Portrait of a Renovation and a chance to win books!

Hey ya'll,

So I've been promising to post pictures of my office before my husband worked his magic and after the renovation for a long time, but I kept forgetting. But since I'm in a blog rut, I thought now would be the perfect time to dazzle you with pictures. Prepare for sparkle-motion as the blog proudly presents...

THE OFFICE! BEFORE AND AFTER!

Before....



(Ew! It's a hole without a door! What kind of freaks would buy a house with random holes on the basement level. *raises hand*)



(Exposed insulation! There's no ceiling!)



(Storage stuff, including the crib I still can't bring myself to part with and lots of concrete.)



(Bare corner, already filled in with some concrete.)

After!



(Look closely at the bookshelves and you can spy my Viking hat. Kept within easy reach of my chair for when the need to write avec Viking hat arises.)



(All the essentials here. The baby toilet (so cute!!), the sink, the fridge and the hutch for making the magic happen, aka brewing the coffee.)



(A window to let in the light, a door to keep out the bugs, a dehumidifier to fight off the dank, basement nasty, and a daybed for hurling myself upon in moments of angst--almost as good as a fainting couch, much less expensive.)



Thumbs up! Many thanks to my amazing husband for giving me a lair of my own for the first time in my writing career. So much more fun than writing at the kitchen table or my bed or a corner of my bedroom with my desk shoved in beside the chest of drawers.

I can't WAIT to get back down there and work tomorrow. All this time off has been making me twitchy.

Oh, and Random House aside, follow them on Twitter and retweet their tweet about Shakespeare's birthday (today!) for a chance to win JULIET IMMORTAL and an Advanced Reader Copy of ROMEO REDEEMED! Here's the link: https://twitter.com/#!/randomhousekids

Have an amazing Monday and rest of your week,

Stacey

I finally realize my dream of having Dana Scully hair...

...over ten years after my obsession began.

Here's a picture of a picture (my dear friend and photographer, Jamie Fender, clicked this pic of her display screen with her iPhone. Actual pictures to come when she has the time to process the images):



Is that Agent Scully red or what? And I even have the same haircut as season whatever (post layers and pre long haired Scully). So now I can go to my grave a fulfilled woman.

So....*sigh*...

I haven't been blogging much, have I? Apparently I don't have much to say. I mean, I do have quite a bit to say, but between politics getting me down, a few unanticipated doctor and acupuncture appointments (nothing serious, just little things that nevertheless require dentist and doctor appointments and several sessions of being stuck with needles), ballet class twice a week, kids, and the tremendous stress of knowing I would soon be getting my picture taken, I've been hard pressed to find time to work, let alone blog. (I'm supposed to be taking April off to prepare for edits that are coming in May, but I suck at taking time off and fail at relaxation.)

But yeah, getting my picture taken seriously stresses me the hell out. I fretted about it for about two weeks in advance. I know I don't look stressed in the picture above, but I had slugged a hefty glass of champagne about twenty minutes prior. Using alcohol to relax is a bad idea, but if I don't do something I end up looking like I'm facing a firing squad instead of a camera lens. I don't know why I get so knotted up about having my picture taken. I suppose it comes from my time as an actor, trying to get that "perfect" headshot that would make people call me in on auditions and feeling SO much is riding on that 1 hour photo shoot and knowing I really couldn't afford to spend the money on the pictures and my dark eye circles would show up and look terrible if the photographer didn't find just the right light and yada yada.

Glad I'm not an actor anymore and headshots only come around every 4 or 5 years or so. (My last shot was from 2008 and I now have short red hair instead of long brown hair so I figured it was about time.)

What else?...um...yeah. I don't know. Just needing to take a break from the blog (and the internet at large) at this point. I'm sure I'll be back to posting more regularly in a month or two, but in the meantime I hope you'll stick with me as I breeze in here once a week. I appreciate your patience.

Have an amazing week,

Stacey

UPDATED: My photographer sent me a web friendly file. It's REALLY red in this one. Rawr! Wish I'd had the ovaries to fulfill my red destiny sooner!

Chocolate Zombie Bunnies

The only thing more disturbing than a chocolate zombie Easter Bunny?

Just....



how...



many...



different kinds...




...there are.

Dear World, I love you and your crazy.

Happy Easter (and slightly belated Passover) to those who celebrate!

Stacey