Radio Silence

I am still here.

 

Life (as usual) has been hectic, but I have not forgotten the book or this blog.  I have actually been working on the book - maybe not as much as I'd hoped, but I am making steady progress.  The blog, unfortunately, has come under the knife of my extremely limited internet/computer time.  When it comes down to either writing or blogging, I've chosen writing.

 

But!  Things are looking up.  We're FINALLY about to hire another physicist, so even though I'll still have a lot to do at work, it won't be so overwhelming and draining.  And my hours might actually regulate a little.

 

The big thing that's been keeping me away lately is the board exam I've got hanging over my head.  That's Saturday.  Yes, this Saturday.  It's the second of three parts I have to pass in order to gain my certification, a raise, and the legal right to perform some duties without supervision.  The third (and hardest) part will be an oral exam next May, assuming I pass this written test two days from now.  For the insatiably curious among you, I'm taking the Part 2 - Therapeutic Radiologic Physics exam from the American Board of Radiology.  (Here are some sample questions.) 

 

I actually took today and tomorrow off from work to study, since I haven't really had a chance up till now.  All my books and notes are in my office, so that's where I am, but I'm in jeans and t-shirt and off the clock.  With that said, I'm going to sign off and go bury my nose in radiation dosimetry and shielding calculations.  Joy.

 

Look for the following in the near future:

 

Revisions/Workshop Updates

Book Reviews

General Life

New Ideas/Future Goals

 

And give a shout out in the comments if you're still around and haven't forgotten me!  I miss everyone.  Hope to "see" you all again soon.

Follow-up to FREE Liquid Story Binder XE

As I said in the other post, the offer to get LSB for free is for today, Thursday, 7/18/08 only.  I noticed last night when I was on the GiveawayOfTheDay site that those offers are good until midnight *Pacific Time*.  So that's 3 am my time...or noon on Friday in Australia (unless that funky daylight savings offset has thrown it off - probably so).

 

From my experience with GOTD, you download a .zip file and unpack it - there will be 3 items.  The setup file for the free software, a readme.txt, and an "activate" file.  Read the readme.txt first (I say this because I usually ignore them but this time it's important).  You need to run the ACTIVATE program before installing the software.  Then install the software and it should automatically register itself to the full version.

 

ALL of this needs to be accomplished before the midnight (or whatever) deadline.  You can't just download the file - you have to run the activation and install the software.

 

Just FYI.

 

Oh, and there's a Yahoo! group for Liquid Story Binder users.  For help with the software, updates, questions, discussion of features, etc.  Come on by!

Liquid Story Binder XE - FREE TODAY!!!

A commenter (thanks, Rick!) gave me the heads up last week that LSB might show up for free again and guess what - today it has.

 

I got my copy a few months ago for the bargain price of $15 but today (7/18/08) ONLY you can go to:

 

www.giveawayoftheday.com

 

and download LSB XE for free.  The newest version, even!  (I'm running 2.71 but once you have it registered all updates are free, so I'll be upgrading to 2.91 tonight no matter what.)

 

It was well worth my $15 so BY ALL MEANS go get it free today if you don't already have it.  I've been using it for rewrites and I've only scratched the surface of all the features but some of my favorites are: character dossiers, line notes, shortcuts, file associations, picture galleries.  The storyboard and timeline features are cool but I haven't had the time to fully set mine up.  Other stuff I've heard it does but haven't experienced yet: jump words (i.e. if I click on "Alec" I can set it to pull up his character dossier, if I click on "Glencoe" it will pull up the picture gallery or the list of files with all my research on the massacre, etc.), playlists, all sorts of stuff.

 

For more information on Liquid Story Binder XE go to www.blackobelisksoftware.com

 

The interface isn't your standard Microsoft (duh - and some would say that's a good thing) and it took some getting used to.  I had to change the display colors, and all that.  But the more I use it the more instinctively I know where to find the tools I want, the more features I discover and get set up, and the more addicted to it I get.

 

Go.  It's free.  You can't go wrong with free!

More slashing and burning

Another 2700 words cut tonight, and that despite me not getting and staying focused until after 10 pm.  That brings the MS down to just over 102K, almost 10K less than the SFD.  I still have a lot more to cut, though, especially considering all the new stuff that has to go in.

I'd like to be done with this phase by the weekend, and seriously re-plot through next week.

In other news, I've got reviews for several books I'd like to post, if I could find the time to write them.  Unfortunately, being in full-on revisions mode makes me hyper-critical, and I can't enjoy everything as much as I might.  Thankfully, there are some authors (a few I happen to know "personally") who are good enough that I can still get transported into the story and escape for a little while.

In other other news, I booked our hotel for Fergus tonight.  Only one month from now, woohoo!  It's a shame DH isn't coming with me, though; he would have worn his kilt.

Yay, caffeine

Revisions with me are proving to be mind over matter.  I was exhausted tonight, and the temptation to turn in early and get a good rest was strong.  But I get to sleep in tomorrow (working late - planned for once - so going in late) so I made myself take the little yellow pill and it perked me right up. 

I picked up where I left off with Chapter 12 and started cutting some more.  Among tonight's casualties: my beloved "takedowns" scene, or most of it.  *sigh*  All told I cut about 2500 words, and that only from chapters 12-16.

The rest of the time was spent adding a new scene, or most of one.  A little over 500 words.  Alec and Janet discussing their future, not knowing Elspeth is nearby and the sight of them kissing will send her off to Glencoe alone...

All in all, I'm pleased.  Yay, caffeine.  *g*

Scenes

So I took a break from the "hacky, slashy, poky-poky" of last night to work on this week's assignment for the revisions workshop.

Right now we're looking at scenes: what makes a well-balanced, complete one, things a scene should and should not do, etc.  Our assignment was to post a pivotal scene from the MS, and I chose Elspeth's confrontation with Breadalbane and her bargain for Alec's life.  On the whole it was well-received (by the two people who've commented so far) and some good comments were made that inspired about a 100-word addition to the scene...my first new words in a while.  I also reworked some stuff and took out some "telling" where I didn't need it.

So that's one out of, oh, about 130 or so scenes in the MS that's in pretty much final condition now.  I'll take what progress I can get, hehe.

Now it's almost midnight and I think I'll be better served in general by going to bed and resuming my slash-and-burn operation tomorrow night.

But in the meantime, if anyone wants to save $30 on a CatGenie - a catbox that not only scoops but washes itself and doesn't need litter - let me know.  I can give you a "friends & family" coupon code.  After less than a week I am IN LOVE with mine.  It's totally worth the money.

Slash and Burn

So, first night of the new routine seemed to go okay.  Little Boy went to bed late, so I only got a solid hour of work done.  Still, for a change, I feel like I actually made some progress.

I made it through the first 1/3 of the MS (chapters 1-11) in my slash-and-burn rampage.

According to LSB (Liquid Story Binder) I cut almost 2600 words tonight.  (I've done a little bit previously, too.)  The overall MS is at 107,250.  So I'm down a total of 5K or so, and I've got another 12K at least to get down to my target of 95K.  Some of that will come in the next few nights as I cut big scenes and chunks of scenes (some are hard to part with, but I have to admit to myself they're more for me than for the story).  Other wordage will evaporate as I get into the nitty-gritty revisions, scene-by-scene.  Right now it's the broad-stroke stuff, because I'll get hung up in the little details if I try to go in and just take out lines or paragraphs.

I will also have new stuff to write, at some point.  But I think after I get all this extraneous stuff cut, it will be a big catch-up plotting/organizing streak, and then we'll see where I am in the revisions workshop - I really do plan to blog about that, someday - and hopefully I'll manage to keep pace.

In other news, I'm probably going to Fergus again this year!  My friend Jodi *waves* is also somewhat obsessed with Scotland and we're planning a "girls' weekend out" road trip.  Fun times.

Now I'm for bed.  Staff meeting at 8 am tomorrow.

A new schedule

Okay, I'm trying to get myself on a routine, since things are still hectic but at least they're settling into some aspect of predictability.

