And what can I say to you to show how it feels?

Words Written: OOTFP edits
Writing Stats: caught up on the Lust Bites list
Exercise: hah

It’s a gloriously rainy, grey day, and yet it’s also one of those days where I feel like for every step I take forward, I’m sliding two steps back. One of those days where I hate e-mail, because people keep writing to me. I love it when people write to me, don’t get me wrong, but when they all need a response, and I’m already behind (still catching up from being away)…!

I guess there’s a part of me (the anal-retentive, moon-in-Virgo-or-whatever part of me) that wishes I had different e-mail addresses for all the different compartments in my life: friends & family, writing, Styx and Styxfest, SCA… But in the end, I’m sure that would drive me even more batty.

Do you all have days like that? Where you feel like you’re working and working but just spinning your wheels?

---

Currently Reading: between books
Lately Listened To: Au Quebec, Home Field, Gowan
Recently Watched: CSI: Miami

But I thought I would say, I'm afraid I must disagree

Words Written: OOTFP 1210, edits
Writing Stats: Rejection from IGMS for “What Price Beauty?”
Exercise: does getting a 2-hour massage count?

So we did a candle making workshop on Saturday, and after we made a bunch of candles in Caidan blue for largesse, I made a bunch of different purple ones (rose-scented) for me. We also talked music, and our hostess, Mara, asked what three bands we wished we could’ve seen but never did. At first I drew a blank, because I’ve seen Styx 63 times so far, and what else is there? (Other than more!) But then I figured it out:

• Led Zeppelin
  
• Marillion’s Misplaced Childhood tour (which I could’ve seen, if only I hadn’t been distracted by a typo. My college newspaper listed a show in Montréal by “Silmarillion,” and I thought, “Nah, not the same band.” I found out the day after that it was. I’ve seen both Marillion with Steve Hogarth, and Fish solo, and while they were both fabulous, it wasn’t the same.)
  
• Any Gowan solo show in the ‘80s (Oh, to have met him when I was young and cute. Of course, when I was young and cute, I was mostly clueless about what to do with it. Sigh.)
  

<>-<>-<>

Yesterday I headed into the Valley in my spiffy new car for the LARA (LA RWA) meeting, where I accidentally volunteered to do a talk—but it won’t be ‘til the beginning of next year, which helps. It basically came from learning that the current speaker didn’t know about how to click to make the first page header of a document different from the rest of the headers. So I’ll be doing a “Word for Writers” talk, if they can swing a screen and hookup to a laptop. It shouldn’t be too very much work to set it up, I don’t think. Back when I worked at Sage Publications, when we switched from a DOS-based word processing program to Word, I taught a series of classes on “Word for Production Editors and Copy Editors,” and I’m sure I can pull some of that forward. I’m sure I have those files around here somewhere…

After that, the fabulous Christine and I headed to Lulu’s, where she met her hubby for lunch while I pulled up a chair at the writers’ table with the amazing Jenn and others. After Christine joined us, she and I booked our flights for RWA Nationals (so we could fly together, which is more fun!) and then settled down to work. Once I got going, the next scene in OOTFP just flowed. It’s times like that that make me especially love this crazy job.

In other writing news, I’ve made a somewhat difficult decision, although I’m feeling like a great weight has been lifted off me now that I’ve made it. I was slated to go to Seattle in May for a Novel Workshop, which meant I had to submit the novel by the beginning of April, as well as read two full novel manuscripts and about eight partials starting around the same time. When I first signed up, I thought I’d be working with DFL, but my heart’s just not in it…and then I was gripped by WSWL—only to discover that switching between light, comedic erotica and dark, menacing gothic romance was not working for me. And OOTFP has to be my first priority. That’s a promise I’ve made to my coauthor. So I finally accepted that I needed to give WSWL the time it deserved, not rush it for the workshop. (Not to mention the other things I have going on in May that will consume a part of my brain.)

So I’ll finish WSWL for the second quarter of the year, and all will be well. Teresa and I are on the last chapter of OOTFP, and it will be finished and winging its way to editors before the end of this month.

I can’t complain, really…

---

Currently Reading: between books
Lately Listened To: RWA sessions
Recently Watched: The Dresden Files

Houston, we have connectivity

Words Written: er, none again
Writing Stats: Rejection from Superqueereos for the Sophie story “Pow! Bash! Yes, Yes!”, and from Weird Tales for “The Rising.” Pout
Exercise: none

We have achieved new cable modem and connectivity! Hurrah!

Despite the fact that I’m still exhausted, it’s been a pretty good day. Took poor pathetic Grimoire to the vet for his 6-month comprehensive, and he’s gained 0.7 pounds. I blame the cat sitters… Then I picked up the new cable modem and made that work, and pounded through e-mail and whatnot (and a bunch of necessary phone calls) before going to a chiro appointment, where I learned that my back crunching is a good thing, because it means things aren’t all seized up. Who knew? My back actually hurts a little less right now. Then there was food shopping, and talking to Ken, and tuna on rye with pickles and green chilies, and a lovely hot bath, along with lots more e-mail and work stuff.

So, my back feels marginally better, I love my new car, I love my GPS, I like my bathtub (it’s the house’s original clawfoot tub, which is wonderful, but it’s not quite deep enough for me), and I can get onto the Internet and work again. Yeah, it doesn’t all suck.

<>-<>-<>

Of course, just as I went online to post these last few entries, the cable went down. All of it, including the TV. Since my next goal is to curl up in bed, read, and then get a nice long night’s sleep, I’m skipping straight to Plan B…

---

Currently Reading: Staying Dead, Laura Anne Gilman
Lately Listened To: Influence, Shaw/Blades
Recently Watched: Heroes

But what does it all mean?

Words Written: big fat zero
Writing Stats: Rejection from Fishnet for “At the Faire.” Phooey. Four stories mailed.
Exercise: walking

The Internet problems seems to be the cable modem. Will be calling the cable company first thing in the morning. Meanwhile, I spent four hours at the local Starbuck’s fighting with a crappy connection (because I was using an open wireless connection rather than paying for the T-Mobile thing), trying to catch up on work, submit stories that were due and otherwise handling writing-related stuff, and deal with some Styxfest issues.

That was after going to the DMV and trying to explain that I needed a temporary registration something-or-other because there’s a problem with the title to the new car that the dealership in NV is trying to sort out.

My lower back is crunching. That can’t be good, can it?

---

Currently Reading: Staying Dead, Laura Anne Gilman
Lately Listened To: One With Everything, Styx
Recently Watched: The Dresden Files

Disconnected

Words Written: OOTFP 1016
Writing Stats: Received comp copies of C is for Coeds.
Exercise: um…

Dammit, for some reason I can’t connect to the Internet today. It seems to be a problem at the cable company’s end, but it’s been going on all day, and I have stuff that needs to be sent out and/or dealt with! Muttergrumble. Yes, I just spent a week and a half pretty much without access, just fine—but it meant that a number of things didn’t get done that now need priority… Not to mention my part-time job, which I can’t do without being able to remotely access the company’s network.

I could go to an Internet café, but I keep hoping connectivity will return here. But have I spent the day writing like a fiend? Noooo… I’ve been doing every other little thing that doesn’t involve writing or the Internet. Got all the receipts into Quicken, ran Quicken reports for taxes, reconciled Quicken. Finished unpacking. Did dishes. I did do some minor edits on a story that’s now ready to send out…if only I could.

Of course, this also means that I don’t know when I’ll be able to post this entry anyway…

<>-<>-<>

Being very tired Monday night, I see I forgot to link to Cowboy Lover: Erotic Tales of the Wild West. So there you go. Order early and order often!

---

Currently Reading: Staying Dead, Laura Anne Gilman
Lately Listened To: Big Bang Theory, Styx; RWA session
Recently Watched: The Ri¢hes

Away and home

Words Written: “The Light at the End,” ~600
Writing Stats: Received, signed, and prepped to mail two contracts: “Stranger to my Shores,” Paranormal Erotica anthology (as Sophie), and “When the Rancher Needs a Loan,” Cowboy Lover: Erotic Tales of the Wild West anthology (as Andrea Dale). Received a rather preachy rejection from Clarkesworld for “Seeds of Hope.”
Exercise: walking through airports

I’m at LAX, waiting for my slightly delayed flight to Oxnard to be called. I’m tired, so the delay especially sucks. They looked for a volunteer to give up his/her seat in exchange for a round-trip ticket anywhere in the US, and if I wasn’t so tired, I’d take it and just rent a car. Oh well.

