This week has been really crazy and busy for me, but I hope to get back to regular updates tomorrow. And of course, I*ll announce the winner tomorrow as well. Check back about tomorrow evening and I'll have the winners posted.

Also, don't forget about my release chat tomorrow in the Cobblestone Press Chat Room at 7pm Central where I'll be talking all about my new book. Until then...

Smooches, Lyric

One Week Stand receives *5 Angels*. Here's a snippet of what the reviewer, Amanda, had to say.

If you are looking for a contemporary read with plenty of sensuality, look no further than One Week Stand. Fans of romance will enjoy the immediate sparks these two set off; each subsequent encounter just gets better. When you add in a cast of caring friends and family who want to see these two happy, you are sure to get a winning combination. This story had me laughing at how adamantly neither was looking for love and yet how helpless they are to deny their attraction. As these two discover a friendship that pairs well with their passion, Ms. James makes sure readers are with them each step of the way cheering them on.

Isn't that awesome! What a great way to start the week. You can read the entire review here.

Okay...I must go and tackle the stack of clothes waiting for me to fold and wash. I need a maid. :-)

Smooches, Lyric

Today's my day to post at The Novelty Girls. Come join me. :-0

I can*t write paranormal. It*s true. I stink at it. Isn*t that sad? I tried, however, I can admit to you, my friends, that I was a big fat failure. I got a big ole fat *rejection.* But, I must admit that I don*t feel too bad about it. I rushed it, didn't spend as much time as I could developing that other world, and it showed in the final product. What I think I might do now is revamp it and make it a regular contemporary. Now this is what I am good at. I might try another paranormal one day when I really feel like taking the time out to delve into creating that other world, but right now, I have to confess, I*m just too freakin* lazy to do it. Now that I*m back at work, my time is really short and valuable when it comes to writing. And when it comes to paranormal, it you want it to be really good, you have to take the time that paranormal deserves and frankly...I ain't got it. LOL

New From Cobblestone Press

Blood Lust by Jodi Becker

and

Star Struck by Susan Greene.

Check em' out.

Guess what*s releasing next week? You guessed it.

My tryst, Vindication: The Adventures of a Private Jane. I had so much fun writing this story. It was what originally got me interested in cozy mysteries. Zip by Cobblestone Press next Friday and download your copy!

Happy Friday, Lyric

Of course, The Novelty Girls, my second favorite hang out spot in the whole wide world.

Shelli Stevens

Sara Dennis

Loribelle Hunt

Amanda Brice

The Cozy Chicks

Anisa Damien

Jodi Becker

And last, but not least, Cobblestone Press Blog.

So, since I shared...who else do you visit in the blog world?

Smooches, Lyric

1) Cobblestone Release Chat September 1st / 7pm - 9pm CST

2) Cobblestone Contemporary Authors Chat - Discussion Loop - September 7th / 3pm - 4pm EST

3) Cata Network Readers Loop September 14th / 3pm - 4pm EST

Hope to see you all there.

Smooches, Lyric

But after about a month, that all changes. They hate getting out of bed early in the morning, don*t want to do homework, and the novelty of new clothes has worn off. How do we as parents get them motivated to want to learn? How do we express to them that getting an education is the first key to their future?

I must say that I work at a predominately African American school where most of the kids are from low income, one-parent homes and it so hard to get them to *see* outside the confines of their neighborhood and realize they can make something of their lives. Okay...I jumped on one of my soap boxes. I*ll climb off now. LOL

Goals Set

I set some writing goals for myself today that I plan to begin tomorrow. The hectic first day of school has come and gone, I*ve settled into my library and have figured out how I*m going to re-automate all of my books without driving myself crazy, which should allow me about an hour during the day for writing (30 minutes before school starts and 30 minutes during lunch). And hopefully I*ll be able to steal 30 minutes or so in the evening after the kids go to bed to do some more. In about 9 months I*d like to complete my children*s middle level book, my cozy mystery, and a contemporary novel that I*m co-authoring with a friend. Wish me luck!