My new plan:

8 pm: begin bedtime routine for Little Boy
9 pm: LB in bed; wash face, brush teeth, etc. while waiting for him to settle down
~9:30 pm: at computer - go straight to work on revisions
11:30-12 am: wrap up revisions for the night, check e-mail/blogs and other online administrativa
~12 am: bedtime
6 am: alarm goes off
8 am: work
~6-7 pm: home, dinner, playtime
8 pm: lather, rinse, repeat

Another meme, because Deniz posted it *g*

(Y'all, I have so much to blog and absolutely no time to do it - what with the internet ban at work, and my evening computer time taken up by the revisions workshop - so I'll have to make do with this for now.)

Stolen from Shaylin, who stole it from Jon, who stole it from Sandy:

1. What's in your pocket right now?  Nothing.  My cell phone about 15 minutes ago.

 

2. Have you ever gone skinny-dipping?  Do hot tubs count?

 

3. Did you have a baby blanket?  I don't think so, but I did have a tattered old feather pillow with a homemade pillow case (Lovey Pillow) and a ragged stuffed rabbit missing an eye (Lovey Bunny).  Still have them, in fact - though I don't sleep with them anymore. 

 

4. Have you ever tried to cut your own hair?  When I had bangs, I cut my own all the time.  Never the whole head, though.

5. How did that turn out?  Fine.  Like I said, I did it all the time.

 

6. Have you ever sleepwalked?  I don't think so. 

 

7.Have you ever had a birthday party at a restaurant?  Yeah.  Blanking on which ones, but I'm pretty sure I have.

 

8. Have you ever eaten a dog biscuit?  Tried one.  Not bad, actually.

9. If you were in a car sinking in a lake, what would you do first?  Open the door.  (Thank you, Mythbusters.)

 

10. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?  No.

 

11. Have you ever fallen asleep in school?  OH, yeah.

 

12. How many foreign countries have you visited?  4: Mexico, Israel, Bahamas, Canada.  Oh!  5 if you count our layover in Copenhagen on the way to Israel.

 

13. Have you ever broken a bone?  Not officially.  Possibly a few undiagnosed hairline fractures in there somewhere.  OTOH, I drink a lot of milk.

 

14. Have you ever accidentally taken something from a hotel?  No, not accidentally.

15. If you could invite any movie star to your home for dinner, who would it be?  Movie star?  Can't it be someone interesting?

 

16. If you could attend an Olympic Event, what would it be?  I like to watch figure skating and gymnastics.  Fencing would be pretty neat, too.  Also archery.

 

17. How many pairs of shoes do you own?  Hmmm...6 pairs of serviceable work shoes (3 black, 3 brown, usage varies by season), 3 pairs of tennis shoes (white, black/white, and blue/silver - the first 2 are new as of last weekend), 2 pairs of boots (black and brown), 1 pair of tartan - not plaid - ballet flats, and assorted pairs of sandals/strappy dress shoes.  2 pairs of dress heels.  Or something like that.

 

18. If you won a $5,000 shopping spree to any store, which store would you pick?  Oy...  How about Carnival Cruise Lines online reservations?  Does that count?  I'm too tired to analyze best-case options right now.

 

19. Have you ever been rushed to the emergency room?  Not rushed, but taken.  I seriously had like a 106+ fever when I was in 4th(?) grade.  And once I jumped in a pile of leaves and almost broke my wrist (but didn't, cf. #13).  Can't remember if the time I hit the pipe in the road while riding my bicycle barefoot resulted in an ER trip or not.  I think it probably did.

20.  Have you ever had surgery?  Yeah, most recently my wisdom teeth out.  Only one other back in college, and it was outpatient too.  Nothing major.

21.  When was the last time you had a sit-down dinner with your immediate family that didn't consist of a television?  Saturday night?  Sunday we were gone all day to the zoo, and Little Boy's been gone to Granny's since yesterday (he gets back on Thursday, and that's why I'm able to be on the computer before 10 pm...)

Happy (Belated) Birthday to Alec!

I hate that I missed it and didn't post yesterday.  But, well, the way my life's been lately, it's amazing I'm blogging at all.

Anyway, Alec was born on June 24th, 1663, the second son of "Red" Malcolm MacGregor, Laird of Glenstrae, and Mary Campbell MacGregor.

Going strictly by birthdate, he is 320 years older than Elspeth, give or take a month or so.  In the "real world" of present day, he would have been 345 yesterday, though biologically he's still only in his late 20's.  (In the novel, he turns 28 the day after he meets Elspeth, making him almost 30 by the end of the book.)

Là breith sona dhuit, Ailig!

(I probably slaughtered that.  My Gaelic is r-u-s-t-y.)

Proof Google is Stalking Me (and probably you, too)

Move over, Big Brother.

Just now I was on ThePeerage.com researching the antecedents for one Hugh Sinclair: tacksman to Malcolm MacGregor, Chief of Clan Gregor and Laird of Glenstrae; effectively adopted brother and good friend to one Alec MacGregor; potential antagonist/almost betrothed/ultimately good friend of Elspeth Martin; and eventual heir (with Andi Duluth) to Book 3 - One Highland Somethingorother.

At any rate, toward the bottom of the page I found a GoogleAds box.  No biggie.  Only it was for Amazon, and the 3 books it highlighted were:

The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing
My Lord and Spymaster (Yay, Jo!  And it was this that caught my eye.  Check it out in the sidebar to the left!)
Keeping Kate by Sarah Gabriel

The freaky thing is: yeah, sure, Amazon knows I buy books on writing and that I've preordered Jo's book.  But I've only ordered one book by Sarah Gabriel recently and that was through PaperBackSwap.com, something neither Amazon nor Google should know about.  Hmmm?

I'm still alive...

...barely.

The last 2-3 weeks have been crazy, and not in a fun way.  Work is pretty much kicking my ass, and by that I mean sheer workload.  Consistently working until 7-8 pm for weeks on end will tap me out in a hurry.  Having no internet access while I'm there pretty much sucks, too.  It completely mucks with my schedule.  I mean, I understand they want top productivity out of us, but at least being able to pop into my e-mail or pay some bills over my lunch break would do wonders for my morale, not to mention save the few precious hours I have on the computer in the evenings for the MS.

Despite all I have been making progress - just at a snail's pace.  Maybe someday I'll have the time to blog about it.  We just got assignment 2 (characterization and POV) for the revisions workshop, and I spent a good chunk of tonight working on it.  Once it's posted I'll probably go back to do some more on the first assignment, which was structure and organization.  I'm nowhere near where I wanted to be on that just yet.

On the home front: Friday DH and I are leaving for a 3-day weekend in Gatlinburg to celebrate our (7th!) anniversary.  I REALLY need the R&R.  Little Boy (who is dry pretty much all day at home in underwear now, though he still wears pull-ups in public and to bed) will be staying overnight at Grandpa's house for the first time.  I think we'll all have fun.

Quote

"When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story.  When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story."

-Steven King
On Writing

---

I am so tired and overwhelmed with work and life and this workshop (in which I am hopelessly behind, and the first session isn't even over yet) I could curl up and cry.  Or sleep.  Or something.

But in my desperate reach for input rather than output for a change, I've been toting the above book around with me today and I discovered that little gem on page 57.  It was the bright spark of inspiration in my dismal blur of a day towards the end of a dismal blur of a week (Deniz's visit the obvious exception). 

So to heck with timelining for tonight; I think I'm gonna go rip some scenes.

Torn

I want to do the June X over on CompuServe.  I want to rather badly.  (Not least because part of our first assignment for the revisions workshop was a 750-word synopsis, so I've got one ready!)

BUT I still have 4 crits to do for the aforementioned workshop, and a whole heck of a lot of timelining and organizing and extraneous-scene-culling from the MS to complete in a little less than 2 weeks.  And posting up an X means critting everyone else's and though I usually enjoy participating, honestly I really do not have enough time in the day right now.  I obviously haven't had much time to blog.  Heck, I *barely* have time to check my e-mail.

*taps chin*  Decisions, decisions...

Tedium

I planned a detailed post about what exactly I'm doing and how that fits with the first part of the revisions workshop, but tonight I'm too drained.  Maybe tomorrow. 

In summary: the past few nights have been spent finally (finally!) getting my butt in gear with Liquid Story Binder - henceforward referred to as LSB - and setting everything up for large-scale revisions.

