First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone for the congrats and well wishes regarding my daughter’s engagement. I really appreciate it. You ladies are too good to me.

Now, on to my guest. I wanted to let you all know a good friend of mine, Virna DePaul, a criminal prosecutor, will be my guest blogger here at The Write Life Monday. Not only is Virna an all around sweetie, she is smart, and writes some really hardcore romantic suspense.

Here’s a little bit about Virna. (If you’d like her to answer first thing Monday go ahead and ask a question in the comment section of this blog post, methinks she’ll be peeking in today and over the weekend. It will give her time to prepare her answer. And of course, fire away with questions Monday.)

Virna has been a criminal appellate prosecutor with the California Attorney General’s Office since 1996. Before that, she spent a year in the trenches handling misdemeanor trials as a Deputy District Attorney. Her first romantic suspense manuscript, Trial By Fire, placed second in the 2007 Smokey Mountain Laurie’s single title category (w/a Nina Meyers) and landed Virna her dream agent, Kimberly Whalen. Virna’s current wip explores repressed memories, sexual fetishes, and crimes of passion. She juggles her job and pursuit of publication with the support of many friends and the four men in her life (ages 2 to 38). www.virnadepaul.com

See? I told you she was smart. Stop by Monday and say hello. I’ve already read her blog and it’s fascinating and informative.

Virna will also be giving away a $10 Borders card to a lucky commenter.

K*

My youngest daughter got engaged Monday night! Of course we celebrated. My in laws broke out the champagne, my daughter cried and hubby gave future son-in-law a stern speech before he lifted his glass in a heartwarming toast. Then we all went to dinner and celebrated some more. We all went to dinner and celebrate some more last night. Lot’s of love, laughter and excitement.

It’s weird actually. I always knew when my daughters got engaged I would be happy for them (providing of course I approved of their intended) but I never expected the jump in my stomach, the happiness, the pure joy I feel for my daughter. I am so happy she is with a man the family loves. He is not perfect, but he is a good man with a good heart. He loves my daughter, and if you knew my daughter you would know she is at the very least a challenging young lady. She is beautiful, charming, headstrong. She has that certain je’ne c’est quoi. She cannot be controlled, she is her own free spirit. It would bring down a lesser man. Instead her fiancé has stepped up and embraced that part of her.

They are what I consider a power couple. They both have distinct personalities that are opposite, but they do attract and there is a commonality. They are charming, hard working, focused, intelligent and they will go as far as they dream to go with each other. No moss grows under their feet. They will be fabulous parents, and my oldest son cannot wait to become an uncle. He’ll be like my brother. The kiddie’s pal. Every kid needs one.

So, I am happy, happy, happy. I am also cringing at the cost of this wedding. While they want to be married in the church (thank you, lord) my daughter has expensive taste, and likes things just perfect. Families on both sides are large and hubby and I have many friends we want to share this joyous occasion with, not to mention the friends of the bride and groom. So we need room. Lot’s of room. The problem is, although we live in a rather affluent area there are no venues for the reception we are remotely interested in. The country clubs are meh, and the other venues while large are old, and icky.

The kid is talking Carmel. I’m talking closer to home, perhaps an evening vineyard reception. We’ll see. There is time.

So, excuse me while I grin ear to ear like an idiot.

I also wanted to remind y’all to vote for Josie! The link is live! Here it is. http://mediapredict.com/market/show/5481

Have a fab day everyone!

K*

I have really fabo news to share, but I can’t, not until all of the necessary family members are notified. But I just had to write something!

Okay, back to your regular programming. And don’t forget to help Josie out. The site is going live tomorrow, I’ll be sure to post it here. And maybe by then I can share my news. ))

K*

Great news for my writer pal, Josie Brown (IMPOSSIBLY TONGUE-TIED, TRUE HOLLYWOOD LIES):

THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN’S HANDBOOK–one of her book proposals which got great editor response but so far hasn’t received a publishing contract–now has second chance at getting one. It is one of the select few chosen to participate in PROJECT PUBLISH, an online contest put on by Simon & Schuster in conjunction with MediaPredict.com.

