You've Saved My Life

Fiorella is a hoarder of everything she's ever written, and she's tried to write down everything. Be thankful her most recent efforts have been saved to the computer because otherwise her house would be a fire trap of stored paper--journalism, poetry, personal letters, essays, short stories, a vampire romance, first chapters of unfinished novels, random notes and observations on the human condition. You name it, she's written it.

Yes, stored on her faithful Dell are a hundred or so poems and partials, four complete novels (again, with partials), carols she composed years ago when she was in her music phase, old essays and new ones, twenty-some short stories, correspondence with her friends and relatives, and every stray thought she's ever had.

But her first line of defense against the house burning down, of course, is this blog. Thank you.

Kamikaze

I'm flying on wings of wax
Right on up to the sun!
Look out, Icarus,
Here comes another one!

Has Fio shown you this little lyric before? She wrote it when she was in high school, and, since Fio hasn't changed much since then, it still holds true. Right now, she's as high as a kite because a literary agent wants to talk to her about edits to Princess of Bosque Bend.

Pray for Fiorella, that she doesn't crash and burn.

Up'n at'em

It's a good day and Fiorella is at peace. All is going well right now. She's losing weight again, wrote several pages of PRINCESS REDLANDER yesterday, and is on top of a family business deal. Husband is chainsawing dead trees around the acreage and using the new log-splitter, then building wonderful fires in the fireplace with the fruits of his labor. Son has some job possibilities, has found places to display his art, and has started working on a new piece.

In other words, we're all engaged in worthwhile, productive activities, and that's the secret. Years ago Fio's father implored her to "slow down and smell the roses," but Fio's the sort of person who always has to have a project going.

She suspects you're that way too.

Romance Writing Trends

Nostalgia is the flavor of the year in romance writing, with agents and editors combing their slush piles for stories set in small, warm-hearted towns. Last year, Young Adult hit it big. The year before that, paranormal was the name of the game, and four years ago, erotica ruled the roost.

But 2012 will be the year of Fiorella. Mark my words.