FORTUNE & GLORY????

Current Project: Promo for STOLEN FURY
Status: Busy, busy...

I waited to see if Lisa would post today. Because of the snow, I'm figuring she got the day off. So to fill in for her, I'm going to post the link to my contest. Feel free to share it wherever you want. And play!!!! (It's fun!)

Searching for excitement and adventure? Then don't miss my FORTUNE & GLORY CONTEST in anticipation of the release of STOLEN FURY. Embark on your very own quest, partner up with a sexy treasure hunting guide and enter to win a $100 VISA gift card!



Here's all you have to do to:

Click the "Enter Today" button on the above graphic. It'll take you right to the contest page on my website. From there, follow the directions for a fun, interactive treasure hunt and a chance to win $100 on a VISA gift card. It's that easy!

Trust me, you don't want to miss this contest. Go play today!!

SATURDAY CHECK-IN

Current Project: Faith's Book
Status: Chapter Four, page 70

Well, I just hope the rest of you are doing better than I am. After another week of trials and a tribulation that included getting together with writing friends (i.e. the Xmas party), I am advancing at a snail's pace. My hope is to finish Chapter Four this weekend and then next week read from the beginning and try to recapture the energy of the first three chapters, redo four and get cracking on the rest. I'm finding it hard to concentrate and focus with all the outside pressures, but that's no excuse!!!! These pressures will likely continue in the near future and I need to learn to cope! Pep talk given.

How about you guys? Is everyone taking a seasonal hiatus or is everyone hard at work?

Release Day!

Current Project: Promo for STOLEN FURY
Status: Swamped

So in case you haven't heard yet (and how could you not????), Genene's 2nd book, FEATHERS ON THE FLOOR, releases today. Happy Release Day, Genene!

In honor of her 12 Days of Christmas Contest, which she's been running the past 12 days on her blog, I thought we'd do our own 12 Days of Christmas. What do you say? I'll start, you add in the next line.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...a copy of STOLEN FURY. (You knew that was coming, didn't you???)

Who's next?

Change

Current Project: MYSTIC TAXI
Status: Chapter Sixteen

I lay in bed this morning, wide awake but foggy-brained from getting up before the butt-crack of dawn to let the puppy out, wondering what to blog about today. There've been a lot of changes in the world lately, in the U.S. in particular, and that got me to thinking how change affects us as writers.

It's been said change is a good thing. I get a daily email from a psychic friend called "New Perspectives." Every day, it seems her message has to do with change and our response to it. Some people take change well, and others resist kicking and screaming. Today's New Perspective is: Unexpected changes ask you to be flexible and open minded. Smile when the plans change and welcome the new experiences. This is so appropriate for writers.

What's interesting about change is that you can either make it happen, or let it happen, but the one thing you really can't do is prevent it from happening. Change is inevitable, and sometimes it's good, and sometimes not so much. But it's like writing a scene in a book. Create change for your characters and see how they react, because they always will. They have to. It's human nature.

I like change. I like variety. I like to experience different things. It creates a chain of events that can only be interesting. Sameness is boring, but if my husband had his way, nothing would ever change, and then he could complain about whatever's bothering him at the moment forever. Because if he changes it, then he'll have to complain about the outcome and regret making the change in the first place. He's funny that way. I think that's why we're so good together. I adapt to anything, he adapts to almost nothing.

Gee, this was a rambling post, wasn't it? Sorry. I'm struggling through a new change in my life: the addition of a baby animal to the family. It changes everything: schedules, habits, sleep... Sigh.

So what changes have you experienced in your life recently? Have they been beneficial? Detrimental? What changes would you like to make happen for you now?

Current Project: A Killer Pinot Noir
Status: still poking along at about 8,000 words

Ack! I've be mulling over a post on POV (and the fact that my current work seems to be being written by someone with multiple personalities) for the last week, but it's all still in the nebulous stage. Between fighting fires at work and getting ready for the chapter party tonight, I think my brain has short-circuited. I'll save the POV post for next time.

