Crazy busy...

I've been writing posts in my head all week but haven't had a chance to write them down.

I'm hoping this will provide some entertainment in the interim:

I think a bubble bath is in order tonight - alone!

A tribute long overdue

The other day while browsing in a bookstore I happened upon the newest release of my first favourite romance author: Everlasting by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss.

When I got home — I didn't buy the book, as I'm waiting to place an online order — I googled the author to see whether any reviews of the book had been posted. That's when I found out that she passed away in July 2007 at the age of 68, reputedly after a long illness.

I've written to other authors to rave about their work but somehow I never got around to thanking Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. I should have dropped her a line and thanked her for countless hours of enjoyment, for heroines that inspired courage in me and in my own characters — I'm thinking particularly of Shanna from the book of the same name, and of Alaina MacGaren from Ashes in the Wind — for heroes that set my young heart to racing (mighty Wulfgar from The Wolf and the Dove, Ruark Beauchamp from Shanna, and Brandon Birmingham from The Flame and the Flower), and particularly for plotlines and prose that inspired me to pick up pen and paper.

Don't forget to thank your favourite authors. Although I'm sure they can imagine you curled up in an easy chair by the fire lost in a world of their creation — thanks enough, some might argue — I believe they'd nevertheless appreciate a kind word or two.

Thank you, Kathleen.

Common spelling mistakes

Do you have a cheat sheet of spelling mistakes you commonly make? You should. Sometimes the mere act of writing the words down prevents the problem from occurring. Or it can serve as a reference point, especially during bouts of editing.

Here's my list:

• allusion (indirect reference) vs. illusion (a distortion of sensory perception)
• compliment (a praising or flattering remark, or to give such a remark) vs. complement (something that completes something else, or to complete)
• complimentary (praising or flattering, or given for free) vs. complementary (of things that together complete a whole)
• convince (to influence by logic, proof or reason) vs. persuade (to appeal to another's emotions, feelings, etc.)
• discreet (tactful or diplomatic) vs. discrete (separate or distinct)
• effect (ramification, sound effect, or to cause or to bring about or effect change) vs. affect (have an effect on, pretentiously display emotion) — it helps to remember that affect is used most commonly as a verb, whereas effect is usually a noun
• luxuriant (characterized by abundant growth) vs. luxurious (of, relating to, or marked by luxury)
• principal (a person of primary importance or, as an adjective, most important) vs. principle (a fundamental rule or law — noun only)
• stationery (office supplies) vs. stationary (not mobile) — associate the word letter and its vowel "e" with "stationery" and you're sure not to forget the difference between the two words
• sensuous (implies the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of the physical appetites as ends in themselves) vs. sensual (relating to or providing pleasure through gratification of the senses)
• unmoral (not influenced or guided by moral considerations), nonmoral (cannot be right or wrong, outside the sphere of morals or ethics), amoral (without moral standards), immoral (not moral, conflicting with generally or traditionally held moral principles).

Hope this helps! When in doubt, there's always Merriam-Webster Online.