things like that, and once all of our new IKEA furniture is assembled, I can start filling it with our neverending stuff. Whee!

Anyway. All that to say that work will begin in earnest (poor guy! Hehe. Little joke, there…) within the next few days. Yahoo!

(With apologies to Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey)

Summer Gallivantin’,
Had me a blast
Summer Gallivantin’,
Happened so fast!

With some girls,
Perfectly sweet!
And a boy,
Cute as can be!

Summer days
Driftin’ away
Whoa-oh
No more summer delights.

Yeah, yeah. I know. I shouldn’t give up my day job. However, per my take on the song, our summer is winding down. This final vacation Clan Starr is on is almost over, and soon school will be starting for the Offspring. Hard to believe it’s gone. Especially since the weather certainly didn’t co-operate. Oh, well. There’s always next year!

Anyhoo. I’m off. Catch you on the flip side, gang!

We here at Starr Enterprises are pleased to have joined the twenty-first century for this contest. B.E., resident science geek, has used a Mersenne Twister Random Number Generator (don’t ask, I couldn’t explain it to you even if I tried) to come up with our latest contest winner!

And the winner of the book and candy is….

(more…)

My buddy Kate Rothwell is also having a contest! Hers includes an actual gift certificate, too! Go check it out, ok?

Hiya gang — I’m sorry I’ve been absent again, but I wanted to keep the contest post highly visible. Besides that, we’ve been oot and aboot, as we Canucks supposedly say! I have a living room/dining room full of new IKEA furniture, and I once again have a step-Offspring temporarily under our roof.

And that’s not even going into the story about the Offspring and our wee ride to the hospital in an ambulance.

Not a fun Sunday.

(She is fine, nothing major. Just a wee panicked moment, and paramedics who thought it best to be thorough and get her officially checked out. It’s all good.)

Anyhoo. I am too pooped to peep, as they say, so I’m outta here. See you guys later, ok?

In celebration of the release of Sweet Tart, I’m holding a contest!

The prize consists of a autographed print copy of Shrink Wrap, the uber-fun trilogy written by myself, Summer Devon and Lyn Cash, as well as a whole whack-load of… you guessed it… candy! (*Basket and flowers not included, sorry! )
You get a mix of fun-size packages of Skittles, Sour Skittles, Starburst, and Starburst Sweet or Sour?, thirty-five of them in all! (Please note I cannot guarantee peanut-free products. If there is any question and you are the prizewinner, please do not consume!)

So — the RULES.

1. Post a comment on this blog entry with the words “I want candy!”
2. Positively promoting this contest on your own blog or other internet space gives you another entry into the contest for each separate promotion. Simply post links to each different place in the comment tail for me to check.
3. The contest closes at 11:59 PM, Eastern time, Wednesday, August 19, 2009.
4. The winner will be chosen by random draw on Thursday, August 20, 2009.
5. Please, one post per person, unless you are promoting the contest elsewhere.

Thanks! And Good Luck!!

There is quite a bit of anticipation involved in waiting for a book to be released. Then it is, and suddenly, it’s almost like “was that it?”. I’m not complaining by any means — I’m thrilled to bits to have SWEET TART out there — but life just seems to go on, doesn’t it?

I mean, it’s back to laundry today, and vaccuming, and grocery shopping, and prepping for the Pater’s birthday BBQ tomorrow… not exactly life-changing activities, huh? Just the normal, day-to-day stuff that makes the world go ’round.

And of course, it’s on to the next book. I’ve got to finish Higher Learning, and I’m going to take a good hard look at Pumped and revise it to resubmit. Then there are the other ideas that keep floating around, like the romcom, and the urban fantasy/para/whatever it is story. Too many stories, and not enough time!

Anyway. C’est la vie. We do what we can, right?

In the meantime, I’ll be back a little later today to post a fun contest to celebrate the release of SWEET TART. C’mon back now, y’hear?

First of all, welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

Now, I think some of you are probably becoming frustrated by the redirect established on my website pages, and I apologize for that. I did that because the site is woefully out of date, and because any and all information you might need is available via the Blog. The website will get a full redo at some point in the future, but for now, consider the Blog your friend!

Thanks for your patience. If you have any questions, contact me. (Email is in the upper right corner of this Blog page.)

SWEET TART, by yours truly!

Available now!

W00T! W00T! W00T!

Coming next: a contest just to stir up excitement around here!

I know I’m not the only one with bated breath… I wish I knew exactly when Ellora’s Cave releases the new titles. I’ve just checked again, and as of this writing (9:30 Eastern time), the new releases are not yet live.

Anyhoo. I will keep checking back and will let you all know the moment SWEET TART is available for purchase!

Not only that — come back later for a contest announcement!! Whee!!