Unfortunately for me and my mental state, "setting up" means hours' worth of importing files, associating files, sorting files into chronological order instead of alphabetical, and tonight: inserting columns (and columns, and columns - 129, to be exact) for scenes into a timeline and labeling them with chapter and scene number.  (Example: third scene in chapter seventeen is labeled "17.3" and so on.)

This is the scut work before the "real" work begins, the stuff that - though tedious - will ultimately make my life easier.  The timeline, for example, will help me visualize and organize issues ranging from character subarcs (i.e. Elspeth's grasp of Gaelic, or appreciation for 17th century food) to sequences of events, times of year, and exact dates, among others.

Of course, were I starting from scratch in LSB (or nearly so, as I will when/if I ever dive into OHW) this kind of thing would grow organically as I wrote, with only small amounts of time required to update my organizational tools.  Starting with 112K of rough draft and umpteen million little picture files, brainstorming notes, etc. and trying to get everything sorted into a software that's completely new to you with sometimes unintuitive commands...well, you see why it's taking so much out of me.

On that note, I'm going to bed.

*Fanfare* (for various reasons)

First and foremost, congrats to Carol on her release!  Head over to The Wild Rose Press and purchase her book.  Then pop by Jen's blog with your order number for another contest!

As for myself...tonight I officially resumed work in earnest on OHN!  The Next Level Workshop opened properly yesterday, but I was exhausted and brain-drained and so I didn't really dive in until tonight.

Thank God for caffeine pills, though.  I think my single greatest discipline in working on this MS is making myself take one (note to self: taking a caffeine pill WITH a Mt. Dew is a bit of overkill and makes you jittery) and then getting BICHOK until it kicks in.  Then I'm golden.  Last night I was practically passing out at my keyboard by 10:30, but now it's almost 2 am and I'm going relatively strong.  Off to bed soon, though.

I may continue to have a reduced online presence for the immediate future.  With my writing time restricted to late night (generally the hours between 9 pm and midnight) and so much work to do on revisions, I can't afford to futz around playing Text Twirl or looking at LOLcats for very long.  Also we've been asked to scale back our internet usage at work, and with a load of new (and old) projects - not to mention an upcoming certification exam - I'm too busy to do much online there anyway.  Even my e-mail activity will be restricted to only the most urgent of dealings.  I will TRY to maintain a presence on the CompuServe Forum (and yes - I know I still owe several people replies!) but I've cut myself off from most of my other message boards and hangouts as nonessential for the time being. 

Notes from the home front:

• I'm just now almost over the upper respiratory infection that kept me coughing for a week, then morphed into a sinus infection that's had me blowing my nose constantly for the past 5 days.
  
• We've decided to enroll Little Boy in a Montessori preschool beginning in the fall.  He'll be 2 1/2, which was way younger than I planned to have him in any kind of program, but I just recently discovered Montessori and from what I've read it sounds like a GREAT fit for him, and they usually start kids at 2.5-3 years old.  It's only half days, and it will also give DH a chance to go to class/work on schoolwork/have some downtime.
  
• To that end, we've also begun potty training in earnest.  Pray for my sanity, hehe!  LB is doing well, all things considered...which is to say he's no longer screaming and running from the room when we ask him to sit on the potty chair.  Switching to cotton training pants during the day has gone a long way to further his awareness, and he does want to keep them "kween an' dry!"  (Though I felt bad for him the other day, when he was trying so hard to not pee on himself that he wouldn't go AT ALL - even in the potty or his diaper.  He spent the last hour or so before bed with tucked knees and a hand over his bladder, and then filled the diaper as soon as he relaxed for sleep.  Bless his heart.)
  

Up and Coming:

• More posts!  I try to post a little progress bit at the end of each session when I'm actively working.  And believe you me, this workshop's gonna kick my ass (in a good way!) for the foreseeable future, so I WILL be actively working.
• Blog updates.   New pics and stuff for the sidebars, mainly.  I'll be updating my blogroll, so if you're a regular reader and want your blog linked to, just drop me a line to remind me!

Character Portrait: Artist's Take

WOOT!  Jason's got a post up on his blog about my commission of Alec & Elspeth, so head on over to check it out:

1000 Words

Be sure to give him some comment love and tell him what a good job he did.  *g*

T-minus 4 days till revisions workshop.  I may or may not be a larger online presence during that time; it depends on how busy Barbara keeps us.  *g*  Tomorrow's holiday is slated for more outside/yard work, at least until it rains.

For now, I'm off to comfort the sobbing toddler who didn't nap and therefore can't get to sleep.  (If anyone can explain THAT one to me, I'm all ears...)

Book Giveaway!

Author, blogger, fellow Forumite and friend Carol A. Spradling has her first book Cost of Freedom coming out (digitally) next week by The Wild Rose Press.  Print version releases in November.  Yay, Carol!  *g*

 

Cost of Freedom

Release Date: Digital May 30, Print Nov. 28
ISBN #: 1-60154-241-0
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

 

Jen is sponsoring a contest to celebrate, and you could win your very own e-copy of COF.  Head on over and throw your name in the pot:

 

COST OF FREEDOM Book Giveaway

 

(I'd put up the banner and book trailer, but those don't work by e-mail post.  You can see them at the contest page.)

 

Let's all say it again: Yay, Carol!!!

Sick

Ugh.

 

Little Boy's been sick for the better part of a week (upper respiratory infection; read: bad cold), and he passed it along to me just before he left for Granny's house on Sunday night (she kept him until yesterday, so DH could finish the last of his papers for school).  For the past several days, I've had a persistent, unproductive cough, and as of yesterday the lymph nodes in my neck are all swollen and tender.  Joy.

 

I finally broke down and took some NyQuil last night - I'm a big proponent of letting my immune system try to handle things on its own - and some generic OTC gel-caps of cough suppressant/expectorant this morning.  They do seem to be helping.  I also gave up the ghost and fell asleep on the couch right after LB went to sleep last night, and got up and went straight to bed around midnight.  Needless to say, I didn't get anything accomplished.

 

Also, my boss has been on vacation all last week and this week, so I'm pulling down double-duty and that's keeping me busy at work.

 

Between those two situations, you can see why I haven't been up to much online.  *g*  I'm hoping the full night's sleep will restore my attention span and bolster my immune response, and I'll be able to stay on task today.  I've got quite a bit to do, online and elsewhere.

 

One week and counting to get stuff caught up before the revisions workshop consumes my existence...

A Meme about Various Things

Carol got me!  Here goes...

 

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read the player's blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

A Meme about Various Things

What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago I was in high school, wrapping up my junior year and preparing for this summer program I'd been accepted to.  I was hoping it would take my mind off the ex I was still pining after.  Little did I know I'd meet my future husband there...  *g*

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
IMRT film analysis

Check plans and finished charts

Go to Wal-Mart

Clean out my aquarium

Watch Dancing With the Stars final results show

What are some snacks you enjoy?
Pringles

Oreos

Chocolate

What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Visit all the places I want to see, build my dream home and settle down with my own ceramics studio and do that or write whenever I wanted.  After responsibly investing all my money for the future, of course, and donating to several worthy causes.  *g*

What are three of your bad habits?

Talking too much (who, me?)

Procrastination

Squeezing pimples (I know, but I can't help it!)

What are five places where you have lived?
Louisville, KY

Brandenburg, KY

Irvington, KY

Lexington, KY (southside)

Lexington, KY (northwest)

What are five jobs you have had?
Hallmark Cards - merchandiser

Humane Society - adoption counselor

Physics Lab - research assistant

Graduate School - full time grad student

Cancer Clinic - medical physicist

What were the last five books you read?
I really haven't been reading as much lately...I know I'm slacking but there's so much going on.

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS Khaled Hosseni

I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE Wally Lamb

THE SIXPENCE BRIDE Virginia Farmer

THE PERILS OF PLEASURE Julie Anne Long

SIN AND SYNTAX Constance Hale

 

What are five web sites you visit daily (in no particular order)?
iGoogle (for my blog subscriptions, Gmail, news feeds - one stop shop!)

Facebook

Compuserve Books & Writers (mostly lurking lately, hope to change that!)

