When a man can pull off wearing a skirt . . .

He's definitely ranking high on the hottie list.

My new car that is probably floating out in the ocean by now . . .

because I bought if from a dealer in the path of a hurricane. This was not my smartest move. But isn't it BEAUTIFUL?????

And before you say something about being shallow or materialistic, it's a few years old and was cheaper than the UGLY, PRACTICAL CAR that evil husband wanted me to buy.

And it's red.

And gorgeous.

And a convertible . . .

---

Today I was rude to a clown

And I'm stressed and on deadline, but I do have very fun new car news. hee hee hee. Stay tuned for pics! And see me at the Literary Chicks for the whole grisly clown story . . .

The basic problem

is that I should never ever edit or revise my books. Because once I do that "final run-through before I ship it to my editor," I always find seventy-nine kajillion things that I:
a) could have done better
b) should have done differently
or
c) sucked all humor out of the ozone by writing.

Aarghh.

It's official!!!

I'm now offically a paranormal author!!! Friday, we accepted my darling editor's offer for my ATLANTIS series (see teaser site here)!! I'm going to write it under a pen name, because my evil twin, who has a tattoo (or maybe more than one), a fondness for black leather, and who would never, EVER wear pink, will actually be the one writing them.

Stay tuned for news of release dates, goody giveaways, and other fun for ATLANTIS RISING, the first in the series!! I am so pleased and excited to be writing these books, since I have been an Atlantis-phile since I was a kid. I love anything and everything to do with it and had so much fun with the worldbuilding. (I don't get to use Plato in my chick lit much . . .)

hugs,
Alesia

House selling and a new tour

House selling. Is any routine task more frustrating??? Especially long distance . . .

Aaarghh.

But enough about THAT. I'm excited to announce a new GCC author tour:

Wives and Sisters
By Natalie R. Collins

And just LOOK at what reviewers are saying:

“It's a white-knuckles ride all the way. Expert depiction of a young woman's struggle with the oppressive "family values" of one kind of fundamentalism. Newcomer Collins is a talent to watch."--Kirkus Reviews

“Startling and compelling--I could not stop turning the pages. Natalie Collins weaves an absolutely riveting tale."-- Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Sinner

“Please warn your readers, this is not a book that can be put down. It’s so compelling, so dramatic, with strong suspense and mystery elements, that I had to find out what would happen.”—Perri O’Shaughnessy, New York Times bestselling author of Unlucky in Law

"This is a book written with skill and passion and I suspect it will resonate with women who have never set foot inside a Mormon church. These problems are too widespread to pin down to one place, one time or one institution."—The Washington Times

About the book:

Set in the closed world of the Mormon Church, a world scrutinized because of the Elizabeth Smart case and covered in nonfiction bestsellers like Secret Ceremonies and Under the Banner of Heaven, WIVES AND SISTERS is the gripping story of a young woman on the run from evil, powerful men. When Lori Hacking disappeared last July, the nationwide spotlight turned to Salt Lake City once again, just as it had with the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart. But tragically, Lori did not come home alive. Lori’s husband, Mark Hacking, pled guilty to the crime. Although written well before the Hacking case became known, Collins’s WIVES AND SISTERS portrays a world eerily similar to that of Mark Hacking. The parallels between the deception Mark Hacking built around his education and the lies perpetrated by the character Mark in WIVES AND SISTERS are uncanny, right down to the same first name.

WIVES AND SISTERS opens with a look back at the sudden disappearance of Allison Jensen’s best friend, who was kidnapped while playing in the woods near home. One moment her friend was beside her; then she was gone. When no leads emerged, she was given up for dead. Now, years later, trying to fill in the gaps of a patchwork memory, Allison still gets no answers from the community in which she lives.

Allison is determined to bring Mark and those who didn’t stop him to justice, before they stop her from piecing together the tragic past that has haunted her for so many years.

Natalie R. Collins is an author and journalist with over 20 years of writing experience. She was also an editor for the 2001 and 2002 Sundance Film Festivals. A lifelong resident of Utah, raised a member of the Mormon Church, Natalie lives there with her husband and two daughters. Wives and Sisters will be available in paperback in March of 2006 and her next book, Behind Closed Doors, will be out in hardback in 2006.

The insanity of motherhood

So after four months of summer vacation (the school we left in Florida gets out in early May; the new school in Virginia started today), I was ready to dance and sing my way to the bus stop, right?

Wrong.

I cried. Princess, all five and a half years of her, started first grade today (she's skipping kindergarten; long story), so she got to ride the big-girl school bus for the very first time. She was so excited her little face GLOWED. Her wonderful big brother held her hand and sat with her on the bus. I waved and snapped pics as the bus lumbered off and then, guess what?

You guessed it. I cried.

My BABY went to big girl school today. No more Pre-K, where I can keep her home with me a couple of times a week for "girls' day" and shopping and manicures. No more babies for Mommy.

Yep. I cried. Then I worked on my book, pausing about every 30 minutes (or, okay, ten minutes) to wonder how she was doing and if she were okay. I knew my son would be doing great - he's an old pro at this school thing, in third grade.

So I was lined up early at the bus stop when they got home. She came skipping off the bus -- get THIS -- still GLOWING. "Mommy, it was the BEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE CAREER!!!""

(Um, career??) You know what this means, right? The two children that we've tried our best to raise to be happy and independent and outgoing . . . ARE. No clinging whatsoever.

At least on THEIR part.
hugs,
Alesia, still teary and not a little choked up

Jewels in our mouths

See my post at Literary Chicks today, talking about "The funny books, the ones that entertain me and make me laugh and cry and smile and tell my friends about them, those are the ones that help me get through tough times.

Because laughter, like the words of Shakespeare, is like having jewels in my mouth."

hugs,
Alesia, trying to work again

Yet more tragedy

And so, yet again, we sit and watch the news in horror and sadness. We send money to relief organizations and start to wonder about apocalyptic predictions. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you affected by Katrina's devastation. May the climb back to safety and security be paved with the helping hands of us all.
hugs,
Alesia