Now that I'm taking care of a newborn full-time, my life largely consists of diaper changes and feedings. Thankfully Facebook and Twitter help me feel like I have a life. Even though I have to put off actual writing projects for a couple more months, these mediums have kept me in contact with the world.

I can't promise witty musings like those of @BrianLynch or @diablocody... two of my favorites, but if you'd like, follow me on twitter @Misspixistix.

I'm not making any New Year's resolutions this year. Just the fact that I have a book and a baby due in March is enough. I just want to make it through. Hopefully, I'll adjust to being a mother before the year is out so I can continue with my writing career, but I just don't know what to expect.

My husband wants me to attend this year's RWA conference. The fact that it will be held locally should go a long way toward making that possible. Yet, I still don't know what state of juggling baby and life I'll be in 4 months after his birth.

This should prove to be an interest, life changing year. I'm looking forward to it.

I'd had visions of writing this entry last week from a sunny beach in Turks & Caicos. But, it just wasn't meant to be. First, let me say, I know no one wants to hear anyone complain about their tropical vacation, but seriously, what could go wrong, did.

I was determined to take one last romantic tropical vacation before the baby's arrival, so we booked seven days on a private island in Parrot Cay in Turks & Caicos (it's in the Caribbean if, like my mother, you've never heard of it).

With a proposal due at the end of October, I knew I was going to have to work on vacation, and purchased a new laptop to get the job done. Everything went smoothly until it was time to actually take the vacation. We woke up at 4 AM for our 7:30 AM flight and went to the airport only to find that Delta (yes, I'm naming names) moved the flight back by thirty minutes. This made our hour long connection layover in Atlanta less than thirty minutes.

Now let me mention that the last time we flew Delta connecting through Atlanta we experienced severe delays both ways, that finally resulted in us spending 2 extra days in Atlanta before we could get a flight home. My husband was determined to never fly Delta or connect through Atlanta again. Low and behold our next flight plan was exactly that, and I swore to him that history would not repeat itself.

We landed in Atlanta at 9:20 for our 10 AM flight, and we think we're going to make it. Then the flight attendant comes on the speaker and tells us that there's no gate available and we have to sit on the tarmac for 20 minutes. Yes, despite running full-out (pregnant) to the gate, the plane had already departed. The helpful Delta agent (I'm not even being sarcastic) booked us on an American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Miami and from Miami to Turks & Caicos. It doesn't arrive until 8 PM, but I'm just happy we don't have to fly on the next Delta flight 24 hours later. I would have done anything not to spend another unplanned night in Atlanta.

Of course, our flight out of Miami is now delayed by and hour due to lack of a flight crew. We land and go through immigration, but once we reach Customs, our bags are, of course, missing. Now it's a thirty minute drive then a thirty minute boat ride to our resort in Parrot Cay. I'm so distraught over the events of the day, I leave our travel documents in the van that brought us to the boat dock. I just had to make matters worse.

Fortunately, the hotel staff was fantastic. They called and located my travel documents and promised to have them brought to me on the morning boat. They also assured us they would check the airport the following day for our luggage so we wouldn't have to travel the distance back and forth to the airport.

After losing an entire day traveling the first day, we lost the entire day the second day tracking down our luggage that the airport said they couldn't locate. We finally received our bags in time for dinner.

The next day, I thought our vacation would finally begin. Our camera broke first thing in the morning, but I didn't let that get me down. We set up my laptop in a shady gazebo by the pool so I could finish the work I'd brought to complete. Things were going great, and I took a break to take a dip in the pool before finishing work for the day. By the time I came back to my work, my laptop (only 3 weeks old) had gone dead for reasons I've yet discovered.

Now the week's worth of work I'd brought would have to go unfinished, and I would miss two important deadlines for my editor. Now, I was truly crushed under the weight of all that had gone wrong in the first three days of our last vacation for Lord only knows how long.