China Adopt Talk

BabyCenter Carseats Board

 

And yeah, since I'm the last to post this, there's not anyone really left to tag!  So if you're reading this and haven't done it...feel free.  *g*

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday!  I'm 27, for those keeping track.  I actually got carded buying beer last night at the grocery store, though the nice older lady who checked my ID then said "Oh, no, you're definitely okay!  But the years have been good to you, haven't they?"  I thought it was odd, considering I've only been "legal" for 6 years now.  But hey, at least I still look young!  (I think it's the braces.)

 

I do have birthday plans, though not huge ones.  I'm at work right now; no way around that one.  But Little Boy (though sick with a cold) went to his Granny's house last night and is there until Wednesday while DH finishes two papers and a final for school.  So tonight we're child-free, and we're going to my favorite sushi restaurant for dinner.  Then I'm volunteering at a car seat check from 7-9 pm.  (Yeah.  Is it sad I thought it would be fun to install carseats on my birthday?  ...Don't answer that.  *g*)  The seat check is at a Babies R Us store which happens to be right next to a movie theater, so after the check we're going to see Prince Caspian.  Should be fun.

 

Oh, and then I have to run home and watch the DVR'd final of Dancing With the Stars so I can vote.  Or maybe I don't have to - I'm giving all my votes to Kristi Yamaguchi anyway.

 

10 days and counting until the revisions workshop begins and I'm back at the grind full-time.  In the meantime I'm trying to revive my presence over at CompuServe.  (A big thanks to everyone who commented on my "secondary character" snip!  Replies soon.)  I'm also still fiddling with Liquid Story Binder.  It has the potential to become a VERY powerful tool for me, if I can just learn the ins and outs and get all my stuff organized into it.

 

P.S. I do have that meme partially written up and saved as a draft; I just need to finish it.  Hopefully today.  I know you're all just hanging around waiting for me to post it.  *w*

Elspeth's Birthday

Today is Elspeth's birthday.  (She's 25, for the record and according to the birthdate I decided on.  Though in my head she's still a nebulous kind of 24-and-a-half.  It's weird to think of the events in OHN in a strict sense of real-time, in which case the climactic events have already happened, but the book's conclusion is still the better part of a year away...)

 

Her birthday horoscope (courtesy horoscope.com): 

 

For those of us born on: May 12
Happy Birthday! The months ahead are likely to start with a short trip or journey, and it might be that a blast from the past is the spur. July sees miscommunication leading to a slight muddle, while August onwards highlights new interests and romance! September is a revitalizing month, and great in terms of cash. A work related development should lead to a boost in income, while October will be the month where you should concentrate on yourself: join the gym, or resolve to embark on a healthier lifestyle, because December is the month of excess! January highlights home improvements; there big projects will require one hundred percent commitment! March is the ideal month to relax and count your blessings!

 

I normally put NO stock in horoscopes, but ahaha I just loved this one.  Those who've seen all or most of OHN will understand why.  *g*

 

A belated Happy Mother's Day to all, and those wishes PLUS belated Birthday wishes to Claire, who made an exciting announcement on her blog!

Productivity

...just not the writing kind.

 

I had a very productive weekend.  Among the many projects I completed were:

-Final sanding, re-spackling, and final-final sanding of new closet in upstairs hall, culminating in painting the new wall of said closet on Sunday afternoon.  Now I just need to get the same kind of trim paint as in the rest of the house, and do the frame and door.
-Laundry.  It may not seem like a big deal, but it is.  For me.
-Sorting through, folding, and boxing a whole bunch of clothes Little Boy has outgrown to give to our friends who are adopting a boy (6 months younger) from China.
-Rearranging stuff into various closets to clean out Little Boy's "big boy" room/playroom to open up space for more toys.  From downstairs.  Seriously, they are taking over our living room right now.  About 50% of those are baseballs.  DH and I have decided LB can fund our retirement with his Major League career.  (Did I mention he's 2?)
-Sticking the better part of 90 glow-in-the-dark stars to the ceiling in the aforementioned room.  I tried to be conservative, but I ran out of sticky-tak so the remaining few are sitting on top of his dresser for now.

Okay, side note.  DH pointed this out...  Of the people who put glow-in-the-dark stars on their kids' ceilings, how many bother to put in constellations?  And of those, how many print off a star chart from the month said child was born, and put the constellations visible at that time in their proper orientations?

*Jenny sheepishly raises hand*

I've still got about 20 of the littler stars to put up - the last bits of the Milky Way, such as it is - and once I get everything done I'll try to get a decent pic.  It's pretty neat to look at from the floor in a totally dark room.

 

On the writing front I haven't done much but I do have a (sort-of) excuse: I've been accepted to the Next Level Workshop, and it begins May 29th.  So even though I have writing stuff here and there I could be doing, the NLW will take up so much of my time in a few weeks - AND it will be focused, directed edits rather than my shotgun approach - that I've decided to allow myself other household projects in the meantime.

 

Oh, and congrats to Jen on her upcoming graduation from Law School!

Character Portrait: Final (Colors and Background)

Yup!  This is it - the final version!

 

Jason sent me a colored version last week and I asked for two changes - he's been so patient with me, hehe - but then he was offline due to computer issues until recently.  He made the changes I asked for and I got the "final-final" version yesterday, to my great excitement!

 

What?  You want to see them?  *g*  Oh, okay, well since you asked nicely...

 

 

 

(Image copyright 2008 Jason Badower.)

 

He was also good enough to send me versions I can set as my desktop (which I did!) and a smaller version to post online (which you see here).

 

Keep in mind that these images are scaled way down from the full size.  Remember the teaser pics I posted of their eyes?  That's full size.  My image viewer software shows the dimensions as 32x40 cm, but Jason says it will print very nicely on A2 sized paper (twice that).  Guess who's making a stop at her local print shop on the way home?  *g*

 

Final thoughts: this process is addicting.  Now I can see my characters whenever I want!  It's so awesome, in fact, that I cannot imagine writing another book without saving my pennies for a portrait of those characters.  In fact, once I finish saving for the "Next Level" workshop it's on to a portrait of Nate and Mairi, possibly - nae, probably - before I even finish that MS.

 

At some point I hope Jason will blog his side of this process, and have no fears I'll link y'all over there when it goes up.

 

So...a few of you have been good enough to comment throughout but I'd love to hear from everyone: what do you think?

Character Portrait: Tones

Jason often calls this his favorite stage, and I can kinda see why.  The characters become three-dimensional, and you can really appreciate the depth and detail of the image before becoming distracted by colors.  Not that there's anything wrong with colors!  But this is kind of the point at which the images begin to have a feeling of life about them.  There's also just something elegant about black-and-white shots.

After the "final" lineart, I did ask for a few corrections (as mentioned in my last post) and to save time Jason made them and then went ahead and sent the corrected version with the tones already on.  I'd been pulling up the lineart file for days, just to stare at them.  After this point, it was even worse!  But it was finally in a form I could set as the background on my computer desktop, which I did pretty much immediately.

But enough about me *w*...here they are in grayscale:



(Image copyright 2008 Jason Badower.)

See what I mean?  *g*

I got to enjoy this version for quite some time while I waited on the final colors.  But the good news is, you won't have to wait: I got the final-final version today and I LOVE it!!!  Watch for that tomorrow...

Character Portrait: Lineart

Y'all are in for a treat.  *g*

It's hard to describe how excited I was once we agreed on a pose and I was waiting for the lineart.  Even knowing all the upcoming stages and how much more detail they would add, the lineart was still my first chance to really see my characters for the first time.  I left my e-mail open all day at work, and I would compulsively check the bottom of my screen to see if any new messages had arrived.

That was one entire day and the better part of a second.  At last, there they were!  Some of you may remember the "SQUEEEEEEE" from Facebook, hehe.  Here's the first thing I got from him, a "preview" if you will:



(All images copyright 2008 Jason Badower.)

It was close.  It was very, very close.  I couldn't put my finger on what was "off" about Alec until I realized he looked older than his 28 years.  His nose was a little big and the lines on his forehead aged him.  After some consultation with Jason (and more computer futzing by Jenny) we came to this version of their faces:



The only thing I asked him to change about Elspeth for this round was to make her lips smaller, and he did.

