Adding in exercise

Last night's big achievement: I went to the gym.

Exciting, huh? It makes it sound like I didn't start that yoga class there or or had some weird phobia about sweat and jocks in public or something. But since we got back from Florida - where I managed to eat half the state - I've known I had to add regular exercise into my schedule if I wanted to affect real change. Walking the dog isn't going to cut it, because a) we're entering winter which means a lot of rain and I don't walk in the rain if it's not in Scotland or I'm paying for an experience I want to get the most of, and b) I get caught up in the work during the day so don't always get her out then.

So if I have to do exercise in the evening, and I'm paying for my membership anyway, I decided to go back to working machines at the gym. Last night was the treadmill, which I haven't done since my foot surgery last January. Done plenty of walking, sure, but not this. I like it at night because it's not nearly so crowded. The only downside is that I can't wear headphones to listen to anything, so it gets pretty boring. Still, I lasted forty minutes, which I consider a win.

Also, I found a typo in the treadmill's instructions. They had "instuctions" which I found hilarious. Until it dawned on me that my finding it was more likely a reflection of the fact that maybe I should've pushed myself harder so that I couldn't read the small print so intently.

The plan is to go five nights a week at least. Some nights will be too difficult, like Thursday since it's trick-or-treating, but I'm going to do what I can. I'm still not where I was before I left for Florida, so I have to work to get there, and then work some more to get on the path to hitting goal. I talk about it too much. It's time for doing.

Fall TV

My Fall TV is finally starting to shake out. I dropped most of the sitcoms I tried - Dad, The Goldbergs, Brooklyn Nine-Nine - though I'm thoroughly in love with The Crazy Ones.

I'm also in love with The Blacklist. That has lived up to all my expectations and then some. My husband and I spent half an hour after the show last night tossing around theories about what exactly is going on. We can't decide on anything, which has me all kinds of intrigued about where it's going. I really hope it doesn't let me down, though I'm not sure how it could at this point.

The jury is still out on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. My husband loves it, but I'm really not invested. I find most of the characters bland and uninteresting - probably because of bland, uninteresting actors. Five episodes in, and as soon as I walk away from the show I forget which one is Fitz and which one is Simmons. I won't even start on how dull I find Ward and Skye. But I'm not sure it's a good sign when I start the episode more curious about which origin story they're going to try and tell rather than wonder what's going to happen to the actual cast.

I haven't watched Dracula yet. That's sitting on my DVR. But the show I'm looking forward to now hasn't even started yet. It's Almost Human with Karl Urban. I adore that man. I even sat through Dredd for him. And I'd love a good sci-fi action show to sink my teeth into.

What are you watching? Anything you love? Hate?

Time is running out

The breast cancer charity anthology I contributed to, Shades of Pink, will only be available for purchase until November 15th, so the clock is ticking for you to get your copy. The anthology is over 200,000 words of romantic goodness, and all proceeds go toward breast cancer research. What are you waiting for?

Kallysten, the wonderful woman who organized the anthology, interviewed me as part of the promo for it. That interview went up on Saturday at her blog if you want to skate over and take a look.

Chance to win entire pax collection

Today over at the Amber Pax blog, I blogged about my contribution, The Unbeaten Track. Find out why I wrote thousands of words that never made it into the story, as well as read one of the letters.

Also, anybody who leaves a comment on any of the posts this week has a chance to win to all five stories in the All Aboard pax collection. So what've you got to lose?

Etsy items I love

I'm starting to collate my Christmas shopping, which means I have a tendency to turn to Etsy to fill in gift holes. Yes, I'm one of those annoying people who does their shopping all year 'round so I'm usually done before December hits.

But in my recent Etsy hunts, I find myself wanting more for myself:

I order from this shop almost every year. I love her work. It's both pretty and durable, a great combination. I've been in love with her leather journals from the start. I'm thinking this might be the year I finally get one.

Isn't this adorable? She recycles sweaters into these hoodies and fingerless gloves. I bought one from her last winter and love it to pieces. Even better, she does a huge range of sizes and colors.

I love steampunk styling. I have a version of her mended heart necklace that I got as a treat to myself after Iron Eyes came out that I get comments on all the time. Lovely and lightweight.

I'm probably one of the few romance writers who doesn't like Jane Austen, but I love, love, love these earrings.

The Biggest Loser

Okay, I know it's a show. I know a lot of people who lose their weight on here gain it back. I know this isn't how the real world works.

But damn, I do love this show, and I'm glad it's back on.

It's a few months of weekly inspiration, both from the contestants and getting to stare at Dolvett. I like the other trainers, but Dolvett gets to me in ways the others don't. I mean, look at the man!

Yes, very pretty. Especially when he smiles. But the way he chooses to push and inspire his teams makes my heart twist. I will totally use these next few months to help in staying focused and not going too nuts in the upcoming holidays.

New cover art for Threshold

I got the cover art for my novella coming out in November!

I love how moody it is, and the angularity of the title font since it's a vampire story. That's my vamp on the cover, by the way. His name's Sutter. Pretty, right? No wonder Max falls for him so hard.