Monday, March 24, 2008

The best Mills & Boon Medical ever!

Last week I read the best Mills & Boon Medical ever! In fact, I think it's the best Mills & Boon book I have read, ever! It's The Sheikh Surgeon's Proposal by Olivia Gates.

I've always loved Olivia's books, right from Doctors on the Frontline. I've got every single one and she keeps getting better with every book, but The Sheikh Surgeon's Proposal really blew me away.

I took it with me to a drop in clinic, where I knew I had an at least an hour's wait ahead of me. I was actually waiting much longer than that, so long that I finished the book and I pleased I was waiting so long because I wouldn't have been able to bear it if I'd had to put the book away.

Emergency doctor Jay Latimer, playboy surgeon Sheikh Malek Aal Hamdaan and the desert king fo Damhoor were so believe, so perfect, so captivating, so enthralling. I literally rushed through the pages, wanting to know what was going to happen next.

I love the fact that I often don't know where Olivia's characters are heading next. The twists and turns are fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat! Jay was a brilliant heroine and Malek was, well, he was devine!

Olivia always stuns me with her vivid descriptions, and just the right mix of anxiety, urgency, adventure and emotion. This book certainly has all the elements of the Medical series tag lines - pulse raising romance and heart racing medical drama.

The Sheikh Surgeon's Proposal ticked all the boxes for me and I'm delighted to see that Olivia has five more sheikh books out! Yes, five!

Two are Medicals:
DESERT PRINCE, EXPECTANT MOTHER comes out in April 08 in the UK
THE DESERT SURGEON'S SECRET SON comes out in Nov 08

And three are with Silhouette Desire:
THE DESERT LORD'S BABY comes out in May 08
THE DESERT LORD'S BRIDE in July 08
THE DESERT KING in Sept 08

I already have a copy of Desert Prince, Expectant Mother which I intend to read this week!

Saturday, March 08, 2008

geeky stuff

Many years ago, when I was at school, I was never very good at exams. I used to study like mad and just manage to pass, so I used to get really annoyed with my friends who got really good results but weren't happy with them. But, just lately, I've found myself doing exactly the same!

I'm doing a couple of IT courses through The Open University. A week ago, I got my first assignment back for one of the courses - 88%. I should be happy with that, right? But I'm not. Why not? Because three of the questions were based around general study, following instructions and communicating with others studying the same course. I did well in those questions. But the fourth question was around technical stuff I'd learnt so far on the course. That question I didn't do so well in. So I find myself being annoyed that I didn't put enough effort into that one question.

Then today I get a third assignment from the other course back - 85%. Again, I should be happy, especially considering I was hoping to get about 75% for this assignment. The thing is, I got 94% and 91% for my two previous assignments but the third one was much harder. I had to write a whole lot of javascript code. I considered giving up many times, and there were a few tears as I sat at my desk despairing of ever finishing this assignment.

I did finish it and got more than I'd hoped for so why am I upset? Because it turns out that I missed the last question. I lost out on 12 marks. If I'd done that question I would have probably got over 90% again. So again I find myself annoyed for not checking that I'd answered every single question.

And on a completely unrelated topic, I'm typing this wearing a old pair of glasses with an old prescription in them, so you'll have to excuse any typos that I don't notice!

I got new glasses in December which were meant to have transitions lenses in them. Turns out they didn't so today I took them back in to get new transition lenses put in them. I have contact lenses but I don't get on with them (can't see my screen clearly enough with them in) but I put them in for a couple of hours so I didn't have to stand in the shop unable to see while they fixed my glasses. A little while ago I took my lenses out and popped my glasses on only to find I couldn't see a thing! I can see better without the glasses on! Not sure what has happened but that isn't my prescription in those glasses.

Which leaves me with a) glasses I can't see a thing out of, b) contact lenses that I can't see clearly enough with to work, and c) the glasses I am wearing now which have the old prescription in them.

So, after going to the dentist on Monday for a filling, I will be heading back to the optician to see what they have to say about my glasses before I go into work.

I really didn't need this. I have enough on with visits to the dentist (have to go back again soon to have a tooth pulled out which is bothering me a little) and doctor required without the added hassle of not being able to see clearly!

What I really need is some good news...please!

Friday, February 01, 2008

yay me!

OK, so this post is going to be a little bit self congratulatory. Who am I kidding? It's going to be a lot self congratulatory!!!

Exam results are in. I passed!!!!!!! I thought they'd be posted online on Wednesday or Thursday so I checked every five minutes or so until I reached the stage where I was forcing myself to wait for an hour between each check. Then, after 5pm yesterday I gave up. I figured I'd just have to wait until today, when I knew they would definitely be up.

But just before I went to bed at 11.30pm last night, I logged in one final time and there they were! These were my best exam results ever!! And ever better, after 14 exams and two and a half years, I am finally done!! I am fully qualified!!! It's been hard studying and working full time.

It felt good last night!! My dh opened a bottle of champagne (at 11.30pm!) but I think he ended up drinking most of it because a) I was tired and b) I'd already had as much alcohol as I can take in one evening!