For now, I'll just say, yay! party! I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to celebrating with everyone! 'Tis the season, after all. :-)

Do You Love 'Em Enough?

Current Project: Improper Pinkerton
Status: Downhill slide

How deep is your love for your hero and heroine? Is it the same for every one of them or do you struggle to feel as much love for some characters?

I hadn’t really thought about this - believing I love them all equally, after all, why else would I write their stories?

However, a close friend bought Outlaw in Petticoats, usually she calls me up the next day after purchasing one of my books and gushes over it. This time I didn’t hear from her for a couple of weeks. We had lunch this past week, and I finally brought up the subject saying my oldest thought it wasn’t as good as earlier books, but it was okay. My friend sat there a minute, then asked, “Did she say why she felt that way?” To which I responded, “No, just she liked Nanny and Gambling better.” My friend said, “It felt to me like you didn’t really love these two characters.” That took me back a second. I LOVE Zeke, writing him and getting to know him better and unfolding his character and emotions, I admit at times I struggled with Maeve. Not because I didn’t love her, because I made her too much like me and over thought her reactions to things too much as I wrote. Now while my close friend and daughter wasn’t enamored of this book, I’ve received 4’s-5’s for this book in reviews and several fan e-mails saying they loved it. But I wonder do the people closest to me and know me know my writing better than me?

So now, I sit here wondering- Did I love the characters in the ms I sent off to Harlequin enough? I used an actor I love to watch for the model for Holt in Cowboy Up and my mom sort of for the heroine in the story- so yes, if not lust (the actor) there was definitely love for the characters.

The WIP I’m working on, do I love them enough? The hero is fashioned after a football player in looks and my ideal of a straight laced U.S. Marshal and while I don’t lust after him(the heroine does) I do love a lot of his characteristics. And the heroine- I can’t help but love her do or die attitude, spontaneity, and spunk.

But am I showing them the best I can and pulling in the reader? Am I loving them enough? Just when I think I’m getting some things figured out another question/problem rears up.

Current Project:Faith's Book
Status:Page 54
How is everyone doing? Now that November has faded away, have you set new goals for yourself? Still finishing original goals? And those of you who worked hard to establish writing habits that you would like to sustain, how's it going?

After a rough start to Chapter Four, I'm hopeful that I have come to some sort of peace with my personal life and can now hunker in for the next 225 pages ("hunker in" being a relative term which in this case includes frequent trips to Albany -- my goal is to let go of the angst when I get back home.) The deadline is Feb. 15th.

Can't wait to see how everyone else is doing.

Nine Qualities Every Hero Should Have

Current Project: Untitled RS Proposal
Status: Chapter One

I've been spending a lot of time plotting out my new RS and unraveling the characters in my head. They're starting to take shape, I'm beginning to see and understand them, and their goals and motivations are sloooowly appearing through the fog. Last night, while procrastinating, I came across an article entitled 9 Attractive Qualities Women Look For In A Guy. You can read the entire article for the nitty gritty, but here's a condensed version (with my writerly interpretation and why the qualities listed are or are not important in your books):

1. Sense of Humor - This one ranks high for me. I don't write comedies by any means, but I think the ability for one character to make another character smile or laugh is important in their overall chemistry. My characters may not laugh a lot, but they definitely have their humorous moments. Let's face it, we want our books to be realistic. In real life, once the lust phase is gone, relationships with a healthy dose of humor tend to last longer than ones that don't have that humor.

2. Trustworthiness - In romances, trust is one of those traits that seems to take longest to develop (at least in my books they do). The heroine not trusting the hero makes for interesting (and fun) conflict. But in order for a relationship to really work, there has to be trust. And no happily-ever-after can happen if one character doesn't trust the other.

3. Kindness - This ranks right up there with making your hero empathetic. He may be a total ass at the beginning of the book, but he helps an old lady cross the street or he stops chasing the bad guys long enough to rescue a kitten from a tree. He shows the ability to be kind, even if he's not apparantly kind to anyone at the opening.

