Not Much Going On

I'm in limbo. Last week I was dealing with a sick daughter. This week I'm playing catch up with life. I'm waiting on cover art for my newest Operation Second Honeymoon. Once I get it, I'll share. :)

Hubby's taking me away for a much needed weekend escape this weekend. I'm excited for two kids free nights. We're going to Foxwood's Casino. Not really sure why. We don't gamble, but there is a Hard Rock Cafe, which we love. I'm not complaining though. I'll be away from dogs and kids.

Hope everyone has a good week.

On Vacation!

Sorry! No time!

Head over to my site: http://juliarachelbarrett.net or visit Mandi at Smexy Books to read her review of Beauty and the Feast - the good and the bad! She liked the book. Not quite her cup of tea, but still...
I'll think of you while I'm flying around Thunder Mountain and surfing at Newport Beach! love, julia

Chillin'

The DH and I took an overdue weekend away. We stayed in NH and traveled into ME. What a wonderful time. The weather was in the 50s. The people of Maine must have thought it was a heat wave. They were out in their shorts and t-shirts. We witnessed people playing tennis and the parks were filled with children. It was refreshing. It was a sign that spring isn’t too far away.

We shopped in Kittery, Portland and Freeport. I haven’t walked that much in a VERY long time.

In Portsmouth we ate downtown at a place called Friendly Toast. I have to say the food was fabulous. It’s very retro. There was an old Superman pogo stick, the RCA dog, and board games from 30+ years ago hanging on the walls. An old Borden’s Ice Cream sign too. The DH and I kept spotting things and saying – look at that. I don’t think two dishes matched in the place. LOL

The wait to get in was out the door both times we went. Yes, we went back, the food was that good.

We hated to come back, but the kids were going nuts. By three on Sunday afternoon we were getting calls and texts asking when we’d be home. LOL We finally broke down and headed home around 5ish. It was nice to sleep in my own bed.

Tomorrow I go back to work and the DH heads out to OK for a business trip. I’m looking forward to the distraction. I have soooooooo much stuff that needs to get done, but no desire to do any of it.

I want to finish Sliding Home my newest M/M by month end. I’m about 3-5k away. Then there’s the last sex scene of Shea Manor. I thought I finished this book, but as I was editing it I realized I left out the most important fantasy for the heroine. DUH!

So hopefully I’ll get some writing done today. Happy Tuesday.

Oh and I’m on the coming soon page for Research Required at www.jasminejade.com. March 19th is my next release date! Yay!

Motivation Needed

A lot has been going on in my life the last few months and I can't seem to shake out of this rut I've found myself in. The dog is healing nicely from his surgery, after a few return visits to the vet. UGH! It's taken me well over 3 months to finish a book that would normally take me one. I'm frustrated with my lack of motivation.

A writing duo I know asked me to look over their story yesterday. They wanted my opinion if it was worthy of Ellora's Cave standards. They only sent the first three chapters and the last. I was very impressed. I hadn't read their work before. One of the lovely ladies has a book out and I have it in my TBR pile. Reading has fallen by the wayside too.

Reading their story sparked the desire to write. I tend to stay away from reading when I'm writing, but it really charged me - temporarily.

On Sunday I sat down and forced myself to start a new story. Having heard good news from one of my publishers - they are interested in a M/M story I submitted. It's my first ever, but I had so much fun writing it. The contract hasn't arrived yet, so I'll have to make a formal announcement at a later date. The story I started on Sunday is another M/M, called Stealing Home. I only managed 108 words. What's that???

This morning I've been plotting a totally different story. I've got the first few scenes worked out in my mind. Now I have to sit down and write it. I'm a panster by all sense of the word, but it feels good to have some direction here.

So, why haven't I started writing? My to-do list is a mile long. I've let things back up big time. Okay, while that's true, it's an excuse. I have no motivation.

HELP!!!!! What do you do when your muse seems to be on an extended vacation?