It’s done!  It’s done, it’s done, it’s DONE!

MUST LOVE VAMPIRES, my second paranormal romance for Kensington Brava, is officially finished.  Not yet officially turned in, but the main writing portion of the process is complete & it will be on my editor’s desk soon.  (And in case he’s reading this:  Honest, it will. :angel )

Even though I’ve still got some revising & polishing to do, it feels SO good to have this one primarily done.  It always feels good to get to the end of a story…to know I’m going to meet my deadline, be able to breathe a little easier, to step back & think about all the plot points I included—& any threads I might have left dangling.

This was a great story, too, with lots of fun angles.  Although, I must admit, it was those “fun angles” that knocked me for a bit of a loop this time & made the story more complicated than I realized it was going to be.

You see, MUST LOVE VAMPIRES is a two-in-one collection this time.  (Two connected stories that make up a single book.)  Which means it has two sexy vampire heroes, not one.  And they happen to be brothers with a lot of similarities, at least in appearance.  (Confusing details #1 & 2.)

Then there are my heroines.  They’re related, too.  Sisters, in fact.  But to add an extra complication, they’re identical twin sisters. And did I mention they’re showgirls? (Confusing details #3, & 4.)

So I’ve got these two brothers, trying to keep their vampire tendencies under wraps.  And these twin sisters trying to get close to my vampire brothers…each for a different reason, & each with very ulterior motives. (Confusing details #5,  6, 7, 10…oh, I’ve lost track! :question )

To say there were a lot of plot points to juggle & details to keep straight is the understatement of the century.  Oy. :crazy

But I’ve done it.  Or at least, I think I’ve done it.  Going back through will help me make sure & give me a chance to get everything rounded out & polished up before sending it off to New York.  And hopefully, if I made any mistakes or left out anything pertinent, I’ll catch it during my review.

But I will also be relying on my marvelous Mr. Editor to keep an eye out & make sure I got all my twin/sibling/secret identity/ulterior motive stuff right.  Provided he can make sense of it any better than I did, of course. LOL :ouch

In addition to Martin Luther King Day, today is Hot Buttered Rum Day.

Hmm, which do you think Mistress Heidi wants to celebrate most?

On the one hand, MLK Day is a national holiday, which means a day off work.  (For most people; stay-at-home writers have no concept of holidays, really, nationally observed or otherwise.)

On the other, sitting down with a nice Hot Buttered Rum (or six) sounds infinitely more enjoyable.

Yes, let’s go with celebrating Hot Buttered Rum Day!

Here is a recipe anyone can pull off (even me!) as long as you’ve got yourself a little Captain Morgan handy.

Hot Buttered Rum

Ingredients:

sugar

spices (such as cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice…)

orange zest (optional)

2 oz. dark or spiced rum

water or apple cider

salted butter

Directions:

Sprinkle a little sugar, the spices of your choice, & orange zest (if preferred) into mug.

Add rum.

Fill mug with hot water, or warm apple cider, if you prefer.

Top off warm brew with pat of salted butter. Let butter melt before stirring it all together.

Enjoy!

As a funny aside, I have to tell you that Madame Mommy Dearest is actually the one who brought this great holiday to my attention.  Then she asked me to make her one.  Only she didn’t want the butter on top.  To which I replied, “Without the butter, it’s really just hot rum, & you don’t need me for that.” *snork*