I watch TV in the morning when I’m on the treadmill, which I only use when I can’t do my walking outside (like now, when it’s 10 degrees and there’s ice and snow on the ground). Mostly, I channel surf until I find something that will make 40 minutes seem like 10! CNN and Good Morning America on ABC often hook me, but I don’t ever feel compelled to watch either one. If I find something good on the SciFi Channel, I’m there. Same is true of evening TV. I like the various incarnations of Law and Order, but I don’t work my schedule around any of those shows.

But there is one thing I really do try to work my schedule around: Ice Hockey, either NHL or college. I am a hockey addict. I’m sure it comes from years of watching my own kids play and being a director in a large youth hockey organization. It also helps that my home team – the Detroit Red Wings – is always a contender for the Stanley Cup, which is the year-end hockey championship (for anyone who does not ‘speak’ hockey).

My poor husband has no interest in watching sports on TV, even though he played college hockey. So I’m usually all alone in the family room, cheering on my team as they work their way into first place in their division. All that changes when it’s play-off time. Then he joins me for about the 15 or 20 minutes of every game, or sometimes we meet friends and go to a local sports bar to watch. He’s more social than sports-interested.

But hockey is …well, I guess basketball, too, but only the play-offs … are my favorites. Forget about football and baseball – yuck.

I loved reading the addictions posts, and still need to respond to all of them (on vacation, limited Internet time, *Anne gets the shakes*).

TV confessions…I have a thing for reality TV — Survivor, The Apprentice and American Idol. I used to have a Buffy/Angel fixation and mourned the loss of both. Same is true for La Femme Nikita, the first show that I ever watched from week to week with anticipation. Most days will find me watching The Daily Show and/or Colbert Report (excuse me, Reporrr) during dinner or occasionally later at night, but TV in general just doesn’t do it for me like the Internet. I suppose it is the reading thing. I love to read. And I can find all kinds of things on the Internet to wet my whistle or mix my metaphors.

My two biggest addictions are crafts and the aformentioned Internet. And there is nothing better than combining them and looking up crafts on the Internet. Also, I have this weird fascination with HGTV which has plenty of shows for finding new crafts and ideas (and then looking them up on the Internet, of course). If I couch potato (rare), it is either Comedy Central or HGTV I default to.

I just saw this great “That’s Clever” on HGTV that had a lady making papier mache clay bees on stands (animate bees, like the Russ Tweet birds). I sang the first few bars of Hallelujah and decided to get myself the supplies at the earliest opportunity (read: after I finish the book I’m working on…and even then I’ll be thinking about the darn craft the whole time I’m not writing). Why?? Why do I do this? I can’t tell you. My family sure can’t tell you. I’ve picked up so many different crafts over the years — quilting, sewing, paper crafts, pottery, painting, stained glass, jewelry, collage, knitting…and that’s not counting the one-offs like soap making. Some of them stick for the long run, and others are pleasant to pick up every now and again. What I need is a big workshop with lots of room and plenty of tools. Something around a thousand square feet will do, don’t you think?

And I’m hankering to make bronzes. I’ve always wanted to try it. Help. I need help. Any advice for staving off the, “ooh, ooh, I’ve gotta try it!” demon would be greatly appreciated.

I somehow have gone almost cold turkey on the Internet for the last week, and will continue for the next week or two due to family and vacation. I’m getting the shakes again just thinking about it. Better grab some pliers and make a piece of jewelry for my Mom in order to take the edge off.

Kidding, of course, but sometimes I do give in a little to manage an urge until I can satisfy it (maybe I make a small 15 minute piece of jewelry instead of a four hour one, or watch the last five minutes of a taped show instead of all two hours). Sometimes that is all I need in order to focus on more important things. How do you manage the shakes with your own quirky addictions?

The other night I was in a reflective mood, and realized this has been the most amazing year of my life. That’s not just hyperbole – two very big dreams, very important dreams, came true for me this year.

Dream one, my first novel was published. Great reviews (mostly) and my editor is “very happy” with the sales figures. Which means my agent is very happy, also. She and I are especially happy about our first foreign sale.

Dream two, my husband joined the church this spring, and is undergoing some mild personality changes, all for the better – he’s much more at peace, and almost outgoing (gasp!) at times. This new level of spirituality has added a wonderful new dimension to our relationship. Our 20th wedding anniversary is just a few weeks away.

There were some downs to balance the ups — my mom was diagnosed with cancer, but it’s a treatable variety, and after a rough nine months of chemo and radiation, she’s on her way to a full recovery (minus some body parts she said she didn’t need at her age, anyway).