Part of me doesn’t want to go home. I really wanted to stay with Ken in Portland for a few days, working and relaxing and easing back into reality rather than hitting it full speed. I don’t have that luxury, though… Plus I really miss the cats. And my chiropractor and my massage therapist…

The week was incredibly successful and productive. Teresa and have two chapters left to finish OOTFP. (When we got there, we didn’t think we’d finish it there; then we thought we might; then we slowed down a little.) We’ll get the proposal in the mail this week, I think, and then get the draft finished and polished by the end of the month.

I also rewrote the beginning of WSWL, getting about 4000 words down (some new, some taken from the previous version). I realized it needed to be both darker and richer, and I had to start over to really weave that in—I needed that new info in order to be able to move ahead.

I also finished one story, which Teresa kindly critiqued and will be in the mail this week; wrote half of a joint Lust Bites article on collaboration; and started another short story on the plane today.

Everyone else at the retreat wrote lots of words and broke through barriers, and the energy was just amazing. Last time, we all stayed in our rooms to write, but when we hit the common area, we tended to hang out too much and not be productive. This time, we decided to try two optional two-hour quiet joint writing periods per day, from 10 a.m. to noon and 8 to 10 p.m. Well, the first day, all the women sat down and did it…and we never left. We did almost all of our writing in the common area all day, every day. Occasionally someone would hit their room for an hour or two, and Teresa and I did retreat to our room when we needed to brainstorm and confer. On the other hand, the two men in the group almost never came out of their rooms…

We ate out every night, with Kris & Dean and Chris and Steve, so we had lots of great seafood and great conversation. K&D invited us to bring take-and-bake pizzas and drinks to their place one evening, so I got to see how they’ve transformed the workshop house back into their home (they have two houses and one large office [former garage, I think] with several rooms). My usual bedroom is now Kris’s closet. That took a little getting used to…

It’s been almost exactly five years since I took my first OCW workshop, the Master Class, which changed the way I write and the way I approach and think about writing and my career. For a while, it seemed like nothing was changing, that it hadn’t had an effect. But five years on (and quite a few workshops later!), I’ve sold two novels and I’ve sold more short stories every year. It snuck up on me, strangely enough. But, as we discussed one night, you’re never satisfied. You’re always raising the bar, striving for a greater goal. To lose that would be to not need to write anymore. I can’t wait to see what the next five years will bring.

So we reluctantly left Lincoln City on Sunday after the weekly writerly lunch, swung by Hillsboro to pick up Ken, and went to an airport hotel to drop off Laura and get Teresa checked in. Then Ken, Teresa, and I went to the Kennedy School McMenamin’s to meet up with erotica author and fellow Lust Biter Shanna Germaine for dinner, drinks, and much laughter. Shanna’s a blast! Just a bundle of energy, with a great sense of humor, an incredible focus (she writes, edits, teaches…I can’t keep up with all of it!), and a keen mind. We sat there for hours, not wanting to leave despite how tired we were. We finally, reluctantly dragged ourselves away, and Ken and I didn’t get back to Hillsboro until after midnight.

So now I’m almost home, not wanting to get distracted by bills and e-mails and the rest of the real world. I’ve really got to focus if I’m going to get WSWL done in time for the novel workshop in May (manuscripts will be due in April so everyone has time to read them before the workshop). Plus I miss Ken. But he’ll be home towards the end of the month to pick up his new shiny motorcycle (he’s abandoning his beloved K1200LT for a sleeker, peppier GT), and then I may just ride back up there with him so I can spend my birthday in the Pacific Northwest.

<>-<>-<>

Home now. Despite the fact that I watched my suitcase get loaded onto the plane at PDX, it didn’t arrive with me at OXR. But they’ve delivered it, and all is well. I’ve picked up some groceries, eaten dinner, talked with Ken, watched a bit of TV, scritched the cats, and done some catching up in e-mail and whatnot. I’m exhausted, so I don’t think I have the brainpower to write any more today. I’ll just hit the ground running tomorrow…

Despite some things, it’s good to be home. In part because there’s still Styx confetti all over my bedroom floor…

---

Currently Reading: Staying Dead, Laura Anne Gilman
Lately Listened To: Big Bang Theory, Styx; RWA session
Recently Watched: Without a Trace

Trying hard to suppress a laugh...

It’s been an insanely busy few weeks, including six Styx shows in a week and a half—we went to Vegas for two of them, too. I just finished up typing all my “concert tales” for Sarah, and I easily wrote over 5K words. Now I need to channel that productivity back into fiction!

The shows were awesome, and I got much love from my boys, although I didn’t get stuck in any elevators with them again. (Pout.) We did get into the Foundation Room after the Hollywood House of Blues show, and I got another picture with Lawrence, just because. Inexplicably, I look like I’m two inches shorter than him.

The other big news is that I bought a car! My previous car, a sweet Eagle Talon that I love dearly, is 11 years old, and it has been showing its age. We were already talking about test driving some cars when the passenger’s door handle broke, leaving me in fear that the driver’s side door handle would break and I’d be reduced to climbing in through the hatchback.

We had about six or seven cars on our “possible” list, but we test drove only one: the new Saab. I had a Saab years ago, and loved it. A new one was out of our price range, but Ken did a bunch of research and found a used one in, of all places, Henderson NV, near Vegas. Where we were going anyway.

So now I’m the ecstatic owner of a 2002 Saab 9-3 hatchback, green (!), fully loaded, with amazingly low mileage for its age. The only downside was having to caravan back from Vegas, but we made do. Now I’m mulling over license plates…I’m leaning towards a Styx-related one, in part because MOUETTE is already taken. (What’s up with that? I made up that name!)

I’ll post pictures soon. I can’t do so for two weeks, though, because I’m currently on a plane to Oregon for another book-in-a-week workshop. Teresa’s coming with me, and we’re going to get a good chunk done on OOTFP, as well as a joint article on collaboration for Lust Bites. I’m also planning on getting back into WSWL with a vengeance, and possibly getting a couple of short stories done, too.

That starts Sunday. Today we picked up Teresa and introduced her to the wonder that is Powell’s. I mostly stuck to my list (I went online last night and checked to see what used books they had in stock)… We had amazing Indian food with Lev and Gayle and Jessa, then dropped Teresa off at her hotel. Now I’m finishing up a few Internet-related things before I lose access (I’ll pop to the Internet café in Lincoln City once or twice, but mostly to check for anything urgent).

And we watched the VH-1 special on the new Shaw/Blades album, Influence. Out March 6!

---

Currently Reading: The Rival: Book Three of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Lately Listened To: I have one of Styx’s new songs, “Everything All the Time,” stuck in my head on WRDH
Recently Watched: How I Met Your Mother

New essay by me at LustBites!

I sometimes get the question (most recently, I believe, from Christine), "Do you ever get bored of writing erotica?" Well, if you want to know the answer, come on over to LustBites, wherein today's post I try to answer just that.

Leave a comment there and let me know what you think! Did I answer the question? Do you have anything to add or suggest?

And while you're at it, leave a comment on our Valentine's Day giveaway post, and you'll be eligible to win one of three goody bags chock full of sexy romantic books, including Cat Scratch Fever (UK edition) and Sex in Public, which contains a Sophie story, a story by my coauthor Sarah J. Husch, and more!

Whose idea was this, again?

Words Written: over the week, WSWL, ~5000; OOTFP, ~250
Writing Stats: Reviewed 250 proof pages of A Little Night Music, conferred with my fabulous coauthor Sarah, and then spent an hour and a half typing all the changes into an email for the wonderful editorial assistant Donna. These proofs were a lot cleaner than CSF’s; the copy editor this time did not try to run all of our paragraphs together, for one thing. On the down side, we found a number of very embarrassing errors that we made. Sigh!
Exercise: yoga

I’m sorry this has turned into a weekly journal. Is that why nobody comments anymore? (I confess I do feel a little unloved.)

Sigh. This week everyone was talking about Valentine’s Day, and my beloved was far away. But he called me several times on the day itself, and I got a lovely gift in the form of his flight itinerary for next week—he’s coming home on Tuesday rather than Wednesday! An extra day! We’re planning an intimate dinner at (Fusia), the swanky Japanese restaurant at the Luxor in Vegas when we’re out there the following weekend. And I’ll give him the cards I bought him a month ago, but in the current flurry of busy-ness I forgot to mail….