There is a second bottle of champagne in the fridge waiting to be opened tonight. My Mum sent it to me in November right after exams finished. Thank you Mum!

And (as if that wasn't enough!) I also had an Open University assignment returned this week. Guess what I got? Drum roll please.....91%!!!!! Not bad!!! Even better when you consider that I got 94% for the first assignment and there no exam at the end of this course. It's all marked on my assignments. It's looking good!!!

Hmmm, you may be getting the feeling I'm an eternal student! I promise you I am not. I did a six month journalism course when I finished high school back in, yikes, well, a long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away....!) and that was it until I started on the long road to what I have finally achieved with these exam results. The OU stuff is something completely different. More for fun. Kind of geeky!

No news on the writing front. No, I tell a lie. I had a rejection letter from the Maass agency about 10 days ago but it's no biggie. The same ms is currently with another mega agent and I've still got a partial at Richmond. Plus I have a new project on the go.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

happy new year!

I'm a few days late but....Happy New Year!!! I've been busy enjoying the last few hazy days of the festive season. I don't mean I've been on holiday, I worked right through, but I've been taking it kinda easy! Tomorrow, normal service resumes at work!

So, here we are in 2008! I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve. We went to see the fireworks at the London Eye! Some of them. We left home a little late and there were a few more people there than we expected, plus we took my route through the crowded streets instead of the dh's route and ended up getting stuck half way to where we wanted to be and on the wrong side of the river! Still, we were together with hundreds of thousands of others, in the pouring rain, drinking alcohol and smiling like lunatics!

The fireworks were pretty damned fabulous. I have the evidence on my phone. My new phone that my darling dh got me for Christmas! Of course, I have no idea how to operate it so he took the video and then sent it to friends because I also don't know how to do that!

So, New Year's Resolutions.....this year I went for things I know I'm going to do!

1) take my dh to a Thai restaurant for his birthday (we've talked about this for at least two years but never done it!)
2) go to the air show at RAF Fairford (can't wait!)
3) go to Regent's Park (something we've never done in five years living in central London!)

And now for the pie in the sky resolution:
4) buy an e book reader (I'm fascinated by these and would love to own love. Just think how much more reading I'd get in if I could read on the go!)

And now for the resolutions that I'm not going to share:
5) XXX XXX X XXXXXXXXX
6) XXXX XXX XXXXX

Hahahaha!

OK, so three weeks now until I get the results of my November exams. Nervous, moi? Absolutely! More nervous than ever before considering these were (hopefully) my last exams. I'm trying to fill my days with so many activities that I don't have time to think about impending exam results and I've booked the days the results might come off work so I'm not forced to look online for the results and share them with everyone before I am ready!

I hope you all have a fabulous 2008, and if it hasn't started out so well, I hope it gets better.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

goodbye 2007

There are less than 26 hours left of 2007. Now, 2007 hasn't been a particularly bad year (some ups, some downs) but I will be glad to see it end, mainly because a new year brings a sense of new beginnings.

The highlight of 2007 for me was seeing DJ Tiesto in Ibiza in August. And just so I didn't waste the last few days of the year, I posted a couple of submissions off to agents on Friday!

Shall head off to bed in a few hours (sleeping patterns are w-a-y out of kilter at the moment) and then be up for work a few hours after that, head into work for a morning of madness then head home again for a few hours before heading back into the city to get a spot to watch the fireworks on the Thames at midnight.

I love living in London! And, it's currently forecast to SNOW on Wednesday!!!!!

Here's to 2008 - may it be full of everything you want. I know I already have a few things planned for 2008. I'm going to put them on here in a day or two as someone I met once told me that once you share your plans with others, you work harder to make them happen.

I want 2008 to be full of good things for everyone I know! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

merry christmas!

I'm spending a much deserved evening lying on the sofa doing nothing. In fact, I'm seriously considering going to bed. Life has been very busy with Christmas things (nights out, lunches, buying presents, arranging more nights out) which coupled with the fact that it's extremely cold mean all I want to do is curl up on the sofa with a duvet and pillow!

Everything I've wanted to buy seems to be unavailable. I searched many a Marks & Spencer for a particular Mrs Beeton's book before giving up and today I've been treking round London Tesco stores trying to find one that had Mousetrap in stock. They have a 3 for 2 special on games (and an extra 25% off!) so I wanted to get Mousetrap, Operation and Buckaroo. All the shops I went too either had none or Operation and Buckaroo but not Mousetrap. Of course, I could buy it from Argo but for almost the same cost as the three games from Tesco! It's essential that I get Mousetrap so I might have to reassess tomorrow.

Officialy, I'm working right up to Christmas and the few days between Christmas and New Year. Unoffically, I'm hoping for late starts, early finishes, casual clothes and plenty of time to catch up on some reading while I'm in the office.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Friday, December 07, 2007

rejection letter

The title says it all really. The US agent rejected my ms yesterday. I got a handwritten note explaining why and all that and that's really I have to say about it right now.