* 7 pp – Complete next installment of MIK-7 (vampire erotica) by 5th
* 25 pp – Complete short story for the Mammoth Book project (vampire
romance from the MIK world) by the 15th
* 60 pp – Complete 1/2 of novella (crazy erotica) for Zane by the 26th

I completed my Texas anthology on the 18th of February, but have written maybe two pages since. After slamming for three weeks, my body needed time to recoup, and my imagination needed to get some serious veggie time.

Today’s supposed to be BIC (butt in chair) day for me, but I’m babysitting a sick three-year-old. That pretty much means I’ll have to slam again come Monday to catch up to my schedule.

Whoa…that makes me sound so organized, so disciplined. But I’m really not. I have this spreadsheet I borrowed from Monica Burns that tells you how many pages you need to write to complete a work by deadline, and that scares the crap out of me when I see the daily number creep up. I use fear as an incentive to sit my butt in a chair and write.

Fear is an excellent motivator for me. So is competition. Every now and then I’ll roam my favorite authors’ websites and look at their “deal news” and get green with envy and very dissatisfied with my own progress. A buddy of mine, Kimberly Kaye Terry, beats me up about that on occasion. But I just can’t help it. Besides, it does help keep me jazzed about writing, and keeps me from getting too complacent with what I have accomplished. A little competitive jealousy can’t be a bad thing if I use it rather than let it paralyze me, right?

So I have this list of three things to accomplish this month. As always happens, I have another project that’s calling my name, wanting me to jump straight to it, but here’s where the big girl panties get tugged so high I can clamp them under my armpits. First things, first. ~DD

I love it when I’m in the groove. When ideas seem to flash like lightning bugs in a summer night.

For the past few months, writing has been work. “Work” being a four-letter word.

I trudged through the last Avon story, forced out another paranormal for Ellora’s Cave, then had to immediately dive into a three-part single title that’s due like yesterday. Really.

Good news is I think I’ve found my groove again. Pages have been coming the past few days the way they used to–complete scenes rolling like a film reel through my head, snippets of dialogue whispered into my ear by an unseen muse. I thought he’d deserted me.

Yeah, I think mine’s male. Grumpy, sometimes unmotivated and lazy. But ssssssmokin’ when he’s “on.” He was particularly horny today. Whew! Helps when he’s in the mood. I don’t have to work so hard. I just lie there…well sit here, actually…hands poised above the keys, waiting for him to come.

Afterwards, I escape outside for a cigarette, replay the scene in my head, decide if he’s too blue for Prime Time, and then head back for more. When he’s good, I’m insatiable! I think he likes cowboys–must be the big brass belt. I know I like finding what it hides when I peel open the belt, unsnap the button and slide that zipper down.

Mmm-mm. Just wrote a two-chapter love scene. Makes me edgy when I’m done. Loved sinking fingernail-deep into the long, slow ride. Maybe I’ll open up the file again and see if he’s recovered enough to go a little longer.