So. Yeah. Busy. Whose brilliant idea was it to start a new novel (tentatively titled With Soft Whispers Laden) at the same time that proof pages arrive and I’m working on two collabs (one novel, one novella) with Teresa? Oh, right, my own damn fault. Actually, I decided to start the new novel the day before the proofs arrived (I probably shouldn’t have been surprised by them, but the fact is I didn’t have them on my calendar, so still my fault), but still. I have 34 days total to write the novel (in time to submit it for the novel workshop I’m attending in May), not counting days off for concerts or the time in Oregon for BIAW. I know I will end up working on it in Oregon, because Teresa and I will be passing our project back and forth, but I’m considering those bonus days. And thank goodness for them, because I’m already behind.

Hell, it’s 10:15 p.m, I just sent the proof changes off, and I still need to work on Chapter 6 of OOTFP and on WSWL, and I’m getting a headache and all I want to do is lounge in front of the TV watching The Dresden Files. Gahhh. Oh crap, I have to clean the cat boxes, too. (Pun intended.)

<>-<>-<>

In other news, I was very happy to be at the computer when I got the e-mail from Loreena McKennitt’s mailing list about the concert presale. Of course, I got the e-mail after the tickets went on sale, but I managed to snag Row Q, which isn’t bad (when it’s not Styx, that is). I could’ve gotten Row N with two tickets, but I could get four seats in Q, which means we can go with friends. Whew. Goddammit, but I’ve been waiting for her to tour the U.S. since what, 1995? (She came to the Ventura Theatre that time. Blew. Me. Away.)

<>-<>-<>

Morgana and I did see the tall ships, and we got to say hello to a friend of a friend (Cassie, friend of Gayle & Lev) who works on The Hawaiian Chieftan. I took pictures that will hopefully inspire me to finish writing a pirate story that’s due at the end of the month…

<>-<>-<>

I think we’re going to have rain tomorrow, maybe thunderstorms. Which would be beyond lovely. Yesterday it was in the 80s, and it was awful…

---

Currently Reading: Just finished Ysabel, Guy Gavriel Kay. Sigh. Sigh. Now I feel the need to reread The Fionavar Tapestry, then read Ysabel again. And then maybe move on to A Song for Arbonne, and… Sigh.
Lately Listened To: Piano Recital, Daniel Levy; Music in the Age of Leonardo da Vinci, Ensemble Claude Gervaise (I can’t listen to music with words while I’m proofreading)
Recently Watched: Without a Trace, Prime Suspect 3

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! And you know what Valentine's Day means, right? That's right, sexy books!

Come on over to LustBites, where our vivacious group of Black Lace and Cheek authors are holding a giveaway. In the upper right of the picture, you can see a British copy of Teresa's and my very own Cat Scratch Fever. I know you have a copy already, but why not try to win one for a friend? You'll get a fabulous goody bag of other books, including Sex in Public, which contains the Sophie story "Make Me Come at the Ball Game"! (It's not even out in the US until April, so here's your chance to read it early!)

All you have to do to win one of the goody bags is to leave a comment over at LustBites. Nothing fancy, nothing profound. Just say "hi," and you'll be entered in the drawing.

As if that isn't enough, there's also a fun little quiz--can you figure out which statement is true or false about each of the authors. Most importantly, how well do you know me: do you know if Sophie Mouette's "fact" is true or false? ;-)

So please stop by. It would make my day if one of my friends won a prize!

Fear my power

Words Written: ~1700 words notes on a new novel (ack!)
Writing Stats: Prepped and/or mailed a total of 12 stories.
Exercise: up and down the stairs I go…

Woke up about 8 a.m. today, decided that was way too early, and went back to sleep for a couple more hours. Had weird dreams and woke up with a crick in my neck. It’s all a trade-off.

But boy howdy, have I had energy today! I worked. I made a loose menu plan for the week, made a list, and did a big grocery shopping. I did two loads of laundry (still have to put ‘em away, though). I finished prepping and/or mailing a total of 12 stories. My e-mail in box is mostly down to reminder e-mails (as opposed to things I have to answer—I have only one of them left to go).

Dangnabbit! And only a few hours later, a story gets rejected. Muttergrumble. Back to the drawing board. (Update a few hours later: back in the mail. Fear my story submission power!)

Aaaand, that novel that was bugging me the other day? Crap. I may have to write it sooner than I thought… No idea where I’m going to fit it into the schedule, but hey, that’s why I said this year was all about flexibility, right?

Right?

Meep.

---

Currently Reading: Ysabel, Guy Gavriel Kay
Lately Listened To: Mirror Mirror, Lorraine a’Malena; The Open Door, Evanescence
Recently Watched: Nora Robert’s Montana Sky, Monarch of the Glen

The week that was

Words Written: OOTFP, ~500
Writing Stats: Received rejection from Æon for “Matchmaker”: “It was a hoot, but it didn’t quite his the mark for us…” It’s one of those stories that gets close, but never quite hits the mark. Someday it’ll find a home…! Updated anthology list. Mailed “Always a Bridesmaid” to Purple Panties. Prepped 9 more stories to mail. Made notes on a new novel.
Exercise: taking it easy because my hip’s been hurting

Busy week! Ken left Monday, but came back because of bike issues. He swapped out the broken center stand for a new one, bought a new tire on Tuesday morning, and then he was really on his way. (Pout, sigh.) Tuesday evening I trotted off to Morgana’s for sewing. Albra needed help with some costuming for Estrella, so I did handwork on a Turkish coat for Her Majesty, then worked on a kumihimo cord after that.

Wednesday I spent writing and working, although I had another lovely massage…

On Thursday, I helped Morgana finally finish painting her meditation room, a project that’s dragged on far, far too long. Our friend Pat did an amazing mural on all four walls of the room, but we had to touch up some trim and whatnot. In total, it didn’t take very long, but now it’s done! We tidied up in there and toasted our success. That evening, I had dinner with Morgana, Brian, and Jeff at The Urban Café (I had a grilled chicken and cilantro sandwich that was quite amazing), and then we met up with Eric at the theatre and saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail on the big screen. (I’ve never seen it in the theatre, so it was a great experience!) Unfortunately, I’d been fighting off a headache all day, and by the end of the movie I was feeling rotten. I got home, talked to Ken, and went to bed with lots of drugs and a heating pad.

The headache, nasty as it was, was pretty much gone by the time I crawled out of bed yesterday, which was a very good thing. I got a bunch of work done, tweaked a story for an anthology, that sort of thing. Then I caught a ride up to Ojai, where some of our local SCA group members were making and serving dinner for the homeless. (We used the hall for our Shire Twelfth Night feast in December, and were happy to “give back” and do something for the hall and the community.) On the way home I picked Elyramere’s brain about gardening things, and I think I’ve decided to put a hedge of cape honeysuckle along the wall where the eucalyptus trees used to be. Easy to care for, happy in our horrible soil and lack of water and lots of sun, and as an added bonus, attracts hummingbirds. :-)

I then proceeded to prep nine stories to mail, although I still have to e-mail some and envelope others, etc. I’ll get that done this weekend.

Stupid headache came back today, or maybe it was a new one triggered by the champagne I drank last night. So I’ve been groggy and logy and unproductive for the most part.

I’d hoped to go see the tall ships that are in port right now, today, but Morgana’s sick. She suggested I call Tomi, but I decided my headache made me not want to go anywhere. As it was, I crawled back into bed this afternoon with the heating pad and drugs and Ysabel, and then dozed for a bit, thinking about a novel I want to write, probably this year. At some point (last night or this morning; it’s all a blur…) I also may have figured out the solution to a short story that’s been fighting me—which is good, because it’s due at the end of the month.

So I’ve spent a quiet day working and writing and watching TV, and now I’m off to curl up in bed with the heating pad (just ‘cause it feels good!) and Ysabel. Maybe I’ll come back out tomorrow, and maybe I won’t… [g]

---

Currently Reading: Ysabel, Guy Gavriel Kay
Lately Listened To: One With Everything, Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra
Recently Watched: Heroes, CSI, Monarch of the Glen, Monty Python and the Holy Grail

It's here!

The new Guy Gavriel Kay book is in my hot little hands. Dammit, I'm not going to get anything done this weekend…

Alphabetical extravaganza

Here's the book description for C is for Co-Eds, one book of a new anthology series I (as Andrea Dale) have stories in:

A Is For Amour, B Is For Bondage, C Is For Co-Eds and D Is For Dress-Up kick off a new series from Alison Tyler and Cleis Press. From Amour to Zippers, this alphabetical extravaganza of erotic delights features 26 hot volumes of explicit, playful stories.

Campus cuties suddenly away from home explore new sexual delights in this charming collection. With stories like “College Reunion” by Andrea Dale and “While She Was Dancing” by Thomas S. Roche, who’s got time to study?