4. Money - I'm not totally sold on this one. Though I will admit I've never written a book about a homeless vagrant. That said, I don't think a hero has to be wealthy. But he does have to be able to support himself. We've all heard of the super rich football star or the Donald Trumps of this world. Sure, they're set for life, but do they make the best romance heroes? Depends on your spin, I guess.

5. Super Hot - This is a no-brainer. We all write romance. Our heroes are all super hot (in one way or another) already. ;)

6. Confident - Who wants a wishy-washy hero? Why do you think the alpha male still rules the romance world? Because confidence is sexy. Let me say that again in case you missed it: Confidence is seeeeeeeexy.

7. Talent & Passion - I think these go along with confidence. A hero who is passionate is going to be confident and he's going to use his talents to go after whatever's most important to him - be that answers or treasure or the heroine herself. I love brainstorming my characters' talents and passions. It's like playing God for a few precious moments.

8. Intelligent - My hubby was watching some comedy special the other day and the comedian (I don't know who) was talking about what men should look for in a woman. His advice (minus the humor)? Go for brains over looks any day. Looks change and eventually disappear. Besides, if a man has enough money (#4), he can buy a new look for his woman. But he can't buy brains. Stupid will never be anything but stupid. True, don't you think? This is why - in addition to writing super hot heroes - we need to make sure they're super smart as well. And when you write suspense of any variety, why you need to make sure your hero can ultimately outsmart your villain.

And finally...

9. Convenient - In the above article, the author mentioned this as location - does the guy live close or is he at a place in his life where he's emotionally ready for a relationship? In a romance novel the author sets this up with plot. How are you going to get your hero and heroine together? How are you going to keep them together? What plot elements are in your novel to keep the pace high so your readers want to read how and why the hero and heroine keep getting tossed back together over and over (convenience) until they don't ever want to part.

So that's the nine. Set up by the "experts". (Okay, one guy. LOL) Which one do you think is the most important trait for your hero to have and why? And what traits are missing from this list?

SHAMELESS PROMOTION

Current Project: Promoting the release of FEATHERS ON THE FLOOR on Dec. 12

Status: Special event underway at <http://feathersonthefloor.blogspot.com>

Hello to all!

Today I'm shamelessly promoting my Twelve Days of Christmas special event to celebrate the release of my next book, FEATHERS ON THE FLOOR, on December 12.

In addition to daily prizes, guest authors are stopping by at the FEATHERS blog <http://feathersonthefloor.blogspot.com> to say hello and to promote their latest releases. Here's the line-up of guest authors:

Dec. 2: Terri Reed (Harlequin Love Inspired)
www.loveinspiredauthors.com

Dec. 3: Nickie Fleming (Rogue Phoenix Press)
www.nickiefleming.com

Dec. 4: Chris Kraemer (Wings ePress, Rogue Phoenix Press)
www.celiacooper.com and www.clkraemer.com

Dec. 5: Christina F. York (Five Star, Simon & Schuster, Berkeley Jove)
www.yorkwriters.com

Dec. 6: Christine Young (Awe-Struck E-Books, Rogue Phoenix Press)
www.christineyoung.bz

Dec. 7: Minnette Meador (Resplendence Publishing)
www.minnettemeador.com

Dec. 8: Paty Jager (The Wild Rose Press)
www.patyjager.com

Dec. 9: Teri Brown (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster)
www.teribrownwrites.com

Dec. 10: Delle Jacobs (Samhain Publishing, Awe-Struck E-Books)
www.dellejacobs.com

Dec. 11: Elisabeth Naughton (Dorchester)
www.elisabethnaughton.com

I'm also running a bonus contest for those who like a challenge. The following list includes one fact about each of my guest authors. Match the fact with the correct author above. You can post your answers here on this blog--though I won't tell you if you're right or wrong until next week--or send your answers to me at if you want to enter the contest for a surprise bag of goodies. (Yes, chocolate will be included!) 

