We recently took Jack to Magic Christmas in Light at Bellingrath Gardens (where we enjoyed seeing 3.5 million lights!!!).

Here are a few pics from our adventure:

Sorry for the picture quality!

This one was called a “Cajun Christmas”–the alligators and crawfish were celebrating!

My favorite:  The Dragon Christmas (no, that wasn’t it’s name, but it should have been).

Now, I’m still in the process of recovering from my son’s second birthday party, so, I’ve got to go sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll start trying to work off all the cake.

…at The Idea Boutique, talking about the inspiration for “Caged Wolf” in SECRETS, VOLUME 21: PRIMAL HEAT, and I’m also over at the HEA Cafe–posting about holiday books.

The winner of my New Year’s Party Contest is…Dee Dailey! Congratulations, Dee! You’ve won a New Year’s Party Pack with supplies for 50 people and an autographed copy of  A RED HOT NEW YEAR.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my contest. And, please stay tuned…I’ll be launching another contest shortly after January 1st.

I’ve got an interview up at Joyfully Reviewed. If you get a chance, take a look and let me know what you think!

And I’m also blogging today over at The Bradford Bunch.

Twelve Days of Writing

Day 12:  The End

So this is the last entry in my “Twelve Days of Writing” segment. Today, I want to talk about “The End” of a story. For a writer,  typing “The End” can create a wonderful, heady feeling. Completing a manuscript, seeing the tangible proof of your work–it’s amazing. And exhausting. And about a million other things.

Every time I think of “The End,” I think of Romancing the Stone. Do you remember the scene at the beginning of the movie–the one that shows Joan Wilder typing, crying, loving her novel, and, finally, saying, “God, that’s good!” as she stares at her story? Before I finished my first manuscript, I thought that was the way I’d feel when I finished my novel.

But I was so very wrong.

I type fast, the images flow like a movie for me–yeah, I’m with old Joan on that. But I don’t think I have ever cried while I was writing a story (some authors do, I know this for a fact). And, while I do love my stories, I don’t think I’ve ever, ever said, “God, that’s good!”  Because…I doubt. Right after I finish a story, I wonder if it’s good enough. I wonder if anyone else will like it. I wonder if I took too many risks. If I didn’t take enough. Oh, yes, I doubt.

I think all writers doubt. I view doubt as pretty healthy, actually. I think it keeps me on my toes. I believe doubt makes me want to learn more, and to always try and write better.

So, for me, “The End” isn’t a huge, emotional scene. It’s quiet. It’s more of a soft sigh of relief, a brief breath of worry, and, then, finally, a smile because…I finished the story!

Okay, writers…what does “The End” feel like for you?