Teresa has a story in one of this first set as well, and as Sophie we've sold a story to the forthcoming H is for Hardcore. They're publishing them in sets of four, so I don't have guidelines for all of them yet.

Fun series, really fun covers! Remember, Valentine's Day is coming—you and your sweetie could snuggle up with one of these lovely books...!

Corpse flower

Please, somebody in the UK, go and sniff this thing for me in my stead! I sooooo want to be there!

Warm Weather Prompts Corpse Flower to Boom Early

Imbolc energy

Words Written: “Burning Bright partial: 646; “Burning Bright” synopsis, words and edits
Writing Stats: Received rejection from PitchBlack, which is going out of business, for “The Queen’s Gardener.” Received payment for "College Reunion", to appear in C is for Coeds.
Exercise: walking with Morgana

Happy Imbolc, albeit a day late! And happy full moon! Wooh, that was some great energy yesterday! It seems to mostly be bleeding over into today, although being woken from a sound sleep by my mother calling this morning (8:30 a.m., half an hour before my alarm was due to go off—I tend to work late into the night) didn’t help. (My parents are fine. They just got to Myrtle Beach, where they winter, and my mother couldn’t get her dial-up to work. Sigh.)

Jury duty is over! What a relief. Don’t get me wrong—I’m very glad I had the opportunity to serve, and would do so again in a heartbeat. I’ve always believed in how crucial it is for our justice system, and this experience really hammered that home. I was so impressed to be debating in a jury room with 11 other intelligent, well-spoken, thoughtful, and reasonable people. Just because we didn’t agree (and I was outvoted on both counts) didn’t mean we weren’t polite and rational.

Still, the experience was stressful on many levels. Litigation is simply stressful. It’s a conflict, and while we’re dealing with it in a civilized way (a trial), it doesn’t mean that there isn’t high emotion. (This was a civil trial, BTW, in case I hadn’t mentioned before.) So there’s lots of negativity in the courtroom, and deliberations had a level of stress because we didn’t agree, and we also had a major time constraint. It turned out this was the second time they’d tried to have this trial—the last time, one of the parties fell ill enough to be hospitalized. We went through all three of our alternates, and then one of the jurors found out she had to fly back east on Wednesday for a funeral. Originally we’d been scheduled to be there Tue-Fri this week, and that was with a bit of extra padding. But then we had to regroup and do Mon-Tue. The lawyers even sped up to accommodate us, and we went to the jury room late Mon afternoon, and then had all day Tue. But we didn’t look as though we were going to come to a resolution by late Tue afternoon (in a civil trial, it has to be at least 9-3)… Thankfully, we did, and then I raced home to check on Grimoire, and then I was pretty much braindead and headachy for the rest of the evening.

Grimoire is doing fine, BTW, and thank you all for your well wishes. His problem has altered to the level of being the opposite problem, so on the advice of the vet I’m scaling back on the laxatives. The best news is, he’s lost weight! About six months ago, he topped the scales at 21.1 lbs. Saturday he was 19.7, and Wednesday, at his re-check, he was 19.3. According to his chart, he should be between 18 and 19 lbs, so that’s significant progress.

Speaking of significant progress, it’s been wonderful to get back into the flow of writing. Teresa and I had a hugely productive phone call yesterday; a novella proposal we’ve been working on will be ready to send this weekend. She also helped me brainstorm past a block I’ve had on a short story that needs to be sent this weekend (I got a brief extension on the deadline from the editor).

Today’s artwork is our inspiration artwork for the novella we’re working on. The novella’s about an Indian demigoddess who shapeshifts into a tiger, not a leopard, but otherwise the painting perfectly evokes what we’re trying to do.

It’s a new month, and I’ve been reviewing those writing projects and goals again. I made a list of novels and novellas for this year, with deadlines (both firm outside ones and target personal ones). I know I still need to be flexible—there’s one novel with a deadline of "???" because we haven’t heard back from the editor—but it’s good to see the list on paper, and get a sense of goals.

The beginning of this month looks very nice: a few little projects and fun things here and there, like helping Morgana finish painting her meditation room (finally!) and seeing Monty Python and the Holy Grail at the cheap theatre in town and working on a new sewing project (which is a secret). Then, towards the end of the month, Ken’s coming home and we’re going to five (possibly six) Styx shows! Whee bouncity bounce!

Immediately after that, I’m heading up to Portland, and thence out to the coast for another book-in-a-week retreat. Even more fun, Teresa will be joining me! We’ll finish up a novel and possibly the novella, or something like that. We’ll know better what we need to work on by the time we get there. Since we may not be able to work on our joint projects simultaneously (what one writes may affect what the next writes), I plan to work on some solo stuff, too. No idea what, yet. I have some ideas, but no concrete plans…

Plus there’ll be walks on the beach and great dinners and conversations with Kris and Dean and all the other writers, and a day or two on either end to spend time with my beloved.

<>-<>-<>

Speaking of my beloved, he’s coming home for the weekend! He arrives Saturday late afternoon, and will probably head out Monday. He misses the motorcycle, so he’s going to ride back up. I’m torn between wanting to run errands (like car shopping) and just curling up with him. Or going for a bike ride. I’ve been having some serious wanderlust recently.

Of course, before he arrives I have to write a short story, go food shopping, and meet with a friend to help him target markets for his artwork. And shower, and eat some food, and drink some tea…

Have a fabulous weekend, everybody!

---

Currently Reading: The Rival: Book Three of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch; Losing My Virginity: An Autobiography, Richard Branson
Lately Listened To: Long Distance: The Best of Runrig
Recently Watched: Gormenghast, Monk

Silk or leather or a feather

Words Written: at least 500/day during the week on various projects
Writing Stats: “Heaven Has Eyes” made the first and second round of cuts at Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. (This is the third or fourth story of mine to do so, but I’ve yet to sell to them.)
Exercise: see below

Not the best of weekends. Friday night/Saturday morning, starting at about 2 a.m., Grimoire starting yarking. Only one small hairball, the rest just…well, to be polite, I’ll just say liquid. Never a lot at one time. Then, at 8:45 a.m., my phone rang. The tree guy, saying he wouldn’t be out today because it was raining. (The tree guy is coming out to remove four eucalyptus trees and one stump, and to seriously trim back our out-of-control lemon tree.) Said tree guy was supposed to have called Friday evening to confirm he was coming out on Saturday, which he hadn’t done… So I crawled out of bed, pulled myself together, called the vet, and hauled Grimoire in.

Long story short, he was seriously constipated. Poor thing. He spent the day at the vet being knocked out, tested, and X-rayed. He came home Saturday night, barely able to walk in a straight line. I had to take him back in today for a follow-up, and was sorry to report that he hadn’t pooped overnight. So he spent half a day at the vets, getting, um, cleared out. But today they also found he had a bladder infection. So now he’s on two medications… Even with the vet’s monthly care plan, this wasn’t cheap. But the most important thing is, he’ll be fine.

Suffice to say, I’ve been distracted and worried, and didn’t sleep well last night. (I slept on the foldout sofa in the media room because I knew Grimoire wouldn’t be able to make it up the stairs, much less onto the bed, in his post-anæsthesia drunken condition.) So this weekend has mostly been a bust where work has been concerned. I’ve been able to work only on semi-mindless projects, like house-straightening and bill-paying and e-mail catch-up.

Morgana did come over this evening, though, and we watched a biography of Marie Antoinette that we’ve been meaning to see. Since I know next to nothing about French history, especially post-1600 (it’s an SCA curse), I found it fascinating. Now I need to add the Marie Antoinette movie to my Netflix queue. That and The Affair of the Necklace, which I thought was on there but apparently I’d forgotten to add previously.

After that, we watched the Adam Ant videos I’ve been collecting for her (when one shows up on VH-1 Classics, I record it and then dump it to tape), which led to us looking info up online… It’s a slippery slope, I tell you. (Not a slippery slop, which is what I first typed. Ew.)

Oh, and I’ve also watched the first half of the BBC miniseries of Gormenghast. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never read the books, although I own an omnibus edition. Anyway, weird stuff.

I’m still reading Kris’s Fey series, still not sure exactly where I left off the last time I was reading it and apparently got distracted by a shinier book. I’m also devouring Richard Branson’s autobiography, which makes me laugh out loud as I wait outside the courtroom to be called inside. The other jurors are patient with me.