Since several of these authors are members of our chapter, this might not be much of a challenge for some of you. However, I've given you the first answer as some of you might not know this author. Other answers can be found on the Twelve Days blog as guest authors visit or on each author's Web site. 

A) Writes under two different pseudonyms (Answer: C.L. Kraemer/Celia Cooper)
B) Operates her own e-publishing company
C) Will celebrate her birthday on the day she guest blogs
D) Her debut cover was designed by a well-known artist 
E) Writes inspirational suspense
F) Has won the RWA Golden Heart three times
G) Her horse was the model for one of her book covers
H) Celebrates her 20th wedding anniversary this month
I) Lives in Belgium and knows several different languages
J) Drives a Volkswagen "Beetle"


Have fun!

Current Project:Untitled Intrigue
Status:Chapter Four, kind of


Doesn't this book look like a great Christmas gift for a writer? You can purchase it brand new at Amazon for two bucks (or used for $1.85). No, I have not gone to work for Amazon, but this is all I could find when I went looking for a cartoon of Snoopy at his typewriter.

I've mentioned before that I wrote a book while undergoing Chemotherapy. I plotted a book while my husband was having open heart surgery. During another surgery of his this summer, I finished up a proposal and two weeks ago, while sitting beside my mom's hospital bed, I figured out the synopsis for the current WIP. Last week, while my sister visited my mother in the nursing home for a few hours, I completed the current proposal, basking in the realization that I can write my way through anything.

Sister is a thousand miles away now, the long haul is upon us. Missing one day with my mother is like casting her into a fog bank and yet she forgets I've been to see her before I can even get out of the building. Yesterday we discovered the nursing home had only been giving her pain medication if she asked for it. I'm not sure how they expected a woman in such mental confusion to understand how to request it, I only now know she's been there eight days with a broken pelvis and has had one pain pill. We cleared it up and they immediately began administrating them on a regular basis and lo and behold, she's actually more cogent than she's been in over a week.

My point? I can't write. I've thought about this quite a bit and have finally decided that I could write during the other stresses because everything that could be done was being done. Things were in motion, wheels were turning, the car was speeding down the road with an able driver behind the wheel and I could retreat into my head and make up stories (though, frankly, to me, writing always seems less like making things up than relating what happened to so and so on their way to a HE.)

This time, the car is speeding down the road, but the driver is too short to see over the steering wheel. Or, the driver is drunk. Or, the road is being bombed. Pick a metaphor, it doesn't matter, the point is there is no room for retreat. I have to sit in the passenger seat with my left hand on the wheel, helping to steer, hoping to keep the tires on the road and avoid obstacles. If I'm not paying attention, things will get worse. There's no one else to take care of this matter. And while in this mode, I'm finding it very difficult to find a writing place inside my own head.

Everyone goes through these times when events and circumstances overwhelm them. Experience has taught me that I will eventually find a way to deal with my mother's needs and my own and that even if her situation never improves and turmoil becomes the new rule of the day, I will adapt. But it takes a little time and a little patience to domesticate new troubles and they sure can freeze you in your tracks when they first rear their ugly heads.

We use to end a blog like this, but within the last year or so, we usually tack on a question or two. I don't have any questions for you. My fondest wish for each of you is that you have no idea what I am talking about! However, that seems unlikely. Eli just saw her dh through a trying time, many of us have lost parents, Piper is moving -- life is in constant flux, and I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that the theme of many of my books is that things change, embrace change. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I do, it's just that I know I should.

Break Time

Current Project: STRONGER THAN BONE
Status:Big Time Revisions

The kids were home for five days. Two Thanksgivings. The tree is up. The outside lights are up. Shopping is nearly done. Time for a break.

Check for more at http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Current Project: Surviving the last week of classes.
Status: Still breathing, but it's labored and sparse.

