status: I'm still jet-lagged and having a very nasty reaction to Oil of Olay Quench soap. This makes me sad since the soap does make my skin soft, but my arms and legs aren't happy. :(

I just had an epiphany about my WIP as I was fast-drafting. Some part of me knew I had all the right events in the draft so far, but another part of me knew something was totally messed up. I just didn't know exactly what.

Well, as I was working through another scene and another stilted and awkward interaction between my h/H, I realized that I had the dynamics between h/H all wrong. No wonder their romance is going nowhere more than eighty pages into the story.

Now I have to go back and toss out most of the story. Though it's going to be a lot of work to rewrite it, I'm totally excited now. Plus, I'm only on my first draft. Better now than later. :)

I :wub: my Muse.

Since August 16, I've written over sixty pages. That's a good thing. Today was hard particularly because I was tired — sleep-deprived from cat allergy, traveling, packing, etc. — and the part I was working on felt wrong and I had to stop to think it over. The blocked scene is entirely from the hero's POV, but I'm still not getting any sense of his voice or character yet. Another thing is that I'm waffling between 1st person present POV and 3nd person past POV. I'm hoping to figure it out before I finish this draft.

I'm leaving the States tomorrow, bright and early, and I plan to work on the project on my flight to Japan. Can't wait to see everyone in Japan again, including my hamsters! :)

Confidence is the weirdest thing ever. When I was in my early twenties, I was a size 4 but could never wear a bikini because I was too embarrassed at how “huge” I looked. (Because I was not a size 2…I know, I know…misguided youth!) I'm bigger now, but got myself a bikini anyway in a color I like. Figured life is too short to worry about a little bulge here and there so long as my bloodwork looks good (and it does; the doc joked that maybe I should eat more junk food or something). Besides, if anyone mocks the way I look in my new bikini, I can always feature him/her as a villain and/or a weasel in one of my stories.

Interestingly, not giving a damn about what other people think gives me more confidence and a sense of liberation. I'm not sure why I wasted so much of my youth worrying about fitting in. Guess it was just part of the growing up process.

On the writing front, I started the first draft of my new WIP. Much to May's surprise, I'm pantsing this draft. I've never really pantsed. Everything I've written had a clear outline, but I figured why not? Maybe I'll do better this way. I'll never know unless I try.

Oh BTW — Amazon is selling Altec Lansing UHP336 earphones for less than $40 which I think is a great price. I love the clarity and the beautiful sound. I can hear everything, every little base note, the cellos, etc. (I'm a very aural person, and I love listening to music when I write, etc.) The only bad thing is that it highlighted how inadequate iPods are for playing music. The earphone is very sensitive so it picks up every hiss, etc. from your audio unit (should you have a crappy one), and iPods produce the worst static and hiss. (Naturally, you won't notice anything if you use the meh “earbuds” that come with your iPods.) What a disappointment. iPod Touch was the worst even if the wifi off. So if I want to listen to music on it, I'm stuck with earbuds.

P.S. I googled the problem, thinking that maybe it was just my earphones, but actually a lot of audiophiles have noticed the same issue. *sigh*

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Fictionwise is having a huge anniversary sale right now. If you've been planning to get some stuff there, do so soon.

In case you're wondering, yes, I bought some books — fourteen to be exact. They include Claudia Gray's Stargazer and Jim Butcher's Turn Coat. The latest Dresden Files is out in HC only, and Fictionwise was selling it for only $10 plus whatever discounts / rebates / promo it's having, so I couldn't resist. :) Besides I adore Harry.

Last night, I stayed up late brainstorming with May. I have the characters and basic dynamics among them, but I don't have all the plot threads or GMC to make everything work. May was helpful and totally hilarious. I think she's overly obsessed with hell, the apocalypse and the utter destruction of mankind these days. I'm going to spend several more days on plotting and see how everything comes together before starting a detailed scene-by-scene outline.

For your listening pleasure, here's the music that inspired the opening scene of the new project, which I'm calling “Eve Clare Project” until I have a suitable title. (It used to be called Nine but I don't think that works anymore.)

Check out my author interview and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Devil Falls!

FYI — I published Devil Falls under another name. :)

Remember my hiatus? Well…I lied. :oops:

Or more like…I decided to put up an update and news. (In case you're wondering, I'm about 50% done with the current draft, and Agent has the first three chapters.)

First, fellow Divas just signed with agents. I know it's so discouraging, esp. with the recession and all, but hang in there. If you believe in your writing, don't give up! (BTW — the newly agented ladies are Madelynne Ellis and Jeannie Lin. Please go congratulate them. :) )

Second, my alter ego Angelle Trieste‘s Devil Falls received another great review. Romance Junkies' Noelle wrote:

An entertaining cast of secondary characters, an inspiring story of personal growth, several surprising revelations, and an ending that will bring tears to your eyes round out this excellent story of perseverance, second chances, and a love that can conquer anything.

You can read the full review here.