Speaking of jury duty, they’ve changed our schedule, and we should be done by Tuesday afternoon. Both sides have rested their cases, and we’ll have closing arguments tomorrow morning, followed at some point (I’m assuming tomorrow) by jury instructions. It will be nice to finish up early (we were originally scheduled to start on Tuesday and end at the latest on Friday), because thanks to my sweet baby boy kitty, I’m now behind on most everything.

Give your kitties extra scritchies tonight!

---

Currently Reading: The Rival: Book Three of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch; Losing My Virginity: An Autobiography, Richard Branson
Lately Listened To: Banba, Clannad
Recently Watched: Gormenghast

Too Stupid to Live?

I have my first essay up at LustBites—please stop by and check it out, and post a comment or two!

It's all good, really

Words Written: OOTFP ~1000 words; LustBites article, 600 words
Writing Stats: Sent out some stories
Exercise: yes ;-)

So on Thursday, I was mentally composing a journal entry to be titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” I’m not sure what the Ugly was to have been—probably something about my pantyhose falling down and why hadn’t I just worn stockings? The rest of it was going to be something like this:

The Bad: The conflict in the jury room is stressing me out.
The Good: I’ve written 500 words/day during our lunch break.

The Bad: I got a flat tire on the way home.
The Good: I was at the grocery store a mile from home, and Brian came and was my knight in shining sweatpants (which, incidentally, is a phrase I’d used in the novel that very day).

The Bad: I’d had a headache all afternoon.
The Good: I had a two-hour massage scheduled that evening.

The Bad: Our TV had died on Monday. (It had been occasionally acting weird, but we didn’t think it was going to bite the big one nearly that soon.)
The Good: Within minutes of my posting the need for a TV to borrow on the local SCA list, Kelvin said he had one to loan me.

But then I got home, and all that went by the wayside. I checked e-mail, and saw something from United, that started with a notice in red that although my reservation had been confirmed, something hadn’t gone through, and I needed to contact them within 24 hours… I thought it was regarding my flight to Seattle in May for a novel workshop. Then I saw Ken’s name on it. Okay, it must be his flight to Illinois.

Then I saw Thursday’s date.

Hunh?

Ken was coming home! Turns out he’d intended to surprise me (calling from Oxnard Airport, I assume) but he’d forgotten that his United account is set up to cc: me on any itineraries. Still, it was a surprise, and a wonderful one at that.

So a few hours later, after an awesome massage, Morgana kindly drove me to the airport (I shouldn’t drive at night, plus I had the donut spare on the car) to collect my beloved.

Friday, we went out on my lunch break, and he also got a new tire on the car. That night we took Morgana and Brian out to dinner to thank them for saving me twice. Then we did a bit of research on the Internet, hied ourselves to Circuit City, and bought a new TV. (A 32-inch flat screen, replacing a 36-inch curved screen that was a little too big for our media room anyway.)

Saturday morning I had a headache—ugh—so we were mellow around the house. In the afternoon we test rode a couple of motorcycles (BMW GT and RT) and confirmed that yes, the GT is what Ken wanted, so he put a deposit down on one. We were also going to test drive some cars (more on that in a later post), but it was getting late by that point, so we went to the Mongolian BBQ, then came home and did some computer work before watching a bit of TV and going to bed early…

He had to leave early this evening, but we got a little work done around the house and whatnot before that. Since then, I’ve been writing and working and generally getting some things done that fell by the wayside. I absolutely must finish working on chapters 4 and 5 of OOTFP and get them to Teresa tomorrow! And then I have three anthology stories to write before the end of the month, and Chris Y’s YA novel to critique….

---

Currently Reading: The Changeling: Book Two of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch; Everyday Sacred: A Woman’s Journey Home, Sue Bender
Lately Listened To: random pop on iTunes
Recently Watched: CSI: NY

Brilliant

Brilliant post about writing here.

I think I need to read this every time I sit down to write.

Some people make gingerbread houses...

...and other people do this.

Uh...wow...

Break on through

Words Written:”I Need a Man,” 1637
Writing Stats: Followed up on a late payment. Received one rejection; story to be sent out again tomorrow. Received comp copy of Sex in Public, which includes the Sophie story “Make Me Come at the Ball Game.”
Exercise: yoga

Writing! After a lovely brunch with Gillian, Donna (visiting from Baltimore), et al, I went allll the way down the street to Lulu’s Beehive (okay, all of 1.3 miles!) to meet up with Christine for a writing session. We were both struggling a bit, but she made her goal of 5 pages (half of her goal for the week!) and I broke through and wrote over 1K on an as-yet untitled story (the deadline for which is tomorrow…) as well as a snippet on another.

Writing has been difficult to the point of non-existence for a while. I’m still not entirely sure why; all I know is that I’ve just had no enthusiasm for it. Not for a single project, which would have told me that there was a problem with that project, but for writing as a whole. So, it felt especially good to get back to it, to produce, to create.

I got home and had a snack, and soon thereafter Cat called, asking if she could spend the night. But of course! We hung out and chatted, and then she napped and I finished the story and talked to Ken. Then I woke Cat and we watched about half of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy before she started snoring softly. (She denies that last part.) So I sent her off to bed; we can watch the rest some other time. I still <3 Zaphod.

<>-<>-<>

I’ve been selected as a juror, which will make for an interesting rest of the month. It’s just three days a week for two weeks, and then three or four days the final week. We don’t have to be there until 10 a.m., which is horribly civilized. So although I’ll be busy, I’ll still have ample time to get everything else done that’s on my plate.

Of course, I should probably start by getting to bed at a reasonable hour tonight… Oops, too late. (Well, it’s reasonable for me, but the rest of the world might disagree.)

---

Currently Reading: The Changeling: Book Two of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Lately Listened To: RWA sessions
Recently Watched: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Those Venetian witches, you know

Words Written: 500 or so?
Writing Stats: I submitted five stories on Sunday, and received two rejections within a day. E-mail subs are both a joy and a curse. Four more stories were submitted today.
Exercise: yoga

Sale! I sold a fun little erotica piece, The Witch of Venice, to an anthology of stories inspired by drinks. Yes, The Witch of Venice is a drink. To get an idea for the story, I opened The Bartender’s Bible to a random page and picked the first drink recipe I found. So, obviously, it’s about pagans in Venice Beach. Hee.

<>-<>-<>

I had the most amazing and the most painful massage this evening. Two hours of my new massage therapist discovering that every part of my body is tight. My neck is tight. The base of my skull is tight. My pecs are tight. My right thumb is tight, for crying out loud. When I was face down and she looked at my back, she assumed that I’d been wrong and it was my right hip that was a problem, because of the way it sloped. Then she went to work on my left hip and discovered that no, the reason it didn’t slope was because there was a rock embedded there. And let’s not talk about my left hamstring, which hasn’t been the same since the sciatica twisted my entire left leg into knots.

I’ll be seeing her again soon. She was awesome.

<>-<>-<>

I went in for jury duty Wednesday, and I’m going back in tomorrow. I’m not on the jury, but they’re interviewing prospective jurors and didn’t finish on Wednesday. I’m currently in the audience, and it’ll be interesting to see how things transpire. The thing that most amazes me is how everyone in the damn Hall of Justice was funny. The lady giving us the orientation speech, the judge, both of the lawyers. Don’t they realize this is serious business?! Hee.

<>-<>-<>

The picture above is one I took in NY, at a rest area between Albany and Keene….

---

Currently Reading: The Changeling: Book Two of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Lately Listened To: some dreamy New Age CD my massage therapist had on.
Recently Watched: Star Trek: Enterprise (the Sci-Fi Channel is running it, and I’ve never seen the earlier seasons)

Fiction means "not real," right?

Hee! Fictional characters you should and shouldn't date.

Who would you date? Who would you run screaming from? Who's your partner most like?

(Everyone I think of would be bad for me. Hmm...!)

Tell me, tell me...

So, as mentioned earlier, I’m a member of Lust Bites, a group blog of Black Lace and Cheek authors. All the authors involved are invited to write little essays, about writing and sex and whatnot. I’ve already got a column slated for later this month, but that was the only topic that I could come up with. So, my pets, I need suggestions. What sorts of topics should I write about? They should be geared more towards readers than writers, but can be writing-related, too.

Post a comment! Tell me what to blather about! What haven’t I said that you want to hear?

