Help and Bribery

First, the help part.

I want to make my blog look pretty. I've changed the template a number of times, but as Blogger only has, like, sixteen templates, no matter what I do it manages to look dull.

Like a blogger blog, basically. Or at least a Beginner's Blogger Blog.

I dunno, I guess I want my blog to have a little more pizazz, since I'd like to use my blog as a way to interact with my readers once I become a published novelist (and to prevent myself from nose-diving into Negativity City [Author Population: A BAJILLION] I like to assume it will be fairly soon), and I want it to look pretty and polished and professional.

Do you any of you know how to set an image as a background? Or change my title into a banner? Or any of the other HTML tricks I have absolutely no knowledge of because I'm an artist whose most complicated use of my computer involves playing Bubble Town on Facebook while writing book reviews at the same time?

Second, the bribery part, and no, sorry, it's not for you. Any help would be appreciated, but the only reward would be my sincerest thanks and the knowledge you helped pretty-fy the (soon to be! yes! SOON!) best-selling author's blog.

No, the bribery is for me. I'm not above bribery. I'm so not above bribery it's hilarious. If someone said to me, "Hey, wanna get into my white, unmarked van with stolen plates in the dead of night while you're standing in a darkened alley with no witnesses?" and happened to say (before I had a chance to scream for help), "Oh, and we'll hit a bookstore later, my treat" - I'd go "HELL YEAH, SUCKA."

I want to finish Reading the Willow King. Like, really fast. I have a bunch of other ideas that, frankly, I'd much rather be working on but I can't drop this novel because I drop every novel and I'll never be able to finish the good novel I WANT to make if I don't finish the novel I kinda sorta want to make but not really anymore because I'm bored.

I'm at about 85 k words right now - but only about 65% through the story (which is relatively normal with first drafts), so I set a deadline: August 31st.

This August - which gives me about a month a half, which is crazy-ambitious for me. I probably won't make it, but if I do, I've promised myself that I'll get to go to Chapters (or the Wee Book Inn, if I'm really cheap) and choose five romance novels guilt-free. No book buying until then. I kinda cheated by buying some books last week, but well, it wasn't really cheating because it wasn't guilt-free. I'm full of guilt - and now with two more books.

BUT!!!! Guilt-free if I finish by August 31st! Wish me luck!