We Love A Man In Uniform

Or lack of!

This is a quick post for Shirtless Thursday, (borrowed from Facebook's Fifty Shades Of Hot page. ) because I'm in the middle of packing for our week away to Cornwall. Can't believe it's half-term already!

Becky Black and I particularly like this uniform! Not that he's wearing much of it...

Obviously, blog will be quiet next week - you can just about get phone network, let alone WiFi in Cornwall - but the week after you might see a surfer theme creeping in...

Little White Lies

Sometimes, as a mother, I feel like such a fraud. My kids will ask me, over the dinner table, "Are vampires real, mummy?" And I have to respond, "of course they're not," at the same time trying to remember I must put a pound under his pillow before I go to bed, so he believes the Tooth Fairy has been.

And Santa. He's real too, obviously.

As of September I will start reminding them that his 'helpers' are out watching to see if they've been naughty or nice. Santa is great blackmail material. However, it's not so great when I nag the little darlings to treat the PlayStation 3 nicely because Mummy can't afford to buy a new one, my eight-year-old kindly reminds me I didn't buy the first one.

"Santa did," he says smugly.

Humph! "Well, actually..." I have to stop myself and get on with the dinner, muttering under my breath before breaking the parenting code.

They've asked if Harry Potter is real. Ha! I can do that one. "No, sweetheart, he's a fictional character in a book." And so are vampires... I must remember that when I get asked it again! Books are the answer. They're all fictional characters - of course, which they are - except The Tooth Fairy and Santa.

Life Is A Lottery

When my customers (in the ickle shop I work at) buy a lottery ticket and  subsequently moan that they don't know why they bother because they never win, I always tell them you've got to be in it to win it.

You can't dream about how you're going to spend your millions if you haven't entered the lottery.

Well, I've realised this theory works on a lot of things. I can't dream of blogging for Mills and Boon if I don't enter their competition. So I have!

I can't dream of working in a school, term time hours only, to fit around me and the boys, if I don't apply. So I have.

These things are a bit of a lottery. I believe that some element of luck works in your favour as well as your skill and ability. It's very hard to get a job in a school, so I am treating it a bit like winning the lottery. I'm buying a lot of tickets... i.e. applying for every job I'm qualified to do. Thus increasing my odds.

I imagine it's even harder to become the blogger for Mills and Boon, too. *sigh*

And I can't dream of being a published writer if I'm not writing... yeah, yeah, I know! I am trying to get my writing mojo back. But at this rate I'm going to need a refresher course in punctuation because I'm currently having a mental block as to where the full stop or comma goes - inside or outside of speech marks! It's a bit like when you're standing at the cash point, and all of a sudden, for love nor money, you can't remember your pin, and the machine is beeping at you. I'm sure it will all come back to me.

Ok, so ready for tomorrow - it is Thursday, after all. Here's a treat. A Shirtless Daniel Craig.

Now I need to get back to brainstorming my short story... as I can't dream of winning a short story competition, if I don't enter, right?

Today My Blog Turns Three

I can't believe I've actually been blogging for three whole years. Happy birthday, The Wittering Woman! But what an earth have I discussed over three years?

This was my first blog post; My First Post. (Original title huh?) After that, I do believe I may have posted a lot of eye candy... I mean inspiration for writing the perfect hero.

Today, Sally Quilford shared a post from Mills And Boon, who are looking for a blogger. I've got a week, but I might give it a go and send something in. Because blogging about books and romance would be the perfect job. (As you may know, I'm looking for another job, too.) I've dug out a book review of one my favourite authors, so I can tweak that. :D

And I've realised I should be discussing romance more on here. This could be the kick I need, people. Slowly, my writing mojo is returning. First a short story competition, now a blogging one. I call myself a romantic, so I should be writing about it more. Then you'll get a feel for what my books will be like - when I finally get them published.

So, Teresa, aka The Wittering Woman, what is your favourite romance scenario in a book? 