Haunted somewhere out there

Words Written: damned if I know. I’ve been editing, mostly.
Writing Stats: Sale! Teresa and I have sold “Don’t Move” to H is for Hardcore. Which is not where we submitted it, but the editor thought it fit better in this anthology, and that’s just fine with us. Rejection from The Hub for “What Price Beauty”—it had been shortlisted, but “did not quite fit into the forthcoming lineup.” They “would be pleased to consider” further stories from me, though. Received proofs, and contract from Virgin UK via Teresa, for “Behind the Masque.”
Exercise: stretching

This entry was originally dated New Year’s Day, and I’ve been adding bits and pieces to it over the week. Let’s see if I can actually finish it and get it posted.

We got home at 2:40 a.m. New Year’s morning, and simply fell over. We’d been up for more than 20 hours… Less than 12 hours later and we were mostly unpacked, laundry was in, and mail had been sorted. Impressive, although it slowly went downhill from there, with us getting tireder and tireder. I did wrap the final presents that had arrived while we were gone, and then I did a mail run on Wednesday.

We had great intentions of going to Kingdom Twelfth Night today—we really, really wanted to see all those friends we’ve barely seen all year—but time just got away from us. Ken leaves tomorrow morning for Portland, and we had projects to finish before he left. He’s currently building a bookcase system for the sewing room, including shelves that will cross over above my drafting table. I am beside myself with delight! I can finally start getting that room organized, get out all my sewing and crafting bits, do artwork…!

I’ve been slogging through e-mail, trying to get caught up with that. Most of the personal stuff is answered; lists and “to do” items remain. I’ve been working as well, because all the late items from the end of the year showed up, and then all the 1/1/07 deadline items showed up within a few days of the deadline. Yeargh.

I’m slowly easing back into writing, too. Teresa finished a draft of Chapter 4 of Out of the Frying Pan and I’ve been going through that, tweaking a bit and making notes for upcoming stuff. She also wrote the first half of Chapter 5, so my next assignment is to write the second half. I also have a few anthology stories to write.

I don’t usually do a big year-end wrap up, but I did take note of my 2006 writing stats: 81 rejections, 24 sales.

Twenty-four sales… It takes my breath away. I didn’t track how many stories I wrote over the year, although I suppose it wouldn’t take long to figure it out from my daily writing spreadsheet. I think I’ll add the year to each story on the submission tracking spreadsheet.

I’ve been taking a step back, looking at my overall writing, trying to make some plans. I think the best plan right now is to not plan too far ahead. For example, Teresa and I want to get at least six chapters of OOTFP written before we start sending queries around. Our Black Lace editor is sitting on a partial we sent him, so he could ask for the rest at any time. And we have a novella proposal to write—Black Lace’s Wicked Words anthologies are moving to paranormal novella anthologies, and we have a fantastic idea for the first one. So, any one of those three projects could take off suddenly and need our immediate attention. (We’ll keep working on OOTFP after we mail queries, of course, but we’ll have to balance it with the novella—but, if Adam wants the BL novel, we’ll have to switch gears quickly.)

So, my first plan is “be flexible.” :-)

<>-<>-<>

So, right, Christmas. We took lots and lots of pictures with our new camera, and I’ll upload mine as soon as I figure out how… Which reminds me, I posted some other pictures before we left: various book signings and Calico Ghost Town.

My parents gave us a glass serving plate and a couple more little house figures—not David Winter cottages this time, but very similar. My middle sister gave us the special edition Narnia DVD, and my oldest sister bought us dinner. One of my nieces baked things for everyone.

And, ack! Previous presents I forgot to mention! Christine sent me an Amy Brown print—my first Amy Brown print! It’s called Autumn Daydreams. And Caterine sent us Pre-Raphaelite bookmarks! And Tani gave me Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s decaf English Breakfast tea! And Ken gave me the Llewellyn calendar!

The most important thing was spending time with the family. I hadn’t seen one of my nieces and two of my nephews in four years! We went into Lake Placid one day and tromped around, and most everybody went ice skating. Out of deference to my back, I chose to stand at the edge of the Olympic Oval and take pictures before my freezing fingers fell off. Ken skated for what may have been the first time in his life (he roller skated as a kid, though) and did a fantastic job.

As mentioned previously, I gave my youngest niece (11) a lap loom. We figured out how to warp it, and she completed her first weaving project the same day. Hahaha! Another convert! (I knew she’d like it. She’s a crafty thing.) Next I think I’ll teach her kumihimo. (I took mine with me; I’m making cords for edging Mongolian hats—we had a workshop on them at the beginning of January.)

<>-<>-<>

In other news, Ken decided that it was time for a change… He’s had long hair for a good 15 years, usually pulled back in a ponytail. He didn’t want short hair, but he wanted something more manageable on the bike, etc. So I took him to my Fabulous Gay Hairdresser. We looked at a few pictures, and then I sat down in the waiting room and let them go at it. When Ken walked out, all I could say was, “Oh my god! You look like Sawyer from Lost!” And indeed he does. Yum. Well, he was always yum, but this is a really nice style for him. (‘Course, he still wears it in a ponytail a lot…)

<>-<>-<>

I made Moroccan lamb kebabs (wonderfully simple recipe on the George Foreman grill!) and jasmine rice for supper tonight. Just mentioning it because it was really tasty…

---

Currently Reading: The Sacrifice: Book One of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Lately Listened To: An Ancient Muse, Loreena McKennitt
Recently Watched: Medium, Hex (Ken hasn’t seen it, so we’re working our way through the DVDs)

CSF review

A fantastic review of Cat Scratch Fever can be found here!

Lust Bites

Tired of listening to just me ramble? Then come on over to Lust Bites, the new group blog of Black Lace and Cheek authors! We talk about writing and other spicy subjects (and there are pictures of hot guys!), and we'd love for you to join us and say hello!

What I did on my Christmas vacation

Words Written: erm…
Writing Stats: it’s the holidays—the NY publishing world has shut down
Exercise: hiking through the winter woods

What I Did on My Christmas Vacation

• scanned 551 family photos complete with detailed spreadsheet*
  
• taught my youngest niece how to weave (her gift from us was a lap loom)
  
• ate more sweets than I have in the past six months (thanks a lot, Mom)
  
• perfected the “one shot of tequila for the pot, one shot of tequila for me” art of cooking chili (and the chili was awesome, I might add)
  
• watched deer munching on corn in the yard of my parents’ Adirondack cabin
  
• took a bucketload of pictures with my new fantastic camera (uploads to come)
  
• remembered all the reasons why my family shouldn’t be in together in enclosed spaces for long lengths of time, which were overshadowed by all the wonderful reasons to spend Christmas together
  

*The project is far from done, but believe me, that took all the time we had, especially considering I kept having to tie people down to chairs so they wouldn’t wander off when I was trying to get them to identify people in pictures. One of my parents’ wedding photos lists a string of people that includes “two unidentified children who apparently crashed the party.”

<>-<>-<>

We’re in Washington-Dulles, waiting to board our flight. It’s overbooked, so they offered free hotel, food, and round-trip ticket to anyone willing to wait ‘til tomorrow. We decided to do it, but because Ken is a Premier Member, they counter-offered with first class on this flight. It’s a longish flight, and this would mean not only comfort, but free champagne for New Year’s Eve. So I said “Go for it,” and free champagne it will be. Happy New Year!

Aaaand now we’re somewhere over the Midwest. The flight attendants announced when it was midnight on the East Coast and when we over Chicago. Multiple celebrations! I’ve had a Bloody Mary, but no champagne yet. Maybe when we hit the West Coast.

We just watched most of Minority Report, but Ken’s computer crapped out right near the end, and because it turned itself off, we can’t eject the disk to watch on my computer. Pretty stupid movie overall—there are plot holes and logic problems I could drive a spaceship through—but I still wanted to see the final outcome.

Augh! They’re out of champagne! I shall have a glass of chardonnay (still free!) and pretend there are bubbles.

Hope you’re all ringing in the New Year in wonderful ways! (Tell me about them!)

---

Currently Reading: The Sacrifice: Book One of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Lately Listened To: the airplane engine
Recently Watched: Minority Report

Me, I want a hula hoop

Words Written: “Party Favor,” 1671; Out of the Frying Pan, ~300
Writing Stats: it’s the holidays—the NY publishing world has shut down
Exercise: briskly walking through airports yet again

Happy Christmas and Blessed Yule, everyone! We’re on a flight from Chicago to Albany, NY, where we will collect my sister Debi (currently on her way from Atlanta to Albany) and drive a few hours’ north into the mountains and join the rest of my family. We got less than 4 hours’ sleep last night, so we’re kinda punchy…

We made sure we had two Netflix DVDs in hand for the trip, and watched My Super Ex-Girlfriend on the first flight. It was better than I expected, largely due to the presence of Eddie Izzard.