Well I really don't want to move the Duck down. He just looks so glorious in his prominent display :) So I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

Let's hear how everyone did with NaNoWriMo! Even if you weren't participating officially, post how you did with your writing projects in November. My November was less than successful. Much less than successful.

Would anyone like to get another official challenge up and running again? We've got a writing retreat planned for the end of February. Would anyone like to set a big goal to complete by then, so then if you're going to the retreat you can start a new project? Or maybe a goal for the end of January/middle of February so there's a break worked in to start something new that weekend?

Also, a reminder that our holiday party is next week (Dec. 9) check the chapter e-mail loop for more details.

Lastly, I have a small writing prompt for you: There's a 10 x 10 room. No furniture. White walls. A single light hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. There are two individuals in the room: the Beaver and the Duck mascots. What happens?

Let's see how different our minds work :)

I'm not bragging, but....

OREGON 65 OSU 38

SATURDAY CHECK IN

/Users/alicesharpe/Desktop/alice 80x120.JPGCurrent Project: FAITH'S BOOK, Harlequin Intrigue
Status: Proposal sent

Okay, everyone, time to check in. I'm on schedule, made my deadline with five minutes to spare (before the mail went out) which was a triumph on a personal level because of the stresses of the last week. I'm afraid it's not the most coherent proposal I'v ever submitted, I can already think of things I honed in the synopsis that I missed changing in the three chapters, but hopefully my editor knows and trusts me well enough to see past the gaffes.

How is everyone else doing? Did those of you who participated in the November write-your-brains-out jamboree meet your goals?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Current Project: Mystic Taxi (steampunk urban fantasy)
Status: Page 190

1...What are you thankful for this year?

That my family is healthy, and we're all happy -- for the most part.

2...Do you have a Thanksgiving tradition?

I bring the Tofurkey.

3...Are you cooking or going somewhere for dinner?

We're going to my mother-in-law's, and one of my daughters will be there, as will my son, who's here from Colorado, and my grandson. The "women-folk" will cook together. 8^) There will be much yapping of dogs since my MIL is dogsitting for my SIL's 2 mini dauchsunds, she has 2 mini dauchsunds of her own, and my daughter is brining her german short haired pointer puppy. Oy.

4...Do you have the 'traditional' Thanksgiving dinner, or do you buck tradition with something different?

Traditional, but my husband and I don't eat turkey. We bring Tofurkey and a vegetarian gravy. I made my knock-out cranberry sauce and I'll be making steamed broccoli with cheese sauce.

5...A food you couldn't do without for the holiday?

My MIL's sweet potatoes.

6..With only a month to go before Christmas, have you started your Christmas shopping?

No. We won't be doing much gift-giving this year.

So how about everyone else? I'd love to see your answers to these questions. Have a very happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The Romance Gene

Current Project:Golden Heart Entries
Status: MAILED!!!!!!!!!!!

My paternal grandmother passed away Sunday afternoon, after a decade's long battle with Alzheimer's that stole her, the real her, from us years ago. Of all that Alzheimer's robbed her of, the loss of her ability to read was one of the cruelest. Unlike my mother's family where the library & bookseller gene mainfests shortly after birth, my father's mother came from simpler, Midwestern stock. Her house was neat and tidy, and books didn't factor into the decor at all. There were some musty books of my grandfather's in the basement, and she often had a book of inspirational sayings or a "Chicken Soup" book next to her chair. But other than this, you had to look hard to find the books in her house.

It was sheer luck that I discovered the boxes of romance novels under the guest room bed. When I spent the night, I would stay up late reading by the light of the closet. Occasionally, I would fall so in love with a book that I couldn't bear to part with it, and I would sneak it home in my overnight bag, heart pounding with guilt. I never told her that I found the books, and I lived in fear that she would clean them out before I could read them all. Once or twice I spied a romance on her nightstand table, and I would wait eagerly for that book to join the cache under the bed.