I sold two more books, banishing my fear of being a one-book-wonder. Despite a painful flare-up of tendonitis in both hands, I met my June 1st deadline, turning in a publishable manuscript less than five months after getting the go-ahead on a new story idea. (To understand the magnitude of this feat, you should know that my previous, and fastest, first draft took 36 months. Amazing what a contractually obligated deadline can do for one’s work ethic. And don’t underestimate the power of panic in the creative process.)

Through all these events, I found out what more of what I’m capable of, in meeting challenges in the form of deadlines and obligations, new and old. I relied heavily on faith and my support network of family and friends, especially critique partners, and received help and inspiration from some unexpected sources as well.

It’s been a roller coaster ride of a year, but then, I love roller coasters. My life has changed quite a bit since getting The Call (on December 2, 2003, 11:15 a.m.). Can’t wait to see what next year brings!

I haven’t been addicted to soaps for several years …but at one time I was a One Life to Live-General Hospital fan. But the discussion made me stop and think what television shows do I really like (or have liked in the past) and what is it about the character or story lines that keep me coming back for more.

Off the top of my head, older television series that intrigued me: The Big Valley (the illegitimate son returning to be part of the family), Starman (an alien and his son), Scarecrow and Mrs. King (a spy and a housewife teaming up), Remington Steele (a man from out of nowhere taking on an identity that had been made up). My current addictions: House (I like his crusty personality) and Prison Break (a man who isn’t just another convict).

An off-the-top analysis seems to indicate that I’m drawn to characters with secrets. Perhaps that’s why my first book for Avon (that now has a release date–June of 2007) has a woman leading two lives.

What shows are your favs? And what about that show’s plot lines and characters appeal to you?

Kim’s post yesterday gave me an idea for a post. Kim wrote about being addicted to soap operas (if you didn’t read it, do so now and then come back–it was cute!). I’m not addicted to soaps, but I am addicted to lots of other things.

The Internet
Flavored, fizzy water
Mechanical pencils
Romance novels
Making my daily writing goals
Staying organized
Making lists
Getting things done, not just on time, but EARLY

Yeah, I know. There are worse vices. There are people who are addicted to porn or drugs or the Home Shopping Network. But I promise you that my “addictions” can be just as consuming and just as annoying to the people around me.

Ask Ultimate Sportsfan. He had no problem rattling off a list of all his grievances. Number one, of course, was my addiction to the Internet. When it’s not working, he hears about it and is expected to fix the problem yesterday, even if that means going outside, digging up the cable lines, and repairing the problem himself. I am not in a good mood when the Internet is unavailable.

So what are your addictions? What can’t you live without?

Yes, that’s right. I admit it. I have found there is nothing like being between books to bring your addictions home to you in undeniable ways.

My mom started me on this road long ago, back when I was in junior high school. I was a huge fan of Santa Barbara (Cruz and Eden!) and Days of Our Lives (Patch and Kayla!) back during their “Super Couple” heydeys. And I was such a big romance fan that I couldn’t get enough of these romantic pairings. Back then, the soaps put couples together and they STAYED together. (Barring a coma or death, and sometimes even that didn’t throw a spanner in the works.) Thanks to the VCR, I never missed an episode of either show.

It wasn’t until after high school, however, that the addiction truly took hold. Due to an operation the summer after I graduated, I had to delay starting college for a semester and was ordered by my doctor to stay off my feet as much as possible. So I wound up on the couch, a helpless prisoner to the endless parade of soaps on the television. Before I knew it, Another World suckered me in and I was watching the NBC early afternoon line-up for a solid three hours every day. And then I discovered that the remote can be a powerful thing. During commercials, I would surf through the channels, and before long I was interested in what was going on with Ridge, Brooke, and Caroline on Bold and the Beautiful and Bo and Sarah on One Life to Live. I got so I was watching one soap line-up while recording the other stations for viewing later.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I managed to begin weaning myself away from all of this madness. It was made crystal clear to me that I had a problem one day after I had set one VCR to record NBC, my other VCR to record CBS, and was trying to con a friend into setting their VCR for ABC. Something had to give. After all, I had been dissatisfied with the direction of soaps for quite some time. Super couples were no more. Romances barely lasted longer than it took for a couple to wed, and the story lines had simply become too depressing for my taste. Then a little show named Passions came along, and its utter ridiculousness made me cringe. It was the only soap that I had absolutely no interest in. (Well, I DID like Luis and Sheridon, but still…) So I went cold turkey and gave up on all soaps. It wasn’t easy. I had to have my family members confiscate every blank tape I possessed so I wouldn’t be tempted to break down and record them. It took time, but I finally persevered.