The next day, we went to the beach and all was well, but the next two days were too windy and overcast to fully enjoy and our final day on the island it poured rain day and night. I'm grateful for fact that we could plan such a vacation, but we truly had only one day that was all it should be. In the long run, I would have been better off staying home. But, the best news was that despite the odds, Delta got us home in time to vote on election day for Barack Obama! Whoo Hoo!

I haven't updated my web site in ten months. But, it's been a hectic year. I wish I could say that's going to change now, but the fact is, I just think my life is going to get more hectic. For one thing, I'm expecting a baby in March. And my editor is expecting a book from me in March.

I only just finished and submitted my April release—a month late due to terrible pregnancy-related migraines. Twenty-six days from now the proposal for my next book is due. So, I'm on the run. Not to mention installing hardwood floors and new carpet, doctor's appointments, my husband's birthday party and a pre-baby vacation to the Caribbean all this month alone.

Still, my web site is important to me, despite the fact that I'm never sure if anyone's actually visiting. I see the counter numbers going up, but who knows, those could all be potential spammers. Nevertheless, someone is buying my books, which means some of those people might be visiting this site. And, I'll try my best to keep adding content as much as I can.

My novel Lilah's List will be out in January. It's the story of a woman who finds a life list she made as a teenager two weeks before she turns thirty. She decides she's going to get as much of the list done as she can before her birthday.

Thanks to Lilah I started thinking of some of the things I wanted to get done. Although thirty left me six years ago, there are still so many places I've wanted to go. So, this spring I made my very first trip to Europe. I saw London, Scotland, Paris, Rome, Florence and Venice. It was more amazing than I could have imagined.

Now I have a list of all the places I'd like to travel to, and each year, I hope to knock some place off the list. I'm not as adventurous as Lilah, I don't want to get a tattoo or ride a motorcycle. But, in the near future, I hope to ride a mechanical bull, continue to work on my French and learn to knit.

Sometimes art can inspire life.

Remember when blogs didn't even exist? I do. And since I've always been something of a geek, I remember exactly when they came into focus. I love blogs because they turn the everyday person into a writer. Strangely enough, I'm much more comfortable writing fiction than I am blogging. Hence, the sporadic entries here on my site.

In any case, I read a really interesting article at Writer's Digest about the writer and the blog: Blogged and Burned.

The article points out that some writers, trying to be honest and open about their writing lives and experiences with publishers often find themselves under fire from fans or perhaps even people in the industry. The article cautions that this new medium of communication has the potential to be eternal and author bloggers have to take care to stay professional.

I've often wondered if I give away too much information about myself on my site. Fortunately, I feel fairly safe writing what little I write here because I'm pretty sure no one's reading it anyway. :-)

2007 is finally here, and I'm looking forward to having several books out in stores. You'll be able to find one of my favorites PRIVATE LIES in February and my first novel PROMISE ME in March both from the Harlequin Arabesque line. Then my first Kimani Romance will be in stores in April. ENCHANTING MELODY is a new story inspired by the dance lessons my husband and I took while planning our wedding.

2006 was a pretty good year for me, although I'll never forget this past Christmas because most of my family was plagued with a stomach virus. That wasn't very merry. I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because, procrastinator that I am, I rarely fulfill them. But, I do have a few writing related resolutions for 2007:

1. Complete my March first deadline.
2. Obtain new book contracts
3. Have at least one booksigning (I haven't done one in years)
4. Update my promo materials (Web Site, business cards & letterhead)
5. Attend a writing conference

A lot of people find the holidays stressful, and I have to admit that sometimes I'm one of them. But, I also really appreciate getting together with family and making an effort to express the feelings of love we may not always take the time to express throughout the year.

Thanksgiving time holds varied memories for me. I've been miserable with the flu, strep throat and in my not-so-distant adult life the chicken pox. But, I also sold my first book and got engaged around Thanksgiving.

This year, as in all years, there's so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful that the democrats took over the house and the senate, because I truly hope that our troops in Iraq will be home with their families by this time next year.