These were the best of the early Harlequins and category books--rich older men, naive young virgins, and covers festooned (thanks, Debbie!) with mustaches, walks on the beach, and Dorothy Hamill haircuts. I quickly became a connoisseur of the category novel--I knew which lines I preferred and could easily predict whether I would like a given story.

I'm sure that Grandma would much have much rather inspired a love of inspirational books, but I'm not sure I would have become a romance reader without her. My mother steered me clear of the paperback racks at the library, and the book-loving side of the family doesn't exactly embrace popular fiction. But, thanks to Grandma, I spent much of the 90's reading category books before I discovered contemporary single-title romances. I was adept at sneaking books back from the library and yard sales, and I became a good detective when visiting other relatives and homes.

Afterall, if GRANDMA had romances under HER bed, who else might have them stashed away?

Where did you find your first romance novel? Any closet readers in your family? Remember, tommorrow, as you carve that turkey, the relative you least suspect may have Nora's entire backlist in the linen closet!

The words in my head are rarely the words you'll hear me say...

Current Project: A Killer Pinot Noir
Status: 7,249 words

No, I'm not a big fat liar; I'm talking about vocabulary. The other day I was driving somewhere (can't remember where now) and noticed that there were several "For Sale" signs on a corner. The thought that popped into my head was: "Huh. That corner's festooned with real estate signs." And I realized, I would never actually say that to anyone. I'd never use the word festooned in conversation, not even with my closest friends.

I started thinking about how many times I edit myself when I speak. It isn't as though the people I know are uneducated dolts who wouldn't understand what I'm saying (far from it!), yet I'm constantly self-editing. It's an automatic reflex. I guess it's partly because I tend to play with words in my head. I think about how certain words sound and whether they mean exactly what I want them to mean, about what kind of people would use them or why people no longer talk in a particular way. But let's be honest here, it's also because I'm a big dork and tend to use uncommon words and speech patterns in my thoughts.

I love words and the way they sound. Unusual words and common; multi-syllabic and short. Onomatopoeia, melifluous, skullduggery, and translucent. Cerulean, befuddle and extemporaneous. I love words that just plain sound fun: poppycock and lamebrain, higgledypiggledy and hoopla, razzledazzle and razzmatazz. I learned to love some words as a child through reading before I'd ever heard them pronounced. (Who knew macabre really wasn't pronounced mack-a-bray? huh.) And don't get me started on foreign languages. Latin. The Romance languages. British English! What's not to love? :-)

The desire to tell a great story is ultimately why I write. But part of the joy of writing for me is being able to indulge in my love of words--words that are rattling around in my brain, but that will rarely (or never) be heard tripping from my lips. So, what about you? Do you love words, too? Have any favorite words that you'd like to share?

Writing and the Holidays

Current Project: Improper Pinkerton
Status: 56,000 words


You'd think as many hours as I've spent working on this project it would be farther than 56,000 words. My goal when the dh left for Elk camp on Friday was to write like a fiend. Well, with company coming this week, I also made a list of things to do each day in preparation for the company.

Each thing on my list took longer than I'd anticipated, and when I'd sit down to write, I'd be thinking about the next thing that needed done instead of focusing on the characters.

My goal for this project was to have this queried to agents by now. Now my goal is to have queries out the first week of January. But I'm sitting here thinking is that practical either? I have 8 extra people coming at Christmas and five of them are staying two weeks. BUT- if this was a deadline I had to meet for a publisher- I'd have not made Christmas presents, bought everything online, and told people live with the mess of my house. Which tells me, I have to start thinking like my deadlines are publishing house deadlines or I'm going to miss the train with this project because the hot button on this project will have passed.

So, if you aren't on a publisher's deadline, do you still push yourself to meet personal deadlines no matter what or do you fudge, like I'm doing and then beat yourself up? If you are on a publisher deadline, and make those deadlines, do you think you could stay to a personal deadline?