But in order to win the contest, viewers like you and I buy fake stock in the book they think should be published. Like me, I’m sure you’ll agree that THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN’S HANDBOOK should be the lucky winner.

Josie has created a funny heroine in Donna Stone, a soccer mom who also happens to be an assassin. Like all of us, she juggles several lives at once, which means she’s only half-adept at any of them.

Let’s bring Donna to life! Here’s how:

1. Register on MediaPredict.com, a free fantasy media stock market game. T

2. Then go to the webpage for THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN’S HANDBOOK. You’ll find it at this link (T: I’LL HAVE THIS FOR YOU TOMORROW) and download the pdf with the first chapter. (Trust me, I’ve read this book and I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! you will LOVE it too).

3. Then, purchase the book’s stock with ALL your $5,000 in fake money. Simple, right?

Josie also has an ongoing website for Donna: www.housewifeassassinshandbook.com, where she’s keeping a daily diary, and household tips, recipes, and Assassin tricks of the trade. Those that of you who read the chapter can also enter Josie’s online weekly raffle for one of her previously published books, by answering a simple question.

Then. if she’s chosen as one of the five final books on September 17th, she’s putting everyone’s name she’s received into a hat, and raffle off an iPod shuffle.

This is a great way to resurrect a book that might otherwise not have been published. Thanks for your help!

As I said, I LOVE this book. So help a girl out and check out MediaPredict.com

Thanks, everyone,

K*

over at Murder She Writes today.

K*

He’s baaaaaack…

Dear Officer Friendly,

This might be a bit of a different question for CopTalk, but I have an idea percolating in my head for a novel about a newly retired street cop. Was wondering if you could discuss a little about that – what it’s like those first few months, the kinds of things they miss and don’t, the kinds of things you think about, how it might be different from expectations…

Officer Friendly:

“What do I do now? My life’s career is over.”

That is exactly how I felt when I was retired prematurely after 14 years of service, do to an on the job injury. The first thing you miss is the camaraderie. Being in the locker room with your squad getting ready for shift. The verbal banter and joking around that takes place. Talking about the previous shift or how did everyone manage to make it home from the bar. That sense of belonging to something and in the case of law enforcement, belonging to something special, very special.

Not trying to be over dramatic but cops live on the edge. At least the cops that work busy communities do. The next thing I missed was that adrenaline rush. As a football coach I get a bit of a rush game day but it doesn’t compare to a 125 mph chase where the bad guy crashes and you don’t or he bails and you give foot chase, catch him, fight and you win putting the cuffs on him. The whole time you know you are on the edge of something horrible happening to you. One false move, one idiot move by someone else, one faulty tire and it’s all over for you and yet you push it and survive it. It’s not that you’re thinking about it, it’s just something you know, in the back of your head. That’s a rush that is not replaceable and I missed it. I miss it now, five years later, just talking about it.

I was a very proactive cop. I didn’t wait for the radio dispatcher to tell me what to do. I went out and found crime. It’s like being on the hunt. Your senses are heightened, your brain is processing information, your eyes are scanning the street. You are anticipating something happening or making something happen. I loved that part of the job. I felt like Superman when I was working. That was taken away with retirement. So I guess you could say in some way there is a loss of identity with retirement. Being a cop was a part of my self-description and that was now gone. It somewhat defines you. Not completely because you are other things: husband, father, little league coach, handyman, whatever. However, you are no longer that guy who fights crime. Again, we are talking about a loss.

Many cops, the real cops who loved the job, loved going to work, even looked forward to it, find civilian life very difficult. Many commit suicide after retirement or become drunks. You miss so much of the job and in some way want that back. That is where you can get into trouble. You’re retired but you see something going on in your community. You think, somebody should do something about that. You used to be that somebody. In your mind, you still are that somebody. If you act, you could get into trouble with the local cops or you could get hurt. You have no radio to call for back-up. No badge or gun, no authority. All you have is the knowledge of how to handle the situation, the years of handling such situations, and the inclination to do so again. Your heart starts to pump, your senses heighten. It’s that rush all over again and you like it. There is a sense of worth that comes with it.

