I’ve signed the contract, so I guess it’s really, REALLY official: I’m going to be participating in Lori Foster’s summer, 2009 anthology, Tails of Love, along with the following other authors:

· Kate Angell

· Stella Cameron

· Dianne Castell

· Marcia James

· Donna MacMeans

· Sarah McCarty

· Patricia Sargeant; and

· Sue-Ellen Welfonder.

Turns out my friend Patricia Sargeant, who knows I love cats (we have two rescue cats, Sadie and Savannah), referred me to Lori for this project, which will benefit a local animal shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation.

I am, obviously, extremely excited and grateful.

Lori has a heart as big as Texas, in case you didn’t know. This summer’s anthology (I’m not a part of this one–*SOB!*), The Power of Love, will benefit the Battered Women’s Shelter of Cincinnati. It’s available for pre-order, so you should get your copies (note the plural!) early.

I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about my writing process recently, and have come to think of it as a giant puzzle that I need to put together—say, a thousand pieces or so—without benefit of a picture to see what the finished puzzle should look like.

The process is, in short, a frustrating mystery to me, something designed to make me want to occasionally pull my hair out by the roots.

But there is one thing I’ve figured out: I always have a tiny moment of panic when I’m two-thirds of the way through the book. A moment of wondering, what the hell happens now? I think it has something to do with being within striking distance of the end of the book and wondering about all those loose ends that still need to be tied. All those elements that I threw into the book, thinking that they’d lead somewhere and I’d figure it out later, when the lightning bolt of inspiration finally struck me. Only later is now here and I still haven’t figured it out. Two-thirds of the way through is when I start thinking about word count and all the things that still need to be crammed into, say, a hundred pages.

Two-thirds is when I ask myself what I was thinking with this book. Why did I think this book about these people was such a great idea? The synopsis is no help, because of course the synopsis, as I’ve already discussed, is a patchwork of cobbled-together ideas that lead nowhere helpful.

Two-thirds of the way is where I get hopelessly, frustratingly, maddeningly STUCK.

If you’re wondering why I’m whining about this now, I’ll tell you. It’s because I’m two-thirds of the way through my February, 2009 book, A Friendly Love Affair, and I am … wait for it … stuck. Like a saber-tooth tiger in a tar pit. Like a fly in a Venus fly trap. Like a bear with a paw in a trap.

STUCK, I tell you. Stuck, stuck, STUCK.

The good thing is that, having been through this so-called process several times before, I know that being stuck right now is normal for me. I will get myself un-stuck. I’ve done it before and will do it this time, even if I can’t, at this very moment, see HOW.

Somehow, I’ll get it done. But until then I’m … yeah, well, I’m just stuck.

I have, you’ll be happy to know, slashed and burned at least fifty-two pages from my October book, Tender Secrets, and FedExed it back to my editor. What she’ll think of the changes is anyone’s guess, but I worked pretty hard on keeping the emotional impact strong and the pivotal scenes intact. I got rid of some descriptions and a lot of the “white space” I tend to write with. I only hope it’s enough …

And can I just say … I really love this couple. Andrew Warner and Viveca Jackson. Love them. Yeah, yeah. I know romance authors always fall in love with their latest couples. It’s a normal part of the process, like, oh, I don’t know—actors and actresses falling in love on the set of a movie. It just happens.

Still, I gotta say, with a big grin on my face, that I really love this couple.

My Harlequin editor has e-mailed me to say that I need to trim forty (yes, FORTY—do not adjust your screens) pages from my October book, Tender Secrets, on account of the new, reduced, word count. Oh, sure, I knew about the new word count, but I foolishly assumed it applied to books turned in after March. No dice. That’s what I get for assuming things, I suppose. And me, a former lawyer. You’d think I’d know better than assuming anything.

*Hanging head in shame*

And do you want to know the worst thing? Do you? Huh? I’d already trimmed and slashed about forty pages to get the book down to the old word count. Where’m I gonna find ANOTHER forty pages to trim? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Pray for me, okay?

So now I’m sharpening my knives and getting ready to kill my babies, which is what Stephen King calls it when you have to go in and get rid of all the extraneous, though beloved, stuff in your book. It’s for the greater good, right?

And I’m thinking maybe I can turn this lemon into some lemonade. I think maybe I’ll add a members-only page to my site for readers to see all the stuff that doesn’t make the final cut. That could be good.

This snafu has got me thinking, writers … what’s the most painful edit you’ve ever made? Do tell so I don’t feel like the only one out here suffering in the wilderness.

If you’ll be in the Cincinnati area this Saturday, February 9th, please join me at the Reader’s Appreciation Day Signing at the Streets of West Chester Barnes & Noble. I’ll be there from 1-3 p.m. signing Sweeter than Revenge. Several other local romance authors, including Jennifer Crusie, Lori Foster, and Anne Stuart will also be signing their latest books. Lots of fun will be had by all, so I hope to see you there!

LaShaunda interviewed me about Sweeter Than Revenge at her blog over at Shades of Romance Magazine. Check it out if you have time.

Join me tonight at 9 p.m. EST as I chat about Sweeter Than Revenge with the fine folks over at NovelTalk. They’re always lots of fun to hang out with, and I’ll be giving away a book or two …

I’m hanging out over at Kimani Press’s Message Board, doing the shameless self-promotion thing and talking about Sweeter Than Revenge. Stop by when you have time and say hi.

Today I’m blogging about Sweeter Than Revenge over at Access Romance. Stop by, say hi, and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy.

My editor informed me this week that my next Harlequin/Kimani Press romance, Tender Secrets, has been given a publication date of October 2008. Here’s the back cover copy, which I hope whets your appetite a little:

She was beautiful, bitter and bent on revenge!