We opened a present each for the Solstice, and I squeed with excitement when I discovered that Ken found me a copy of Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s Stained Black—an audiotape package of several of her horror stories! I’m a completist when it comes to Kris and Dean (except for their millions of media tie-in books—I pick them up when I find them used, but I know there are things out under pseudonyms I’m not privy to…), and I’ve had this on my list to find for years. He even found a sealed copy! But I’m not a collector in that sense, and I want to hear it…once I get my hands on a cassette player, since we don’t own one anymore. And I’ll have Kris sign it next time I’m up there. Beam. Meanwhile, I had Ken open Blackmore’s Night’s holiday CD, Winter Carols, so we could burn it and have it on my iPod to play while we’re in NY. (I found mini-speakers for the iPod, so we’ll have holiday music at the cabin.)

We then decided to open one gift a night until Xmas Eve, when we’d open the rest. The next night’s giftie was a pair of passport covers—and another discussion about where we want to go on our Big Trip this year. (Which reminds me: top priority in January is to get my passport renewed. I’ve had the paperwork and checks sitting here since mid-November; I just have to get my cute ass to the library.)

(I’ll ramble more about potential travel later. We have lots of places we want to go, including Britain, Australia and New Zealand, Hawaii, Machu Picchu, Venice…)

Ken opened another Neil Peart book, this one about riding his BMW bike between concerts. (Neil’s the drummer for Rush, considered one of the best drummers ever.) He’s really been into motorcycle travelogues over the past few years (Ken, I mean) so I’m on a quest to find more.

I don’t remember what I opened when after that, so now you’re just going to get it in the order I think of things.

Melusine sent her annual handmade ornament, this time purple and silver cross-stitch. So pretty! And she surprised me with a handmade purple-and-silver embroidered and beaded pouch/purse! I took pictures of both and will post them when I get home.

I got a pretty handmade bracelet from Tina, who sent it over with Ken when he saw her in October. I’m not sure if it’s officially a Yule gift, because he said he forgot to give it to me until now.

One of the rare items of Styx memorabilia out there is the Crystal Ball paperweight. (CB being their 1976 album.) I’ve longed for one, and Ken has spent years trying to find me one. I guess I never fully realized the efforts he’s been putting into it. He says he has people all over the country keeping their eyes out for one. Anyway, because he still hadn’t managed to get his hands on one, he broke down and made me one. That’s right. He made me a snowglobe with the CB album cover (front and back) inside. Is that not the coolest and sweetest thing ever? I love it more than if it was the actual paperweight.

He also gave me one of those little wooden kids’ toys; kind of a puppet on a base, and when you press up on the bottom of the base, the figure collapses. Well, this one is standing on his head. See, Lawrence has taken to doing a headstand at the end of each concert. Sheri took a great photo of this in Vegas and put it online with the caption “Cirque de Gowan”! and when I saw this toy, I looked at Ken and that’s what he said. At which point I collapsed in hysterical laughter. We’re going to paint a little towel under his head, and the phrase “Cirque de Gowan” on the side. I will show it to Lawrence, but he can’t have it. Mine!

He also got me Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things, which wasn’t even on my wish list yet! Ooh!

And we got new cameras! We were planning to anyway, and Xmas was a good excuse (plus it was a surprise for me to open). His camera was beat up from falling off the bike, and my camera (which we got because we were always fighting over who got to use the joint one, which then became his) was just too slow. Slow to take the picture, and really slow to “reboot” afterwards. These are little slim Casios, and they’re so fast! (Ken said he finally quit researching cameras, walked into a shop, and just told the saleswoman what features were important.) And he managed to get them in two different colors, so we won’t mix them up. Mine is a silver that shades towards lavender (how appropriate) and his shades more towards champagne. I played with mine in the airport a little—it can take black-and-white and sepia-toned pictures! Giggle madly.

Teresa gave me Moving Breath’s first CD, which was on my wish list because I pretty much wore out the cassette because I loved the album so much, and now we don’t have a cassette player. (Ken looked at the CD and said, “Right, that’s what you listened to when you got your tattoo.”) She also got me a book, and I’m blanking on what it’s called, but it looks very interesting.

Let’s see, I also got Ken another Neil Peart book (about riding his bicycle through Africa) and the newest Blackmore’s Night CD, The Village Lanterne.

I think we’ve started our descent, so I should wrap this up. Rainy and 36 degrees in Albany. I’ve got my fingers crossed for snow at the cabin… I hope you’re all have a lovely day. I don’t know when I’ll be able to post this; Ken and I will try to pop over to an Internet café in Lake Placid once or twice.

---

Currently Reading: The Sacrifice: Book One of the Fey, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Lately Listened To: Christmas music! Whee!
Recently Watched: My Super Ex-Girlfriend

"Bringing Back the Light" online!

Looking for a sexy and heartwarming read to get you in the holiday spirit? Then head on over to Fishnet and read the Sophie Mouette story "Bringing Back the Light".

Happy holidays!

California dreamin' on such a winter's day

Words Written: damned if I know
Writing Stats: see below
Exercise: dancing to Alice Cooper, walking briskly through airports

Sale! “From Bitter to Sweet,” a funky little artsy erotic piece I wrote years ago, has been accepted for the Got a Minute anthology. Ah, that feels good.

And, another interview! The lovely and talented Vera Nazarian interviewed me as part of her Author Stop Tour series. (Check out the other interviews, too—she’s lined up an impressive set of excellent writers!)

<>-<>-<>

We’re in the Phoenix airport, soon to fly to LA, have dinner at The Encounter (that funky restaurant in the middle of LAX, that looks like one of John Christopher’s Tripods or something) with Tani before heading home. We’ve been visiting the fabulous Helen, which included going to the annual Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding benefit show. Six hours of music and comedy! The highlight (for us, anyway) was Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades together again. They’ve got a CD of 60s and 70s covers coming out next year, so three of their four songs were from that, including “California Dreamin’” for which they had an all-star backup chorus (Stephen Stills, Don Felder, etc.). Wow. Those boys have the most amazing harmonies…

Anyway, we managed to get into second row pit seats for their performance, and we wandered up to stand against the stage for Alice Cooper’s performance (with his original band, save the deceased member) and the finale. When that ended, Tommy came along the edge of the stage shaking attendees hands. When he got to us, his face lit up in recognition and appreciation at our presence. “Hi girls!” he said. Hee. Girls. So we chatted with him for a few moments, and I got him to pose with Santa for a great picture (Helen took the actual photo, above). Because nothing puts you in the holiday spirit like watching Santa rock out.

<>-<>-<>

Home now. The Encounter is a truly trippy restaurant. 60’s space theme—I kept expecting to see The Jetsons. I took a bunch of pictures with the camera on my phone, so if I ever figure out how to download pictures from my phone… The food was pricey, but excellent—I had duck, and will spend the next week eating no fat to compensate.

A busy-ish week ahead. Most of the presents are bought, wrapped, and mailed, but a few are still pending in each category. We need to get our various ducks in their rows (and if they don't stay there, we will eat them) before we leave for the holidays in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. That means finishing a story, editing two stories, reading all work submissions to date, dealing with various Styxfest stuff, and finishing all the shopping and wrapping, along with chiropractic appointments, exercise, a visit from the cleaning lady, and gods know what else. So I should probably stop rambling here and get to some of it!

---

Currently Reading: Paloma, Kristine Kathryn Rusch; Wings to the Kingdom, Cherie Priest
Lately Listened To: 6 hours of music and comedy at the Alice Cooper Christmas Pudding benefit
Recently Watched: One With Everything: Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra DVD

Ummm...

Could the person who set up a syndicated feed for this journal in LJ please e-mail me privately? Thanks!

A Little Night Music on amazon!

A Little Night Music has been listed on amazon.com!

And remember, if you want a taste of the novel well before its July 2007 release date, pick up a copy of Sex and Music. The Sarah Dale story "Are You Ready for Me?" is a hot scene from the novel!

Did you miss me?

Words Written: yeah, ha, no…
Writing Stats: Rejection from Aberrant Dreams for “Matchmaker”
Exercise: not likely when it sounds like I’m hacking up a lung

Back from Vegas. Note to self: Always stay at the hotel where the band is. It makes for many amusing run-ins and conversations. Corollary note to self: Never, ever, leave hotel room without makeup on. Ever.

<>-<>-<>

The picture above is of a ceramic jar Ken bought me at the Calico Ghost Town (pictures of the town will be uploaded later). It’s purple, and it has a spiral on it, and he simply decided it must be mine.