I'm thankful for family, friends, books, music, pumpkin pie and step aerobics. I'm also thankful for anyone who reads my books or this site.

Happy Thanksgiving!

10. Ever After Cinderella remakes are a dime a dozen in the romance genre, but this is by far my favorite take on the story. Drew Barrymore's "Cinderella," when told by bandits that she can leave with whatever she can carry, picks up the Prince and walks off with him. That's what I call a strong heroine.

9. Come September I love this movie because it has a little of everything... farcical comedic situations, a steamy romance between Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida, a fresh romance between Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin, and beautiful Italian backdrops.

8. When Harry Met Sally This is a classic romance that documents the very believable journey a friendship takes to lasting love.

7. Far & Away This is simply the perfect historical romance novel set on screen. Even though I'm no longer a die-hard Tom Cruise fan, the love story speaks for itself.

6. Love & Basketball My husband and I love to watch this movie over and over together. And despite what he may lead you to believe, it's not just because of all the basketball. The most poignant scene comes near the end when Sanaa Lathan's character challenges Omar Epps's character to a game of one on one for his heart.

5. Love Actually This is one of my favorite movies because it looks at several different forms of love, and handles each relationship in a beautiful, funny and relatable way. This movie is rich and delicious like chocolate.

4. Butterflies Are Free I love Goldie Hawn and this 70s movie is an obscure favorite. A young blind man finally moves out on his own and falls in love with his kooky neighbor to the horror of his overprotective mother.

3. Gigi This is another movie that makes me happy just thinking about it. 1958's Best Picture Oscar winner. Wonderful music, lush French landscapes and the juxtaposition of the 1900's French courtesan class portrayed with 1950's values.

2. A Patch of Blue I recently re-watched this movie after not having seen it since I was a child. I remembered it as my favorite Sidney Poitier movie, but not as a romance. As an adult, I can appreciate how avant-guard it was to make this touching film in such racially charged times. It was even better than I remembered.

1. The Princess Bride My favorite movie of all time. Witty dialogue, stellar performances and comedic adventures all for one thing... a true love that not even death can overpower. The perfect movie and a timeless romance.

It's August, so it must be time for me to start up my blog again. Looking back through my archives, I've noticed that I always get back to blogging around this time of year. I usually trail off some time in the winter and get back to business in the summer. I can't explain this habit... but it's an interesting (to me anyway) trend.

I'm a romance writer. That's my excuse for everything sentimental that I may do. I went to a lovely wedding this weekend. Did I cry? Of course, I'm a romance writer.

Writing romance is also a great topic for small talk at weddings (or other functions when you have to converse with strangers). I usually get the same brand of questions. Where do you get your ideas is number one, ask any writer. And as much time as I spend answering that question, I end up explaining that it's okay that you yourself don't read romance, the fans are very loyal and those that do read it read enough of it for all that don't.

When I explain that romance is the top selling genre for all mass-market paperback fiction, then I often get the question how does one go about selling a romance novel? This weekend I was asked this question by a white haired gentlemen. I answered, the first thing you need is to be a fan of the genre. Sure, it sounds like they should be easy to write and if they're well-read, anyone can knock them out, right?

Well, anyone who reads romance or has tried to write it knows... it's not trashy, it's not smut, and it's not that easy to write. In fact, because it's so well-read, everyone and their brother is trying to write them. There's a lot of competition. And if we realized just how difficult a task it really is, then we probably wouldn't do it.

Of course, I would, I'm a romance writer.

Without the writing community, I never would have published the books that I did. There is some truth to the statement, "It's who you know". The romance writing community is particularly tight and opportunities can come down to who you know.

Through the community is how I learned to polish my writing, eliminate mistakes before I ever made them, and get support for my dream. I got support from my local organization, my critique group, online writing forums and fellow African-American writers. That connection to the community of writers kept me informed, made me well-known at confrences and garnered opportunity for me.

