11/30/11
Now that the school play and Thanksgiving are over I will allow myself to start thinking about Christmas. So much decorating and shopping to do. I’ll admit, though, that with my current addiction to pinterest some thoughts of Christmas did sneak into my mind early. I found a few ideas for some gifts I wanted to make for Christmas. Now, I’ve always been crafty. It’s in my DNA, I think. My grandmother could sew like a pro, and she taught me to sew when I was young. (I’m nowhere near as good as she was.) She also taught me to embroider. Mom and I used to make plaster of paris Christmas ornaments, Dad and I used to do leather-work. I learned to knit, crochet, macrame, and do counted cross-stitch before I was out of middle school. Is it any wonder I’m finding myself itching to create my own gifts? So last night I started on my first one. It seemed so simple. Read the rest of this entry »
11/7/11
So it’s Muse Monday, I’m seven days into NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writers Month), and my muse has flown the coop. I don’t really blame her. I’d leave, too, if I could. Sometimes I look forward to a time when I don’t have the kids to keep up with, but then I feel guilty because I know I’ll miss them when they are grown and gone. Mom guilt, there’s nothing like it. 
Anyway, I’m in the mood to talk about inspiration and ideas. I could use some to get my current book going again and since my GPS doesn’t list the idea store I thought we could discuss how writers come up with the ideas for their books. Read the rest of this entry »
09/1/11
Today is my anniversary. 21 years. How do we do it? Heck if I know! We laugh, we talk, we agree, we disagree, we spend time together, we spend time apart. As far as I know we’re just regular people. I’m definitely not going to try to tell anyone how to have a successful marriage. As far as I’m concerned I’m very lucky. I am married to a wonderful, caring, romantic man. Yes, I said he was romantic. But what do I mean by that? What is romance, exactly? Is it all chocolates and roses? Fine dining and wine? It might be to some people, but not to me. To me, romance is Read the rest of this entry »
07/27/11
Today is Wacky Wednesday on the blog, a day to let loose and have a little fun. I don’t know about you,but I could use a little pick-me-up. How about some mancandy to get the day off to a good start?
07/22/11
Ann G is the winner of Angels’ Blood. Ann, e-mail me at triciafields at gmail dot com with your snail mail address and I’ll send your book to you.
Have you ever read a book that was so good you knew you’d have to read it again? And again? I have. I have an entire shelf of books like that, my keeper shelf. Many of these books I’ve read 2, 3, 4, or more times. Let me tell you about one of the latest additions to my keeper shelf. Do you know Nalini Singh? Have you read her Guild Hunter Series? It’s a fabulous series and one lucky commenter will win a copy of the first book in the series, Angels’ Blood.
06/23/11
Tuesday the news reported that Apple Macintosh computers had been attacked by some vicious malware software, something that they weren’t prepared for. They weren’t prepared for such an attack because until recently Macs have been virtually free from virus and malware attacks. Read the rest of this entry »
06/13/11
Technology and gadgets, love ‘em or hate ‘em?
I love all things technical. All manner of gadgets and geehaws, if something new hits the market, I might not have it, but I probably wish I did! When my daughter was born, 16 years ago, I found I couldn’t remember anything anymore. My solution was to get a PDA. I got a Handspring Visor 
. It was great! I came to rely on it for everything. I ran on a Palm platform and you wouldn’t believe the software I could download for it! With this little portable gadget, I never forgot anything again. Read the rest of this entry »
04/26/11
Today we welcome award winning author Trish Milburn/Tricia Mills to The Muse. Trish Milburn writes adult fiction and her alter-ego, Tricia Mills, writes Young Adult fiction. When she’s not penning novels, or taking care of her duties as an RWA board member, she can be found on one of her numerous blogs, encouraging other writers, or on Healthy Writer, where she and several friends offer advice and support for writers or anyone with a sedentary career.
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? How long have you been writing? Do you have any favorite authors who inspired you?
I live in Nashville now, but I’m originally from a small town in Kentucky. I began writing book-length fiction when I was in college at Murray State in the early ’90s, but didn’t get really serious about it and start submitting until after I moved to Nashville and helped found Music City Romance Writers in the mid ’90s. I have so many favorite authors and books that it’s impossible to narrow it down too much. I like to read widely and be inspired by different kinds of stories — romance, young adult, urban fantasy, mystery.
What genres do you write?
I write contemporary romance for Harlequin American, have published two contemporary young adult novels with Razorbill (part of Penguin), and recently self-published a women’s fiction novel titled Living in Color. I’ve had a good month because I sold a paranormal young adult series to a small publisher and also just sold a vampire story to Harlequin Nocturne. I love reading and writing paranormal stories, so I’ve been knocking on that door, trying to get in, for awhile. I’m thrilled to finally have sold some of my paranormal stories.
04/15/11
Ok, so it’s not enough that I’m trying to write a publishable novel. I’m about to embark on a weekend long trip with several (I think there are around 21) 15 to 18 year olds. And I’m looking forward to it. I’ll complain. I’ll talk about how the kids are driving me crazy. But I’ll love every minute of it. And let me tell you why. Read the rest of this entry »
03/25/11
Put the oxygen mask on yourself first
Lately, some of you may have noticed that I’m not getting my blog posts up on time anymore. Truth be told, I’m having a hard time getting a lot of things done that I should be able to do easily and on a regular basis. The weather is changing and with the change of seasons come more regular migraines. I’m doing my best to just make it through work. The rest of my time I spend trying to control my raging headaches.
What does this have to do with oxygen masks? That phrase has become synonymous with taking care of yourself so that you can take care of others. It makes sense. If you spend so much of yourself on taking care of others that you have nothing left for yourself, you’ll burn out. Soon you won’t be able to take care of anyone, let alone those who depend on you. You have to save some of yourself for yourself. Read the rest of this entry »