It's a funny thing about Elspeth.  Alec...when I saw him, it was like "OMG, there he is.  That's him exactly."  I had a very definite mental image of him, even if I couldn't pin it down (see below).  But Elspeth...for all that I could give you a full physical description, down to bra cup size, her image was much more nebulous in my head, and open to suggestion. 

I mean, I'll admit, when I started writing I did want to give the heroine some of my physical characteristics, because there's something validating in reading a novel - especially a romance - in which you share traits with the MC.  So I gave her brown hair and brown eyes and made her "real" - smaller breasts, larger bum - but other than that I never intended for her to be my twin.  Once she laid claim to her name and became her own person, the distinction between her and me grew.  Yet I still had a hard time differentiating the image of her in my head from my own personal image.  Part of that was never finding a real-life counterpart (a la Martin Henderson for Alec) to stand in for her.  So to a degree, I let Jason create her for me, and I'm pleased with the results.

As I told Jason, this whole process has been...well, really hard to describe - but in a good way.  I *know* these characters; they've taken on a life of their own and they've been living in my head for almost 2 years.  I know personality quirks, speech habits, family history and, yes, how they look.  But trying to picture them in my head was like looking through a fog.  The details were there, but they were obscured.  It's only when I caught flashes of them (through pictures of actors, or what have you) that something "clicked" and I could hold that image in my head for a little bit.

 

I could never have drawn them or told someone else how to draw them (beyond what I put in the brief).  But when Jason put it on (virtual) "paper" for me to see, it was like the fog rolled away and the image in my head crystallized to the point I could pick out "yes, yes, yes that's right...that bit seems a little off" and by process of elimination I could find what didn't click.  Then I would ask for the little changes and when I got the revisions it was the AHA! moment and there were my characters looking out of the screen at me, and it's really them - not just some "close second" that has been as good as I could get.

Here is the completed lineart (from whence the face shot is cropped):

Again, I asked for just a few minor changes (shorten Alec's kilt, mainly, and make Elspeth's jeans full length) but will you LOOK at that DETAIL?  *g*  I was and have been constantly amazed at - and gratified by - Jason's attention to detail.  I wanted Alec's clothing to be authentic to his period and it is, to quote the Smart Bitches, "like whoa and like damn!"

Next step: tones (in which they become 3-dimensional)...

Character Portrait: Sketches

After sending my (not-so-brief) "brief" to Jason in January, the commission was put on hold for about 3 months, while he worked on a big project.  The timing actually worked out well, because those were my months "off" from writing (not to mention the time I was saving up the money by doing research studies) and the very week I regained my momentum and got excited about rewrites - in fact the day after I wrote on my blog that I needed to "reconnect" with my characters - I got an e-mail from Jason saying he was freed up to work on commissions and did I still want to go ahead with the project?

My answer (not in so many words): HELL YEAH!!!  *g*

He said he'd get sketches to me a few days later.  Sure enough, I got home from church that Sunday and rushed to check my e-mail and there they were!  He sent me five.





(All images copyright 2008 Jason Badower.)

My instructions were to ignore expressions and lighting, and look mainly at the pose and relation of the characters.  This was strictly to get the "shape" or "form" of the drawing.

I, of course, liked them all.  But A seemed a little too...I dunno..."chummy".  Not that A&E aren't friends and equals, but - especially given his time period/culture - I just envisioned them in a more formal pose.  Same thing, to a degree, with B, though it was closer to what I had envisioned.  But the completely side-on pose didn't appeal to me so much.

C and D were essentially the same pose, just with Elspeth looking over different shoulders.  I kinda liked C.  But something seemed off, and after a while I realized that it relegated Elspeth - even if only slightly - to the role of "damsel".  NOT that Alec isn't a dashing, heroic sort.  *w*  But Elspeth's a strong woman, a black belt and a fighter in her own right,and I wanted that to come across.

E now...E was getting somewhere.  In my mind's eye I'd imagined a very similar pose, just reversed and with a few minor changes.  I couldn't have described it well (much less drawn it!) without seeing his sketches, but once I had a template (E) to work with, I futzed around with it and came up with this version:

Hoping he wouldn't mind me messing with his artwork, I sent it back to Jason to see if he thought it would work.  He said no problem, my version would work great - and he didn't mind because it showed him exactly what I wanted without having to go back-and-forth.  We were off and running!  Next step: lineart...

Character Portrait: The Brief

So begins my series of posts on the "project" I've been keeping under wraps, which some of you had already guessed was the portrait of Alec and Elspeth I commissioned back in January.

For this project, I've had the privilege to work with a very talented comic/graphic novel artist, the inestimable Jason Badower.  I found his blog through the 9th Wonders boards and a discussion about his work on some of the Heroes graphic novels for NBC.  I stopped by hoping for some behind-the-scenes info and/or spoilers, and stuck around because I liked his art and his funny stories.  *g*  When I emerged from the self-induced haze that was my last days finishing OHN and started reading my blog subscriptions again, he was posting about commissioned portraits he had done, and I decided I had to have one.

So I zipped off an e-mail and received his reply in short order.  Could I prepare a "brief" outlining what I wanted, and then we could work out terms and details.  I set to work.

The Brief

My brief...was anything but.  As regular readers may know, it's hard for me to "write short" hehe.  What I sent Jason was a 10-page, single-spaced Word document full of descriptions and pictures, explaining my thoughts on pose, emotions, detailed info on each character, ideas for background, etc.  Some highlights:

Pose: leaning towards ¾ of both.  (Or perhaps ¾ of one and full frontal of the other?)  I'd like them standing close to each other, touching in some way, but not in full contact.  (Okay, this is for a romance novel, but I'm not looking for bodice-ripping cover art here.  *g*  However, I do want their pose(s) to indicate their relationship – which includes friendship, trust, and deep love/affection.  In other words, a casual pose that still conveys their connection.)

One way would be have Elspeth standing slightly in front of Alec, and both of them angled – like / – again in ¾ profile.  Alec's back hand could be on her shoulder or waist.  (His free hand could maybe be on his sword-hilt.) ...

I then went on to offer a few other ideas on pose and then went into the characters.

DETAILED INFO: 

Okay, here's the kicker: this is time-travel, so the characters are from two different centuries, about 300 years apart.

Alec (Alasdair Colin MacGregor) is a Scottish Highlander from 1691.  This means full kilt (the big, cloak-y kind), bloused shirt, bonnet, dirk, sword (basket-hilted broadsword), sporran…the whole shebang.

Elspeth (Elizabeth Renee Martin) is a modern twenty-first century physicist.  I see her in jeans and a t-shirt, possibly with her knapsack or a bo staff.  Oh!  And the crystal.  (I'll get to that in a minute.)

So, the specs for each character…

ALEC MacGREGOR

General appearance:  He has shoulder-length chestnut (reddish brown) hair, very blue eyes, dimples.  He's right at 6 feet tall, muscular but not bulky (think lean and strong – he's a warrior, trained to fight with a sword and walk the Highlands all his life, not a scrap of fat on him, his muscles are well-defined but he's not a bodybuilder…or, for that matter, a typical comic-book hero).

I went on here to give him the chunk of MS where Elspeth meets him for the first time and thus he is described.  Also a handful of pictures of Martin Henderson and others that I used for reference, and quite a few screenshots from the movie Rob Roy and pics of men in Great Kilts for clothing reference, along with close-ups of basket-hilted broadswords and Doune pistols, etc...

ELSPETH MARTIN

General appearance:  Mousy brown, slightly-wavy hair, just past shoulders; large, dark brown eyes, oval face.  She's 5'6", 140 pounds, size 12, 34B cup size (not huge breasts! on the small/average side).  She carries her weight through thighs and butt, so a little bottom heavy but not grossly disproportionate or lumpy – still very attractive.  (Alec calls her his "callipygian Venus".) 

She's a trained fighter herself, a black-belt in kempo, and she carries herself like it.  Aside from a little extra fluff (mainly on her rear, see above), she's pretty fit and athletic.

I don't have as many pictures of her, mainly because I haven't found a real-life counterpart.