Smooches, Lyric

My grandfather passed in 1994 so of course we had lots of pictures of them together from the beginning of their relationship to the end (56 years of marriage). Plus, we had other family members on the slide show who*d passed also. But all in all, it was a celebration! My grandmother was so happy to see all her relatives come to the party. And she*s 90. How many people really make it to 90 years old who can still walk, unassisted, who still has all her own teeth, who lives by herself in her own house, and can remember everyone in her family, young and old. It was a great time.

Well, I*m off for the first day of school. Whoohoo! Pray that I won*t kill any kids. LOL

Smooches, Lyric

Yesterday one of my fellow Cobblestone writers, Karen Erickson, found this review for me from Euro-Reviews. It*s the first review I*ve gotten for One Week Stand, and I must say, I*m very happy about it. I received 4 1/2 Flags!!! Here*s a snippet of what the reviewer had to say.

What I loved about this book was the fact that this scenario could really happen. A person could really see their one night stand again after a brief tryst. The characters are great as well. Jasmine*s has made a career for herself doing what she loves and so has Evan. Plus, they both have the support of their friends and family when it comes to their careers. Jasmine isn*t sure if she believes in love because she saw her parents go through a divorce. But she is willing to give Evan a chance. One Week Stand is a well put together book and a terrific read. Lyric James is definitely an author who*s work I recommend be read immediately.

See the entire review here.

Yesterday

Was a pretty good day. Come join me today over at Novelty Girls to read all about it.

Smooches, Lyric

Tomorrow I get to actually get some work done in my library straightening up and opening up boxes of brand spankin new books, the real treat. Whoopie! I'm going to have to make myself shelve and not *read* - save that fun for later.

Well, one more day and then school starts on Monday. I*m anxious about my kids going to school this year. I have a second grader and a third grader. My second grader is super smart, is in the honors program, made all As last year, can read her hiney off, all the stuff you want your kid to be - so I really hope she gets a teacher who will challenge her. But, my third grader struggles. She*s been going to tutoring the last three and half months and I hope it helps and translates over to good grades (she got pretty good grades last year, mostly Bs), and a boost to her self-confidence this year. The school is having an open-house tomorrow evening so I*ll get to meet both their teachers.

So, what about you guys? Do you have school-age children (or nieces/nephews) and do you worry that their challenged enough, whether or not their teacher cares about their success?

Lyric

New Cover!!!

I got my cover for One Day At A Time and I love it. What do you think? I had so much fun writing this story. I began working on the edits for it today too. I finished the easy part, grammar, sentence structure...stuff like that. Tomorrow I*ll handle the harder part - editor comments. Ack!

No writing done today either. I feel like such a slacker, but I*m sooo tired when I get home all I want to do is take a nap. Three months at home with no schedule has really ruined me for this school year. I enjoyed being able to get up when I wanted, sleep when I wanted, stay up to all hours if I wanted. Now I have to go to bed at a decent hour so I can drag my butt out of bed at 6 o*clock in the morning.

I got my first round of edits back on One Day At A Time. Not sure on a release date yet, hopefully November. Hopefully I can dig back in to my writing on Saturday.

Wish me no boredom tomorrow. :-)

Smooches, Lyric

They started today and will go on all week long, except for Friday when we actually get to work in our classrooms (library for me). This year I*m hopeful that they want be boring. This is the first year my district has actually had any staff develoment specifically for library media specialists. Since I don*t drink coffee, I*m going to double up on Dr. Pepper...I*m sure I*ll still need the caffeine to stay awake.

Writing

Haven*t gotten much of that done lately. I*ve been busy at work and when I get home, all I want to do is spend time with my family and lie around the house. I still have several loads of clothes to fold. How many of you love to wash, but hate to fold? That's me. My kids are not quite old enough to fold, so I can*t put the labor off on them yet. LOL - I hope to get back to writing this weekend. I have two stories brewing in my head that I*m just dying to get on paper. So, wish me luck!