PS: I've updated my personal blog if you want to hop over and take a peek. I'm pleased that I managed to tweak a format (thank you ,Eli) and part of my writing time this past week was writing an article for the Willamette Writers. Their newsletter editor e-mailed and asked if I'd do an article on virtual tours as they'd noticed I'd been doing a lot of virtual promotion. So when it comes out in their newsletter, I'll forward it to the loop.

CHALLENGE CHECK-IN

Current Project: Faith's Book
Status: synopsis

It's been a week since we all checked in.

A lot has happened around here but as of this moment, everything seems to have settled into a dull roar. Meanwhile, while sitting in the hospital with my mom, I wrote the second half of my synopsis. It's very rough, but it's down and now I can begin the process of fine tuning it into something useful for me and something my editor can show her boss. The book isn't due until March 15th. I actually think this very long deadline, which I requested, is going to work against me as I drag my feet when the pressure is off.

How are you doing?

That Romance AHA! Moment

Current Project: Argonaut Book #2 (Currently Untitled)
Status: Plotting

As most of you already know, my hubby had back surgery last Friday. He's had chronic back pain for about three years now, with no one event triggering the pain (that either of us can pinpoint). We're convinced his back problems are a combination of things - sports, his active lifestyle, the shape of his body - long torso, etc. He's tried almost everything over the years to relieve the pain - physical therapy, pain management, a series of procedures that temporarily "masked" the pain, but never fixed the problem, and was finally at a point where he just wanted relief, no matter where it came from. A few months ago he saw a neurosurgeon at OHSU who recommended Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion - or, in layman's terms, fusing the two bottom disks in his back. Back surgery is serious stuff, and not to be taken lightly. And he went into it knowing it was his last option. I was aware of all the risks going into the surgery, as well. Had prepared myself for surgery day and everything that would come after. But Friday morning, when the DH was lying on the gurney in the pre-op chute and the surgeon came in to go through - one more time - the procedure and possible side effects and risks, I nearly lost it.

There's a moment from that day that will forever be ingrained in my head. When the surgeon looked down at my husband's left hand and said, "That's a nice ring. But you have to take it off." At that moment, the reality of the situation hit me. Here was my big, strong, fairly healthy husband, who walked into that hospital on his own, not on death's doorstep, but by choice, about to go in for a surgery that could lead to all kinds of complications and side effects, not the least of which could be loss of movement or even death. It was a heady moment for me as I watched the nursing staff wheel him out of the room to disappear around the corner. And at that moment, I was forced with nothing to do but put my faith and trust in a surgeon I'd only met once or twice and didn't know from Adam.

A three hour surgery turned into four. One hour in recovery stretched to four plus. Even though the surgeon had told me my husband had come through the procedure just fine, I worried. Around 4:30pm, after 9 hours of stress and wondering, I gave up all pretense of trying to hold it together. I ended up standing in the hallway outside his room, waiting for someone to wheel him back to me. And then, out of the blue, I thought about all those sappy AHA! romance novel moments. You know the ones...usually just after the climax, when one character is critically injured and it's at that moment that the other character realizes how much that person really means to them. Personally, I've always thought those AHA! moments were cliched and rather stupid, but standing there in that hallway, waiting, I finally got it. Those moments work because there's nothing more powerful than facing the fact life as you know it could drastically change forever without that one person who makes your world so special.

I'm happy to report the DH is now home. His ring is no longer hanging from a chain around my neck but is safely back on his finger. The drugs are starting to wear off and his snarky attitude is shining through (as evidenced by his comment this morning comparing my nursing abilities to those of Kathy Bates). And as a result, my sniveling sappiness is also wearing off, especially as I face the long road of recovery with him ahead (save me now!!!). But the reality of that AHA! moment has stayed with me, and I don't think I'll ever read a life or death AHA! romance scene the same again. I might even write one. Because you know what? They work. I know from experience.

What do you think of those life-or-death AHA! moments? Do you like them? Do you write them? And what personal AHA! moments do you draw from when you're writing?