I gave him what I had for Elspeth - mainly a Yahoo! avatar and a few other odds and ends, suggested some accessories, mentioned the crystal, and then suggested Kilchurn (where else?) as the background image and gave him the Flickr links to the pics you see here on the blog whose photographers generously gave me permission to use them.

He was impressed with my thoroughness, and likened my writing to his art: they both required a lot of research to do well.  I could tell already this would turn out to be great, but life intervened for both of us.  I got pulled away from the book for a few months, and he took on a few major projects that kept him busy.  We left things at the brief stage until about 2 weeks ago...

Sharing Friday

I'm joining in on the fun Susan started...and since I'm currently not actively working on a particular bit, you're in for a rare treat: a preview of Book 2, AKA One Highland Wife...

---

"Where'd you get that?"  His sister's voice was sharp, unreasonably so, but not enough to make him look up from his inspection of the stone.

"Some old woman down by the loch shore—she practically made me take it.  It's pretty rough, but I think it might just be diamond.  Hard to tell in this light…" 

He stood up out of the shadows where they'd pitched the picnic blanket, and wandered along the wall into the sunlit space of the former bailey to get a better look.

"Nate, stop where you are."

Her warning registered, eventually, but not before he'd taken a few more steps.  A low chiming sounded from somewhere—it seemed close, but he couldn't locate it—and he was startled to feel the crystal grow warm in his hand.

"Hey, Lisbet, check this ou—" He looked up at his sister, grinning, only to see on her face a look of such terror that he stopped mid-syllable.  "What?"

"Nattie!  Drop the bloody stone and get the hell away from there as fast as you can!"

He looked down at the crystal in his palm, still warm and now giving off a faint glow, and back again at the others.  Alec had already scooped up Colin, he saw, and was sprinting from the spot as fast as he could manage.  Which, given his brother-in-law's ground-eating lope, was pretty fast indeed.

Elspeth herself seemed torn, perched on the balls of her feet as if to run after her family, but with one arm outstretched to him to pull him back from whatever abyss she could see yawning behind him.

"Now, Nattie!  Drop it now!"

Tag Line

[Well, the other "missing" posts finally showed up so hopefully e-mail blogging is working again.  We'll see.]

 

So I was just thinking...okay, I was browsing Flair on Facebook, and it got me thinking...a lot of books have "tag lines" either used for marketing, or even just on the front cover somewhere to pique interest.  Like an extremely short hook.  And it could be a viral thing, like if/when OHN comes out I could make a Flair button (see how I got here?) that had an image and/or the tagline and all my friends and people who liked the book would add it.  Okay, well, forgive me my delusions of grandeur *w* but I was trying to come up with a tag line for OHN and this just popped up.

 

Two times...One destiny.

 

Or somesuch.  I'll be playing with this in my head a bit.

 

Too corny?  Too cliche?  Too vague?

 

Suggestions?  And if you could come up with a tag line for your OWN book, what would it be?  (I know, the $64,000 question, right?)

 

Keep an eye out for upcoming posts on the different stages of the project (see below post for teaser pics), just as soon as I get access to my data stick and some free time to write it up.

Testing...

I usually blog by e-mail anymore, but last night I sent a post and - instead of showing up on the blog nearly instantaneously, as is the usual case - it seems to have disappeared into the cyber-ether.

 

So I'm just testing this out...

Descriptions

So, while we're all waiting (yes, I am too, and yes - still waiting!) I'd like to hear from you guys...

Those of you who have read snips - or more - of OHN, tell me: how would you describe Alec and Elspeth?  What do you think they look like?

As the author, of course I have an idea in *my* head, but people interpret so differently.  I'm curious to see how others picture my characters.

Leave a comment and tell me how YOU see them.

Hints

Since I've been stringing you guys along, I guess it's only fair if I give you a little more information on what I've been working on behind-the-scenes.

 

*It involves Alec and Elspeth.

 

*It is a gift to myself for having completed a 100K+ word novel, and motivation to continue with rewrites and attempts at publication.

 

*I am not the only person working on this project.  In fact, I'm not even the one doing most of the work.

 

*I cannot imagine writing another book without doing this kind of project.  Before or after it is finished, I can't decide.

 

*After the "big reveal" (hopefully tomorrow) I plan a series of posts walking through the entire process step-by-step.

 

*If the book is ever published, I can use this project for promotion.

 

I really hope you guys think this is as cool as I do.  As long as I'm happy with it (and I am so far!) I guess that's the most important thing.  But I'll feel kind silly for all this secrecy if everyone's just like "oh, that's it?"  *g*

I've Been Tagged

Carol tagged me.  Since I'm still waiting for Tuesday, here goes...

 

The rules:

a. Link to the person who tagged you.
b. Post the rules on your blog.
c. Write six random things about yourself.
d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

 

Hmmm...I've told a lot already but I'll see if I can come up with anything new and interesting.

 

1.) I've never lived anywhere outside of Kentucky.

 

2.) Despite my best efforts, I cannot speak with a Scottish accent.  (Cockney, yes - thanks to Monty Python.  I can even manage a passable Irish.  But no' Scottish, alas.)

 

3.) I changed majors - from chemistry to physics - halfway through college, and chose not to take the single remaining chemistry class that would have gotten me a chem minor.  (I did minor in mathematics, and was 1-3 classes away from additional minors in history and psychology.)

 

4.) I am a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician as of March 28th, 2008.  (Ask me about car seats - Precie already did!)

 

5.) The first book I ever wanted to write was a Star Trek (Originial Series) novel featuring a Chekov, Uhura, Sulu, and a new Russian lieutenenant named Natasha.  I was in 7th grade.

 

6.) I am related to both Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S Grant.  Also Henry Clay (by marriage) and Mary Todd Lincoln.  I am eligible to join the DAR because my great-great-great-great(?)-grandfather, Benjamin Berry, fought in the Revolutionary War and recieved a share of a 5800 acre land grant to settle in Kentucky.

 

Tags: Cindy, Beth, Jo, Brooke, Shaylin, Aerin

Project Update

I've had no word since Friday.  So I don't know if it will be today after all.

But I asked for a lot, and what I have so far is really incredible.  Worth the wait, in my opinion.

Off to church now.

Sunday

Yeah, I know it's Thursday...I guess Friday now.  And as Nina (not Claire or Rachel, hehe) was so kind to point out, it was Friday in Australia over 12 hours ago.

But Sunday's the new Friday, or so I've been told.  Remember, I'm not the only one in on this project.  And it's going to be sooo worth the wait.  To me at least; I hope everyone ends up as excited as I am.

I'll try to tide you over with a hint: remember I said I needed to "reconnect" with my characters?  Well, I'm connecting!

In case you missed it on Facebook

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*deep breath*

Okay, that's the prelim squee.  Expect (at least) another one tomorrow sometime.  Still counting down to Friday...

Best of Both Worlds

Oh, this is too good.

 

Behold, the Smart Bitches, they have combined two of my loves, the LOLcats and romance novel cover snark:

 

LOLCover Snark - A Contest

Their examples are fricking hilarious.  I can't wait till the comment string of entries gets roaring...

 

(Warning: may contain material of a crude or offensive nature to some readers.  Also completely OMGWTFBBQ if you aren't fluent in LOLspeak.  For tips on the latter, check here.  And for total immersion - the quickest route to fluency - try here.)

It cuts both ways...

I've gotten quite a few messages saying I'm driving people crazy with the waiting for Friday.  *g*  Well, I'm pretty excited about it and I hope you'll think it's as cool as I do when the time comes.

 

But never fear.  Though I am reveling in the anticipation of a big reveal, the anxiety cuts both ways.  See, I'm not the only person involved in this project, and it involves waiting on my part, too.  Which I have been doing since Monday.  To the point of constantly staying logged into my e-mail and pouncing on any new message as it arrives.

 

So far, nothing, but I imagine those of you in this hemisphere might hear my "squeeeee" when what I'm waiting for comes through.

 

Until then, patience, young Grasshopper...