It's now been about five years since I've had that tight connection with the community and I'm very wary about how much I want to dive back in. I've always kept a thread of connection alive through my critique group, but those other ties have been broken over the years.

So while I'm aware of all the benefits the writing community has provided me with over the years, I'm now keenly aware of the other side... a feeling of competition. Seeing writers who've made five years worth of progress while I've basically stayed in one place. They've been selling books like gangbusters while I've focused on personal issues like depression, illness and marriage.

But, when I have those fears, writers from the community tell me... I've faced those issues, too. I survived them. I've come back from it. You can, too!

So the moral of this story is, good or bad, don't isolate yourself from the community. It's made up of people like you.

It's been so long since I've updated my Web site. I started writing full-time back in February, and you haven't heard from me since. So much has been going on, and I hate to say that the least of it was writing. But, I'm pleased to say that all has changed.

With the RWA National Convention behind me and three or four weeks of consistent writing, I think I've finally found my groove in this writing from home thing.

You see, I've had day jobs all of my adult life, and now I guess it's safe to admit that I spent a great deal of the time on those jobs working on books for deadlines. Now that I'm finally out of contract, for the first time in ten years, and I have all the time in the world, it's been a struggle to manage all that time.

The great thing about going to the RWA Conference was reminding myself that all writers in my position are going through similar things. Being around so much creative energy has given me the boost I was looking for.

I met some wonderful people at the conference, old friends and new, and I've even rejoined my local writing chapters. This experience has reminded me of the importance of the writing community and staying connected. In a future post, I'll share some useful tips I picked up from the conference.

I have a short attention span and I'm easily distracted. Therefore, I have to play a lot of tricks on myself to settle down and write. For instance, I'm one of those people who always needs to have the television on, even if I'm not watching it. It's a bad habit I developed as a child. Hearing the noise in the background keeps me from feeling like I'm alone in the room.

So most times, when I sit down to write, I initially have the television on. When I really start to focus and get into the zone, I can then mute the sound or turn the tv off altogether. This is what brings me to mood music. Some people listen to music when they write to help get them into the right mind-frame.

I've rarely listened to music when I write, primarily because it would have to be bland enough for me to ignore... and if I'm just going to ignore it, why bother? Well, there must be a reason because Amazon.com has an entire section devoted to music to write to.

When I was on deadline once, I burned a CD of inspirational songs to get me motivated to write. You know, You-Can-Do-It music. That actually helped get me started. My favorite you-can-do-it song is Make it Happen by Mariah Carey.

I suppose it might be helpful to find music that suits a particular scene I'm about to write to help set the atmosphere. I honestly can't see myself playing "chicka-bow-wow" music before I write a love scene. That seems just a bit too cheesy. But, who knows, maybe it actually works.

Any writer will tell you that's the single most common question reporters or interviews like to ask. It's such a strange question... to us, anyway, because, for writers, ideas are never the problem.

I'm always getting ideas. My real challenge is to collect them before they flit away with the breeze. Unfortunately, the ideas never seem to be brilliant bursts of inspiration for my work-in-progress... they always belong to some future story that I may or may not ever tell.

Yesterday, my husband and I were visiting his brother's new house and they were discussing gardening and the kinds of weird things you dig up when you first start planting. This immediately started my mind churning about a future character digging up something mysterious that I could build an entire plot around. Perhaps it would even be a McGuffin.

I was recently inspired with a book idea from reading a magazine article written from the perspective of a member of the paparazzi. I have to admit that I think these people are lower than dirt. Based on this, I couldn't resist trying to get inside this person's head. What would make someone choose this career path? How could I make a reader sympathize with that person? And since I write romance, who would be the last person that should fall in love with this character. And from there, I was off and running...

Each morning I take both a train and a subway before walking five blocks to my office building. I'm always passing some unique character who should be captured for a book. I don't know why I don't constantly whip out a notepad and describe them for future use... but, I guess if I did do that, I'd never make it anywhere.