Review

I found a new review today. This is what Joyfully Reviewed had to say about A Thin Line.

The characters in A Thin Line are playing a dangerous game. What starts out as a fun-filled amusement of sex between Sam and Melodie develops into heart-wrenching love affair. Both Sam and Melodie thought they were entering into a fun, sexual liaison with their eyes wide open; however, they were shocked to discover that there is a very slim line between love and lust. The chemistry between them is scorching hot and immediate.

Lyric James’ debut book A Thin Line proves to be a seductively lustful story that I took great pleasure in reading and I eagerly look forward to her future releases. This is one great novel to cuddle with on a hot summer night. Enjoy!

Here*s the link to read the whole review.

Smooches, Lyric

The Novelty Girls

Smooches, Lyric

If you're an author, what kind of stuff have you ordered and where did you get it from?

Smooches, Lyric

So, what are you reading?

Smooches, Lyric

#4 - My writing time has been cut by 75%.

#3 - I can no longer sleep in and I have to go to bed early.

#2 - My baby has to go to daycare.

#1 - I can not BLOG or MYSPACE at work. Schools? What is up with those damn tech people? Do they have to block EVERYTHING? Don*t they know I NEED to BLOG!!!

Okay...I just had to get that out of my system. I*m okay now. On to better news. :-) Check out my interview on Anisa Damien*s blog.

Smooches, Lyric

And last but not least...the Koffee Day Spa. Oh My Goodness!!! All the services were done by men. When we got there two gorgeous men served us wine, fruit, cheese, and crackers...shirtless. Can you say six pack. Phew! A foot and hand rub, a 30-minute massage, salsa lessons, exotic dance lessons....topped all off with a strip show by two very hot hot men at the end. I think I mentioned in the earlier post that a good time would be had by all...and IT WAS!!!

But now, it's back to reality. I went back to work today. Although I hate that my summer with two months off has come and gone, I love getting back to my library. I ordered a ton of books before I left on maternity leave, so I'm all geared up to put those lovely stories on the shelf so my kids can check them out into their pretty little hands. School starts on the 21st so it's back to the grindstone for me. Ugh..I still need to buy school supplies for my kids. LOL

Smooches, Lyric

I began teaching in 2000, and that year, I met several other wonderful ladies, Telisa (math), Phelesia (math), Melissa (science), Pilar (science), Vivian (special ed), and Shandria (special ed). And since that time, we have been best buds. We call ourselves the BTA - I could tell you want that means...but I'd have to kill ya. :-)

Every spring break and summer, we go on a girlfriends trip. No husbands. No kids. Just us, having fun, shooting the shit, shopping, shopping, and did I mention....shopping. We have been to San Antonio, New Orleans, Palm Springs, Alabama, Orlanda...and in less than an hour, we're off to Dallas for a long weekend. One of our fun activities this weekend is to visit a spa. And believe me when I tell you, a good time will be had by all. This is where we're going. Click on the link for specials and make sure you read what it says. And yes, I will be doing research...I see a story written all over this one.

So, until Sunday. Smooches!

Lyric

Post a comment on my blog during the month of August and you will be entered in a drawing to win one of these fabulous prizes.

#1 Free PDF Copy of my June release – A Thin Line

#2 $5.00 Gift Certificate to Cobblestone Press

#3 $10.00 Gift Certificate to Bath & Body Works

#4 Gift basket from Bath & Body Works

Every time you post will be an entry. So come back and visit as often as you want!!!

*****Drawing will be held September 1st.*****

That’s all about to change when sexy Evan turns out to be her best friends cousin. After seeing Evan again, their one night becomes a one-week stand. Evan Harris believes it’s fate that brought Jasmine back into his life. Can Evan convince Jasmine to turn their one-week stand into forever?

Available from Cobblestone Press.