 

(Oh, and I didn't make it over to the workshop last night, partly because I was miffed at my MIL and had to go have a nice vent with the other good ladies at the BabyCenter carseats board, and partly because I decided to skim through my DVR'd episode of Dancing With the Stars and see who got the boot.  And then I got sucked in by The Deadliest Catch - now THAT's reality TV.  But I'll be a good girl tonight.)

In Progress

The surprise is coming along nicely.  First step is done, and I'm ready to see how the next turns out.  Intrigued?  Hehe, don't worry: you'll know Friday.

 

And I'm actually getting really jazzed about rewrites.  I'm spending my evenings learning Liquid Story Binder so I can get comfortable enough with it to try and do everything in there.  The features (if I can figure them all out) like storyboards and timelines and dossiers should come in really handy.  Oh, and the automatic saves and change-tracking and word counting, and all that.  *g*

 

I think I'm going to head over to the Forum's sister workshop tonight and cash in some long-held critique credits (from NARC...now FAKING IT...did I mention "long held"? hehe).  I hope there's not an expiration date on crits!  It should be enough to let me get my first five chapters or so up, and then I'll see how that goes and decide whether or not to keep critting in order to run all 34 chapters + epilogue of OHN through the workshop.

 

I also submitted a short (750 words - boy, that was tough to keep down!) synopsis and the original rough draft of my first 5 pages to Barbara for the Next Level Workshop on revising fiction.  I *know* I'm not happy with the first 5, and told her as much, and I basically threw the synopsis together in an afternoon in order to submit it to her.   She hasn't gotten back to me yet, so I'm hoping the slap-dash passed muster.  I think if I am able to participate the course will really do me good.  Nothing like paying a fee and working under a deadline to keep Jenny motivated.  *g*

Happy Dance

I got a bit of good news today!  Actually a couple of different bits, but I'm going to have to keep them on the down-low for a while.  Don't worry, you won't wait long for at least one of them, if everything stays on schedule.  Needless to say, I'm very excited!

 

And no, I don't have an agent or anything.  *g*  Ha-HA, like the MS is anywhere near presentable right now.

 

BUT last night's post cleared my mind and finally gave my lagging momentum the extra jolt needed to get working.  Work I did, and work I will.  Rewrites, here I come (for real this time!)...

Catharsis

Okay, I've had this growing burden for the past couple months and I just have to get it off my chest: I'm pissed at myself.  PISSED.  (And for my international readers, I mean that in the angry sense, not the drunken one.  *g*)

Why?  Mainly for completely avoiding the Firsts Workshop and missing the opportunity of a lifetime as far as being at the point where I needed exactly that kind of advice.  I dunno, maybe I just wasn't in the right "place" mentally or emotionally with the story to get as involved as I needed to be.  But I just can't accept my own excuse.  And I feel that terrible triad of shame, anger, and guilt for the shortcoming.

The guilt, I think, is largely responsible for my hesitancy to re-enter the Forum and get back into the writing world.  Visiting CompuServe and seeing all the posts from the Firsts Workshop - and all the posts referencing those posts - would be one slap in the face after another.  "See!  See what you missed out on!  See what you SHOULD have been doing?"

And of course those spin off into feeling utterly lost and adrift with regard to rewrites.  I'm growing to despise even the memory of my opening, because I know in my gut it's not "right".  And I know that in the (sub) genre I'm writing in It. Has. To. Be. Right. or an agent won't spare my story a second glance.  And I've already run through 6-7 different versions of just my first 300 words or so and I'm not satisfied with ANY of them.

So who needed an intensive firsts workshop more than anyone?  Me!  Who's paralyzed because she didn't participate?  Me!

I do of course realize that most of the people who were the instigators/major participants in said workshop happen to be my friends and [probably] reading this blog, but I'd feel crappy to ask you do to it all over again with me when I had the golden opportunity and dropped it.

There's always the sister workshop, but not everyone whose opinion I value and would have wanted participates over there.  Still, some help is better than none, I suppose.  And I'm considering doing an intensive revising workshop, but it co$ts and for all that I make decent money, we're still a single-income family on a fixed budget.  I can't justify dropping $400 here for a commissioned portrait (hence my determination to raise the money on the side) and $700 there for a writing workshop.  Especially since I work 50-55 hours a week as it is, so the "free" (ha) time available to try to earn extra cash is practically nonexistent.  My big moneymaker research study fell through, and spending 4 precious hours a week donating plasma for a spare $45 or so will take for-ev-er.  I'm running out of options.

But I do feel better at least publicly owning up to my mistake of not participating and acknowledging the trickle-down effect it's having on my writing.

And I actually did venture on to the Forum this evening.  I skimmed some threads and looked for something to catch my interest but I think I need to reconnect with my characters before I can get back to actively writing.  I let them go off on a honeymoon of sorts, after finally getting their HEA, and I need them back fresh and vibrant in my head.  If Jas ever has enough time to get back to his commissions, I think the portrait will go a long way in that regard.  Until then, I've got my "soundtrack" playing - I swear, this music is inextricably linked with the book now, since it was on a continuous loop my last few intense days of writing - and I'm visualizing the characters and just trying to get back into the "zone".

The silver lining in all of this is that I finally feel motivated to do something, anything, to move forward on this book again.  My other "distractions" are much less of a temptation to me even tonight than they were this afternoon at work.  Just don't anyone send me Flair on Facebook; that stuff is addictive and time-consuming.  *w*

Fortune Cookie

A vendor brought lunch in for our department today and it was PF Chang's (posh Chinese).  I had trouble opening my fortune cookie and the reason ended up being I got a "triple" fortune.  I guess the machine that cuts the strips missed a couple cuts.  Anyway, here's what they said (in order):

 

Do not let great ambitions overshadow small success.

 

You are a lover of words, someday you should write a book.

 

Doors will be opening for you in many areas of your life.

 

I swear, I'm not making this up.  Guess I'd better get on those rewrites, huh?  Sounds like I'm going to get published.  At least, that's how I read it.  *g*

My Haunts

So, when I'm not blogging - which is pretty often, lately - where am I [spending inordinate amounts of my day] online?  Here are my main haunts:

 

CompuServe Books & Writers Forum

(I know, I've been MIA since February sometime...but I'll be back soon.  Once I can get over my fear of being ovewhelmed by all the catching up I have to do!)

 

BabyCenter Car Safety Tips

(Aka "the car seats board" - I'm back on there now that I'm a CPST.)

 

China Adopt Talk

(I keep telling myself "you've got 3 years...give it a rest until then" but I'm like a moth to flame with adoption stories!)

 

Archwired.com Metal Mouth Message Board

(For adults in braces.)

 

I Can Has Cheezburger

(Nothing like LOLcats to brighten your day!)

 

Other places I might pop into:

my local playgroup's message board (you have to be a member to see it)

Facebook (about once a week or when I get a notification)

iGoogle and/or GoogleReader (LOTS of time here!)

local news websites

MSN.com (I know, the Evil Empire! *g*)

Laws of [Writing] Motion

I realized today that my writing momentum is very much governed by Newton's First Law (humor me, I'm a physicist).  To wit: when I'm clipping along, I keep clipping along, and it takes a lot to slow/stop me.  But conversely, when I've stopped writing for whatever reason (even a planned break), it is really hard to get moving again.

I should be well into rewrites.  In actuality, I'm only halfway through the lists I made a few posts down.  I partly blame the return of Dancing With the Stars, my only reality TV guilty obsession.  I largely blame sheer exhaustion.  Every night after Little Boy goes down, I feel like collapsing, myself.  Quite a few times this past week, I've passed out cold on the couch and slept HARD from about 8:30-9 pm until DH finishes his schoolwork and wakes me for bed.  At first I thought it was just the past 18 months (creeping up on 2 years!) of sleep deprivation - from the book, not my son! - catching up to me, but then I realized I haven't been taking my vitamins/iron supplements for a little over a month.  I'm borderline anemic and I start to notice when my iron levels drop, so maybe that's it.  I made sure to pick some up at Wally World tonight and took them already.  Hopefully they'll kick in soon.

For now I'm off to work...yes, you read that right.  We've got a patient starting tomorrow that requires QA (quality assurance) tests on his treatment plan beforehand.  But I couldn't get on the accelerator this afternoon because our service engineer had to replace some parts that should have come in Monday.  He said it would be a 5 hour job.  So, witness me, heading back to work at 10 pm to do 2 hours worth of tests and hopefully be home and in bed not much after 1 am.  I love my career, I really do, but sometimes...