Then, one day about two years ago, I was off from work and decided to check out As the World Turns. I told myself it was only ONE episode, and what could possibly happen? Well…Mike and Katie happened, and just like that I was hooked. Maybe it’s the romance writer in me, but great couples always catch my interest. And now that I have a bit of free time, I find myself captivated by Guiding Light. The Jonathan and Tammy romance had me from the point where Jon’s nasty, abusive father came to town and kidnapped Tammy, and Jon came to her rescue. Never mind the fact that these two are supposed to be cousins and I should think this is sick, sick, SICK! (I won’t go into details, people. It’s a looooong story and it really isn’t quite as sick as it sounds.) When I found myself jumping up and down when Sandy was arrested at his and Tammy’s wedding and cheering Jon on when he carried Tammy off in the JUST MARRIED car, I knew my problem had resurfaced. Suffice it to say, I’m GL obsessed now. And they’ve brought Austin and Carrie back on Days of Our Lives…

I am sending out an SOS. It’s intervention time. I told myself I would start Book Four after the holidays, but I think someone needs to kick my butt and tell me to get to work STAT!

I can’t help but begin to reflect on the past year as it comes rapidly to a close. One word immediately comes to mind – busy. But many others are just as applicable. Blessed. Change. Excitement. I could go on. This has indeed been a year of change for me, in so many ways. But we have to go back a ways to get the full impact of this year – let’s go back 2 years, to February 2004.

I was registered for a conference and had appointments with both an agent and an editor. Both of whom had recently send me rejections. Oh, and I’d received another rejection from another agent who would be attending the conference as well. So before I got on the plane, I felt defeated, and frankly ready to throw in the towel. It happens to all writers at some point in their lives. And I did quit. I went to that conference ready to return and walk away from writing. It wasn’t ever going to happen, I just didn’t have what it took.

So you can imagine my roommates enthusiasm at sharing a room with me, with my oh-so-cheerful-and-uplifting attitude. But I’d paid for the conference, so I figured I’d might as well make the best of it. Then came the keynote address by Debbie Macomber, and by the end of her talk, I was in tears. It was as if she’d come to that conference just for me. Her words reached out and grabbed my heart and shook me up. It wasn’t time to give up. There would never be a time to give up because writing was what I did. I didn’t matter how long it took to finally sell. So I dusted myself off and prepared for a new plan of attack once I got home.

The appointments went well. Everyone was excited about my new project (this would be my Ladies’ Amateur Sleuth Society which launches in March) and I got a request for revisions on the other (Courting Claudia). And then that other agent, the one I didn’t get an appointment with, but who had sent a rejection out right before the conference. I ended up sitting next to her on the plane. It had been years since I’d spoken with her and she’d been at the top of my agent wish list a long time. But she’d passed on three of my books. We talked the entire ride. A lot about family and life, but some about writing. She knew who I was and was also interested in the new series, but was still hesitant. After all, historicals weren’t selling. But she told me to keep sending her stuff and reminded me that when she liked a writer’s voice, she would often pass on projects, but request the next one.

So I went home feeling rejuvenated and hopeful. I was not quite certain I wanted to revise for that other editor, especially since she hadn’t given me any specific revision requests. Two weeks after the conference I received an e-mail from an editor at Avon requesting the full. She’d had the partial of Claudia for more than 6 months at this point and I’d pretty much given up. But then that e-mail. She said she’d loved what she’d read so far and wanted to see the whole thing. Immediately, I begin to think about what happens in chapters 4-24 that would ruin that for her. What had I done in the rest of the book that would make her not love it? Forever, the optimist, that’s me!

After a quick run-through, I mailed that sucker in and held my breath. I’d actually never had a full request from an editor before. I’d been targeting agents exclusively for years because that was what you’re told to do when you’re writing single-title, so this was new for me. Agents were quick with their responses and I’d seen my critique partner wait 17 months to hear from an editor on a full, so I put this out of my mind and went back to work. (putting it out of my mind was actually fairly easy at this point because I’d just met a man who occupied much of my mental energy. We got married this March.)

But then in June. June 14th, to be exact, my cell phone rang while I was on my lunch break from work. I noticed the caller ID and the area code – 212. 212! That’s New York!

“May I speak to Robyn?” the voice said.
“This is she.”
“Robyn, this is Kelly Harms, from Avon.” She paused. “This is “the call”.”

At this point, I made some sort of noise, still not sure what it was, but I grabbed something to write with and began jotting down all the details of the offer. My heart was racing. My mom (who was with me) began jumping up and down. And this thing that I’d worked for all those years was right there at my feet. The call was mostly a blur. I know she said nice things about my writing, but I’m not quite positive what they were. And I didn’t accept the offer right away because I wanted an agent, so I told her I’d get back to her. Yeah, as if I wouldn’t accept an offer from my dream publisher. But I played it cool.