I love reading the hero and heroine pretending to be a couple, and by doing so actually fall in love. The Wedding Favour is based on this theme. And recently I re-watched the romantic comedy Just Go With It starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. It's actually the scenario reversed. Aniston, who works for Sadler, has to pretend to be the ex-wife, so that Sadler can woo the twenty-year-old-something he's dating. Not only is it hilarious as the lies get deeper and deeper, (because Sadler has to pretend to be Aniston's husband to dupe someone else) but on their journey of pretending, they realise that they are perfect for one another.

I think under Mills and Boon the 'category' is marriage of convenience. What's your favourite romantic storyline?

To end this blog post, as it is my blog's birthday, it would be rude not to share with you... some inspiration.

Can't beat a hot fireman for a hero, right? 

p.s. I'm opening my blog up again to visits. Let me know if you want to share your book, or raise your profile!

There Could Be Tears

Tears of joy or maybe just tears.

Today, when I wasn't soaking up the sun in my garden and listening to the Starling chicks tweet from their nest (they are getting louder, hence this must mean bigger), I managed to visit the Post Office to send off my manuscript, The Wedding Favour, to the RNA New Writers' Scheme. Eek!

Admittedly, it did receive positive feedback from publishers, (although no success stories otherwise I wouldn't be sending it to the RNA!) so I'm hoping I won't be crying over the comments too much. I know I should receive some constructive criticism (that maybe the publishers couldn't quite give me the time to feedback) to help me work on it, strengthen it, whatever. And something that might boost my confidence... please... to give me the push I need. But it is done, so there is no point in fretting. Now I need to concentrate on writing.

I know I can edit it for one publisher, although I fear they may no longer be interested in it - it's been nearly a year. But the thought of editing either The Wedding Favour or Perfect Isn't An Option just feels too tough in getting back into writing. I need to actually write, get the voices talking to me. At the moment I seem to be milling over things that are happening in my life, and the voices are quiet in the corner, worried I'm going to bite their heads off if they try to speak up. I'm not even hearing a whisper.

This is my plan to get back into writing! There's a short story competition that runs locally. My three local writery friends (June, Jacquie and Liz) and I went along last year to the awards evening, and it was really good fun. They had all entered and had been short-listed - which gave two a real boost to their writing confidence as they'd never won anything, and deservedly so. All the stories that are short-listed go into an anthology, but there is prize money for first, second and third, so it's worth entering. I also like this year's theme, too: Lost. I'm sure I can come up with something for that... my days of writing Quick Picks for Fanfic should help me. The hero may look a little bit like Sawyer, and the heroine could be a Kate lookalike but hey! Time to start brainstorming. Closing date is August 31st, 2013.

From now on, must walk around with a notepad in my hand at all times.

In the meantime, in between writing/brainstorming, I'll have to sit back and wait to hear from the RNA, and what my reader will think of my story. Good job I'm not a nail biter.

Blog Mode Engaged

I know, I know, I missed Shirtless Thursday! And I didn't even get around to fix it on Friday but here I am! It's Saturday. I feel exhausted from being up at 5.15am, and work hasn't been the best place in the world for me right now. Which then makes it even more exhausting.

So here I am... the long weekend ahead of me, and not much planned! Manuscript printed off, and in the envelope. Two synopsis' printed and in the envelope... until I realise as I go through the tick list they are supposed to be a one page synopsis. So that's this weekends job. Argh! However, I can't get to a Post Office before Tuesday now, so there is no point fretting about it.

I've been sat out in my (windy) garden with Dad, drinking coffee. He's done such a fantastic job, I'm not sure how I'll ever repay him. We've found starlings nesting in my roof too, so we get to listen to the chicks tweet every time mum or dad come to feed. And we've filled the bird table with food, so mum or dad don't have to work too hard either. If the weather stays I might do a car-boot tomorrow - what an exciting life I lead? - just because it would help rid some of the boxes in my garage AND raise some money towards my holiday with the boys.

Also, a friend has sent me over short story competition details with the theme 'Lost'. (I'm trying hard not to imagine Sawyer, Sayid, Desmond and Jack wrestling on a beach). I think this maybe the small project I need to get back into writing. Closes 31st August, so I have lots of time too.

Right, well this one page synopsis will not be written all by itself. Best go familiar myself with my novel (The Wedding Favour) again...

And I haven't forgotten... here's a treat for you! Shirtless Saturday?