A Noble Captive on sale today and a sale

Michelle Willingham let me know that A Noble Captive is on sale at eharlequin today. You will need to enter  the code YARD08N and they can get the book for $1.99.
You can read an excerpt of the book here.

In other news: my editor emailed me last night to say that my latest revisions did the trick and they were thrilled to accept the manuscript for publication. Hooray. As anyone who has been reading this blog for the past year, this book has caused me all sorts of difficulties but I bleived in the characters and really wanted to tell this story. I think it has paid off. It is set in 1848 Corbridge in Northumberland. More on publication dates etc as I know them!

My daughter had solid AS results which means she can apply for the couses she wants at the universities she wants to apply to. So cause for celebration there.

Bits and bobs

First the Lymphoedema update -- the arm slowly deflates. It is getting better and does look like an arm. And I suppose as I don't have bat wings etc, I should be grateful. And yes I know that it could have been much, much worse.
As I am healthy, we are going to a sleeve that squeezes more.  The physio is trying to sort this out. Until then, I can wear two sleeves. Basically the physio's thoughts are that it took an age to get to where it was (and quite frankly if it was like it is now, I won't have gone to the doctor's) and therefore it will drain slowly.  It was great when I was in Orlando and only wore the sleeve and glove a little bit. However being back home means all the time except at night. 

Second, I'm waiting for my editor to get back on the revisions I turned in. Fingers crossed here. While I wait, I'm doing research for the Sinai one and I'm revising the paranormal. Believe me it needs a lot of revising as the romance needs to be brought to the fore and sensuality increased. The early connections were missing as well.  It is a matter of doing the revisions and trying to get it up there.

Third I need to get more hens as we are down to 3. This is a job for this week. Mr Fox appears to have gone else where for his snacks. The duck population is down but not out.

Fourth tomorrow is AS results day. Tension runs high as basically I want to know how my daughter did. We will cope with whatever but it is the not knowing that is the problem.

Fifth My daughter says that my two good finds from the RWA are Jodi Thomas and Toni Blake. I've haven't read the Jodi Thomas yet, but I do like Toni Blake and her Destiny books. One Reckless Summer arrived yesterday and was the perfect fodder for my daughter to forget about the AS results. I thought it excellent as well -- sexy and heartwarming. I inhaled it yesterday evening. And can't wait for the third. I believe Toni is working on a fourth. Read them if you haven't discovered them yet.
On the writing side: Basically, the books also showed me how much more I need to up my sensuality, particularly in the early stages. Do not assume the awareness is on the page. If it is in your head and not on the page, the reader can't know.

Nerves

What is worse than going through resitting exams yourself? Watching one of your children do it.
My eldest more than likely did not study as well as he should have done for his AS levels last June and is now resitting some of the exams. He has spent hours studying and does admit that he knows it much better, but I still worry. The exams start today and go over the next week or so. Fingers majorly crossed.
High school over in the UK is very different than the US as you do have the GCSE and then the A levels. In the US, it is grade point average and SATS. Here it is how well you have done on the course. Luckily with AS, there is a chance to resit the exam but it does add an extra work load...
One other thing I discovered this week is that BEFORE choosing GCSE courses, parents and students should investigate the university degree courses and their requirements. Several of my eldest's friends were rejected from Edinburgh because they had not read the fine print and did not know that they needed to have a foreign language GCSE. Because I believe in the importance in being able to speak a foreign language (however badly), it was a given for my children, but there will be students (and parents) who did not realize the importance of continuing with a foreign language. Many of the Scottish university science courses have a year abroad programme in an EU country. It is all about keeping your options open.