And I called that agent. The one from the plane. We had a nice conversation and she was excited – said she’d been keeping notes on me and had wanted that book (Claudia, the one she’d previously passed on) because it was the best thing I’d written, but historicals weren’t moving and she didn’t know where she could place it. So we made our deal, she did the rest of negotiating with Kelly and by the end of the day, my dream had come true. It was surreal and I think I spent the next few months walking in a haze (the book deal and that pesky man kept me cloudy).

All this to bring us back to this year. This year. 2005. The year my first book hit bookstores and Wal-Marts across the country. The year I got to hold that book in my hand for the first time and see years of hard work come to fruition. The year I received my first reviews and my first fan letters. The year I turned in a book only 2 weeks before my wedding (ACK!). The year I did my very first booksignings. The year I got to quit my job and write full-time. The year I signed my second book contract, which ensured I’d be employed through 2007.

An exciting year, indeed. And I, for one, can’t wait to see what next year brings.

No matter how much planning is involved, there is stress in the holiday season. Finding gifts…hanging up decorations…sending cards…planning a trip…planning a family gathering…dealing with anxious children…dealing with lines…traffic…listening to the Chipmunks’ songs for the twentieth time in a row… Even if you don’t celebrate any holidays between Thanksgiving and New Years (and even if you don’t celebrate those), dealing with everyone else who is celebrating can become just as much of a stressor.

Treat yourself to a deep breath or two this holiday season. Someone cuts you in line? Take a breath – maybe they have a sick child or parent at home and they are even more stressed than you. Can’t find that perfect gift? Close your eyes and breathe deeply – your family and friends love you no matter what is or isn’t under the tree (or if there’s even a tree at all).

Don’t let the holidays stress you out…too much, at least – I know it’s easier said than done (there’s a reason I’m writing this post…). It’s always good to take a deep breath and think about why you are doing things. Why are you buying that gift? Standing in line? Getting that terribly expensive plane ticket? — To spend time with family? To show your appreciation to a neighbor? To send 100 holiday cards to your closest friends? Concentrate on the meanings behind all your gestures…and if you need to, take a deep breath and then let it out.

Don’t have the tree up.
Less than half the gifts have been bought or made.
Cards are still in boxes, though I did buy stamps.
Other than church services, the only holiday music I’ve heard so far is Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song” as the Five O’Clock Funny on KGON.

But today, I feel the Christmas spirit quite strongly. First I went to my local RWA chapter’s holiday meeting this morning, a potluck held at a member’s home. It was great to see everyone and catch up. (Not to mention share my news – my first foreign sale! What An Earl Wants will be printed in Russia. Just as fun though, was that we all brought donations for a local women’s shelter. Last night I cleaned out my closet, gathered the hotel toiletries I’d collected on travels, and personal items I’d bought on sale, and filled two big shopping bags, knowing it’s all going to women in desperate need.

After dinner, my husband and I packaged up cookies I’d baked last night, and set out to deliver them as part of the “tag” game going on in our ward. Earlier this week, someone rang our doorbell and ran. On the doorstep was a plate of homemade treats and two sheets of paper – a drawing of a Christmas tree, and a page of explanation. To spread holiday cheer, it was now our turn to make copies of the papers, and deliver them along with some kind of treat to three other families. Anonymously, of course. The picture of the tree went in our front window, so others know we’ve been tagged. I was thinking about potential recipients as I mixed and baked, and of course we’ve had fun speculating about who tagged us.

We had to try six homes in order to find three who hadn’t been tagged yet. My husband was the get-away driver, and I did the ring-and-run. The exhilaration, the adrenaline rush! The nearly-sprained ankle from the rutted driveways in the dark! Plotting our stealthy approach and departure –park beyond the house so they can’t see us drive past, don’t wait for me to buckle up, just go– was incredibly fun. And remembering the rush of emotion when I found the package on our doorstep, knowing that someone had been thinking of us, and now we were giving that to other people – priceless.

It’s made me think about people I know who don’t have an extended family from church, who could use a little holiday cheer. No reason we can’t “tag” them, too. Leaving a store tonight, I tossed my pocket change into a red kettle instead of the usual jar on my dresser. And the Giving Tree in my bank’s lobby that I walked past, in a hurry last week – I’m going to go back and pick one of the tags. Do something for somebody else, where and when I can.

Yup, feeling the Christmas spirit today.

Okay, I’m doing my best to get in the Christmas spirit:

I’ve got the tree up
I’ve sent out the Christmas cards
I’m listening to radio stations that play continuous Christmas music
I’m playing Christmas CD’s in my office and at home
I’ve gone to several holiday “shows”
I’ve signed up to ring bells for the Salvation Army

There’s even snow on the ground (which I’m not particularly fond of but it does add a certain ambiance). Still, I’m still not in the holiday mood and I can’t figure out why.

Anyone else have this problem? And even better–a solution?