In many ways it can be and it is depression. It’s a sense of loss, then mourning. It’s not like this for all cops. Many hate the job, hate the public and can’t wait to spend the rest of their lives playing golf. But in my humble opinion, those were never the guys I wanted to work with anyway. They were not the guys I wanted to go into battle with at my side. I didn’t turn to drink through my depression. I turned to food. I got fat. After years of wearing a crew cut hair style I grew my hair, long. My foo-manchu mustache became a biker looking goatee. One day Karin looked at me and said “You look disgusting. You really need to clean up yourself.” That was the switch for me. That was the beginning of the end of my funk.

Many cops are lost in retirement. They just don’t know what to do with themselves. “What am I going to do now?” You have to have a plan. While I had a plan it wasn’t really what I wanted to do. The department set me up in my own swimming pool and spa design business and I was successful for almost three years doing that. However, it wasn’t what I wanted to do. What I wanted to do I couldn’t do anymore. That was over. I had been a youth football coach while working a beat on midnights. That shift allowed me daylight time to coach both football and little league for my boy’s. Shortly after retirement, a friend got me an assistant coaching position on a freshmen high school football team. The lowest possible entry point but something clicked, really clicked. Five years later I am a full time college football coach who also is cofounder of two successful football camps. There is life after law enforcement and it can be pretty damn good but you have to look for it and you have to work at it. Still, there are times, driving down the street…

OF

What about you? Were you/are you prepared to deal with a life changing experience?
How will you handle it?

will stop by for a quickie tomorrow.

I’m blogging over at the Divas today, c’mon by and say howdy.

K*

is back and it doesn’t suck like the Sopranos! I love Denis Leary, and his writing is phenomenal. I laughed so hard tonight. Boy, what a bunch of highly functioning dysfunctional people the characters of this fabulous series are. I can’t wait until 10 p.m. next Wednesday night. If you haven’t seen it, get the DVD’s. This current season is season 4.
Did any of you see Denis Leary in The Ref? Hysterical.

Okay, I had to pop in and share. It’s 2:37 a.m. and I am whizzing through my REDEMPTION revisions. Yeah, baby!

K*

May soon be a thing of the past. My editor really likes FORBIDDEN KNIGHT (I came up with that one). She also likes DARK HONOR, which Raine came up with. We’re still mulling. She liked but did not love MORE THAN HONOR.

So back to the drawing board? Any suggestions?

And always, thank you in advance.

K*

Oh, and ps, Natalie sent this to me. You gotta watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En0A8KGMgq8&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eperezhilton%2Ecom%2F

ppss, sorry but you’ll have to cut and paste the link.

I should be revising, but it’s warm and the pool looks really inviting. It’s going to be one of those Sundays when we just throw what’s in the fridge on the BBQ, whip up some type of refreshing foo-foo drink and kick back. I love days like this. It will require a bit of effort on my part. Like making a pot of pork and beans, throwing together some coleslaw and cutting up some local fresh fruit. Not a bad trade, especially since when we are all fat and happy, the paper plates will go in the trash, utensils will go into the dishwasher and voila, the kitchen will be clean.

The last episode of the Sopranos is on tonight, and while hubby is lamenting, I say good riddance. I just never found myself sympathetic to any of those thugs. If they all get blown to bits, that will be my HEA. And I mean all of them. Although, I have to say, I was a bit sad to see Bobbie get it the way he did last week.

I’m looking forward to Rescue Me starting back up, and Dexter. Does anyone know when Dexter comes back? I haven’t seen any trailers. I hope the actor playing Dex didn’t get too uppity. I’m very curious to see what this new season will bring.
I’ve become more of an Entourage fan. I stopped watching Weeds when the main chick turned into a full blown grower and dealer. I just can’t sympathize.

I want to go see the last installment of Pirates, but I was so disappointed in the second one I’m afraid to take a chance. Anyone seen it? Commentary is welcome. I also want to see Oceans 13. Again, 12 was a disappointment, but 13 looks promising. Is it out? Has anyone seen it? I keep waiting for 300 to come out on DVD.

Any fave summer picks you’d like to recommend? It can be anything. Food, movies, or drinks.

Ciao for now,

K*