Breaking the Silence

I do still exist!  But I'm practically offline this week (I haven't checked my e-mail in 48 hours, if you can believe it of me) as I am taking a weeklong course to become a car seat "tech" - the official term is Child Passenger Safety Technician, or CPST.  So I'm away from the computer all day and by evening I'm brain fried. 

I can't say for certain when I'll get back to writing full-time, though I am getting closer with every day and each thing I can mark off my list (see goals post below).  For now, ask me about Emergency Locking Retractors with lightweight locking latchplates and how that would affect the installation of a convertible child restraint with a rear-facing tether.  *g*

I can't believe I missed it!

Talk Like a Physicist Day

 

Way cooler than pirates.  *w*

 

Ah, well.  Only another 357 days, 8 hours, and 19 minutes.  I'll be prepared next time...

Strike!

Oops, I didn't get the memo.  But that's okay, I haven't been working for 2 months anyway...

Novelists Strike Fails to Affect Nation

My favorite quote: "While the strike has been joined by an estimated 250,000 novelists—225,000 of whom have reportedly stopped in the middle of their first novel..."

Ahaha.  *g*  I've got a lot of work ahead of me, and I may not ever get published (though I certainly plan to try) but I. By. God. Finished. My. Novel.

Still fighting crud, though it's devolved into just a constant sniffle/runny nose and occasional cough with concomitant hoarseness.  Card party tonight with church friends.

Still working on a beta read.

Crud

I has it.

 

Starting yesterday morning I had a sore throat.  That's always how it begins with me.  That got worse and by last night had morphed into sore throat/upper respiratory congestion.  Today it's sore throat/upper respiratory congestion/runny nose/sneezing/occasional cough/low grade fever/general malaise.

 

Joy.  Looks like o.j. and ginger ale (virgin screwdriver? or would that be a virgin mimosa? at any rate, it's an excellent drink when you're sick).

 

Thankfully my workload has been light, and I plan to leave at a relatively normal time this afternoon.  Don't know how much use I'll be tonight, though.  It always happens when I get motivated to "do stuff".

 

Unrelated note: the previous post was my 300th post.  Wow.

 

Oh, and I got notified today that my results weren't consistent enough to remain in the NASA research study, so now I have to find another way to finance half of my portrait commission.  Pooh.  At least it seems I've got time to do so...  I'd really hoped to avoid resorting to plasma donation (too much time) but it's a plan B if I need it.

Review: The Perils of Pleasure

The Perils of Pleasure

Julie Anne Long

 

First off: don't be fooled by the title OR the cover of this book.  They seem to be stock romance novel title and cover, and they seem to have relatively little if anything at all to do with the book itself.  (Not the author's fault, of course.)  Good thing I read the description, or I might have passed it over entirely.

 

The premise is:  Colin Eversea has been framed for a murder he didn't commit, but as he is about to be hanged he is saved by a "clever - and beautiful - mercenary" (per the back cover copy) named Madeline Greenway who was hired to rescue him, but who then becomes a target in her own right.  The two of them have to join forces and clear his name while figuring out who tried to kill her and why, and who set him up in the first place.  And of course they fall in love along the way.

 

Plot.  It was a bit convoluted (as others have complained) but I feel like I was able to follow it pretty well.  (I liked the very first Mission: Impossible movie, too.  Before Tom Cruise got weird.)  Most of the resolutions made sense, though one of the big reveals - perhaps THE big reveal - was a bit underwhelming.  I felt it needed more closure, but maybe she was leaving room for subplots in future books. 

 

Writing style.  Well, my first impression was that I liked Long's voice.  She adds snappy one-liners and quirky, witty observations that were fun to read.  Some parts read as a bit over-written, though (prologue included), and I did wonder why all the working-class characters in the book seemed to speak with Scots accents, rather than Cockney.  And the head-hopping...I guess I've just trained myself to think in very strict third limited and so the head-hopping, which felt clumsy to me at first but may very well be legitimate third-omni, threw me a bit until I just got used to it and let it slide.

 

Characters.  I did come to like Colin, perhaps because we spend so much time in his head, but elements of his character didn't jive with me.  As others have pointed out, his professed love for Louisa didn't ring true (though he does realize his delusion at the end of the book, which ameliorated my annoyance somewhat).  And he seems an honorable sort, despite constant - and I do mean constant - references to his reputation as a rake.  Again, his own confessions and personal realizations make that easier to stomach, but still, it feels like the author felt the romance hero should be a rake (for the sexual experience, maybe?), when she really wanted him to be honorable, and we were just told he was a rake over and over to make us believe it.

 

I wanted Madeline to be a little more badass and sure of herself than she was.  C'mon...beautiful, clever mercenary?  She is very...competent, but even that wasn't consistent, as she didn't realize she had bad gunpowder at first but we're supposed to expect she's a crack shot and knows firearms in general for the rest of the book.  Don't those kind of things go together?  And we were kept from knowing her past for a long time, I guess to make her more intriguing but really just making her a more distanct character.  When her past life and how she became a mercenary (a slightly misleading term for her, btw) is finally reveal, it too was a little underwhelming.  I did come to feel more for her as a person - the thought of losing my husband and/or young son strikes fear deep, deep into my heart - but I remained unconvinced.  I guess some parts of her didn't live up to the idea of her I formed from the back cover copy.

 

But I did believe in how Madeline and Colin's relationship developed - even if it was on a condensed timeline under stressful circumstances - and I was glad when they got together in the end.  (But still, more loose strings: what about the farm in America she scrimped and saved to pay off?)

 

Overall I consider the book an enjoyable escapist (hardy har) read.  I will certainly look for and purchase books by this author in the future, but she hasn't yet impressed me enough to make my "permanent keepers" shelf.

 

Recommended?  Sure.

The Return

...and I'm back.

 

Didn't mean to drop off the face of the blogosphere like that, but my computer time at home was incredibly scaled back - usually just long enough to scan my blog subscriptions, check my e-mail, and respond to anything urgent (and if you're waiting on a detailed reply from me, I've been saving it until I had the time to answer fully, so that's why you haven't heard anything at all) - and at work I haven't had the time to do much of anything besides, well, work.

 

But I'd given myself until after Little Boy's birthday party to do other things, and so I have been.  We almost didn't have Little Boy's party - a late snowstorm and almost a foot of snow put the kibosh on Saturday's plans - but thankfully almost everyone could make it up Sunday instead after they got the roads clear.  So, much fun (and pizza and cake) was had by all, and now it's time for me to once again get BIC on a regular basis.

 

I'll be easing into it, likely for the rest of this month, as I also have some other commitments to catch up on.  Rather than post a set of goals, I'll put up my list and mark things off as I go:

 

To-do list:

 

Finish and post promised review of book

Finish long-overdue beta-read

Beta-read short story

Finish writing up proposed changes for OHN

Transport OHN into LSB for rewrites

Rework first page/first five pages (AGAIN) and post on Forum for comment

Catch up on Forum posts and Firsts Workshop

Respond to e-mails

Update blog

 

Non book-related:

 

Clean out aquarium

Send care package to brother

Get motor scooter serviced for riding season

Write to sponsored child in Columbia

Attend CPST class March 25-28 (yeah, I'm a carseat safety nut)

Liquid Story Binder - Get it 66% off today!!!

(Yes, I'm back.  I'd planned - still plan - a blog post discussing what I've been up to and what my plans are now, but for the moment I just wanted to get this out there...)

 

Thanks to an anonymous tip comment on my post about Liquid Story Binder XE I found out that it is being offered at 66% off today ONLY.  That's $16, folks.

 

Check it out HERE.

 

I'd been planning to purchase the full version sometime soon, as I really delve into rewrites.  Now I'm glad I waited.

 

For those who wanted Scrivener but mourn their lack of a Mac (heh), this is your answer.  And really, for $16 you can't beat it.  I highly recommend you go buy it today.

 

And for the record, I'm getting no kickbacks for this message.  Just a good deal.