But here’s my question: What should I store in it? (It’s about 2 inches high without the top and 3 inches in diameter, BTW.) I’m looking for any and all suggestions. Really, post your responses in the comments. I’ll think up some suitable way to reward anyone who give me an idea I actually use!

---

Currently Reading: Jade Tiger, Jenn Reese
Lately Listened To: mostly Styx, and lots of it live; also Queensrÿche (long concert!), Marillion, and Coverdale/Page
Recently Watched: CSI: NY, Bones

And three we've never even heard of

Words Written: “The Witch of Venice,” 1500 words; edited two stories
Writing Stats: Got three stories in the mail, despite the cold, since they all had an 11/30 or 12/1 deadline and I’ll be away then. Go me!
Exercise: yeah, right. [sniffle, kaff]

I forgot to mention in the last entry that I’d come down with a cold, as has Ken (poor thing, his is on the heels of a bad cold he had a couple weeks ago). Up until a couple of days ago, it was just some minor throat stuff and general weariness, so between Nyquil and Dayquil, I wasn’t really slowed down too much.

Then I tempted fate, and before I turned off the light one night, I commented to Ken that it was nice these colds weren’t really bad.

What woke me up the next morning was the pain in my throat when I swallowed.

So I’ve been in a complete fog, exhausted (despite the Nyquil-drugged sleep of the damned) and braindead, and now the nasal spray isn’t really working anymore, so I can’t breathe. Blah. This thing better clear up before the Styx concert on Friday night, or I’m likely to fall over in the middle of the show. (Ideally it will clear up before the Queensryche show Thursday night…)

But let’s talk about the good, happy things:

• Ken fixed the DVR.
  
• We had a lovely Thanksgiving with friends and family.
  
• I have the new Loreena McKennitt album! The one from B&N with the bonus track!
  
• Ken brought me matzo ball soup from Roxsbury Deli.
  
• I get to work at home.
  
• We’re off to Vegas tomorrow to visit Julie and Jim and to see Queensryche and Styx (twice!).
  
• We made really good curry last night.
  
• I’m writing again, despite the lurgy.
  
• I’ve mostly cleared out my e-mail In Box, and I’m caught up on work stuff.
  

---

Currently Reading: Jade Tiger, Jenn Reese
Lately Listened To: An Ancient Muse, Loreena McKennitt
Recently Watched: Medium, Lost

Book signing

I will be doing a book signing at Borders Books in Tempe (Phoenix), Arizona, on December 16th, starting at 2 p.m.

Please spread the word, and join me if you're in the area!

Everything, all the time

Words Written: editing, actually
Writing Stats: Came home to three rejections (one because the magazine is folding) and copy edits for one story. Also declined a novella contract because the publisher was unwilling to negotiate certain crucial terms.
Exercise: dancin’, baybee!

Whoops! Wrote the first few paragraphs of this a few days ago, then forgot to post it…

Home from Baltimore and NYC! Woo!

It was a great trip! Oh, fraught with the usual mayhem and cat-herding of 2-4 women (depending on the time and place) by our Heaux Security Guard (that would be Ken), but it involved two fabulous Styx shows, getting backstage briefly to give JY his birthday present and cards, an extremely brief exchange with Lawrence, way too much food (crab dip! wine! seared ahi!), and an abundance of laughter. The discovery that people in Brooklyn can be exceptionally nice. One 3 a.m. hotel evacuation due to someone’s inability to microwave popcorn (not anybody in our party, I hasten to note).

We picked up the new DVD from KC (the band’s merchandise guy) and watched it on the flight home. We’d seen pieces of it while waiting in line for the shows (someone brought a portable DVD player) and I joked that I’m visible enough that I could be my own drinking game. Having watched the whole thing more carefully, I’m amending that to only when I’m visible from the front. If you include all the shots of the back of my head, you’d be drunk by the end of the first song! (It helps that I’m the tallest of everyone in the row, so I stand out.)

Seeing it again reminded me just how amazing that particular concert was. How enthusiastic and energetic the kids in the orchestra and chorus were. How electric it all was. How amazing the music sounds when done by a full orchestra. I miss my French horn, dammit, and suddenly I’m wanting to take piano lessons again….

In other news…

Ken fixed the TV (which involved unplugging it for a few minutes and then plugging it back in…go figure), but now the DVR is acting wonky and has to be rebooted repeatedly. So we’re trying to watch as much stuff as we can, and dump some things down to tape, so we can exchange it on Monday.

We had Thanksgiving with Ken’s dad and his wife, and wife’s son and family. We’re having a second Thanksgiving here tomorrow, with Ken’s mom and some local friends. I’m looking forward to hanging out, eating good food, and relaxing with everyone.

Although I’m behind on writing and editing work, so I’ll be busy in the morning before everyone arrives! I’m going to try and make the Sunday writing-fest at Lulu’s Beehive again, too. Ken has to go to Long Beach, so I figured he could drop me there and I could work with Jenn et al. for a few hours before he swung by to pick me up. I have a couple of anthology stories to pound out before the end of the month, and since we’re leaving Wednesday for Vegas, my personal deadline is earlier! I think it comes down to one story a day, so I really have to get cracking….

We saw The Illusionist tonight with Morgana and Brian, and Ken’s mom. Fantastic movie! Edward Norton was excellent, and Rufus Sewell was amazingly and unexpectedly creepy. Now, of course, we have to see The Prestige. Because one movie about Victorian stage magicians is never enough.

---

Currently Reading: something by David Baldacci
Lately Listened To: One With Everything, Styx
Recently Watched: gobs of stuff

Help?

Any readers out there in the Bay Area? I want to buy a present for my sister that's sold only locally there. Please let me know if you can help--thanks!

Oh, the guilt!

Words Written: um, nothing today
Writing Stats: Sale! “College Reunion” will appear in C is for Co-Eds. Request for revision for a Wicked Words story. Collated snippets of scenes from Cat Scratch Fever for an erotica contest in a UK magazine.
Exercise: walking

So, one of the journallers I read started a thread on guilty pleasures, and as much as I hate me!me!s, this seemed less of a me!me! and more of a fun thing to ramble about.

I define a guilty pleasure as something I feel a vaguely guilty or embarrassed about liking, or feel I have to defend. Styx, for example, is not a guilty pleasure. Styx kicks ass from here to next Tuesday. This is not for debate.

But for guilty pleasures, I submit to you…

• When nobody is around (including Ken), I sing to the cats. (I talk to them, too, but doesn’t everybody?) So, yeah, I sing. Obvious songs like “Smelly Cat,” but I also essentially filk to them. “Tiny Kittens” to the tune of “Tiny Bubbles.” Etc.
  
• Office supplies. I really have to be good and restrain myself, because I have more Post-It notes already than I could use in a lifetime. But like Pavlov’s Bimbo, I salivate at the sight of an Office Depot truck. I’ve been known to follow them…
  
• Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. If it wouldn’t eventually kill me, I’d probably live on it.
  
• Streets of Fire. It’s not just the Jim Steinman music. I don’t know what it is. It’s a rock-n-roll fantasy, okay?!
  
• Charmed. Especially the season with the entirely unabashed “what excuse can we come up with to put them in a silly skimpy set of outfits” theme. Oh, I miss this show. I miss Holly Marie Combs’ cute nose most of all. Jenny Crusie has a wonderful essay about the show here.
  
• Abba. 'Nuff said.
  
• US magazine and Google Entertainment News and Sky News Showbiz. It’s that whole pop culture trivia thing. I especially love Us’ column about where stars were spotted, and trying to figure out if I’ve been there, and whether I’d’ve recognized the celebrity in question. You can take the girl out of the small upstate NY podunk town, but you can’t make her stop being just the tiniest bit astonished that she lives near celebrities. I can’t explain it. I just accept it.
  
• Bring It On. I’m not so sure I feel guilty about this. Yes, I love it because it’s Eliza Dushku in a skimpy cheerleading outfit (and Kirsten Dunst in a skimpy cheerleading outfit). But it’s surprisingly more intelligent and witty than you’d expect from a cheerleading movie. So.
  
• Goth girls. Blue-black hair, pale skin, lots of eyeliner, (hopefully) ripped fishnets. Yum.
  
• Night of the Lepus. Giant killer bunnies. Made to look big by putting the camera thisclose! and filming rabbits hopping through model sets. Oh, the cheesy glory. I swoon just thinking about it.
  
• Chess, the musical. American or British version, who cares. Stuck in the 80s, utterly goopy and over-the-top, and I will sing it at the top of my lungs on my deathbed if I can. If I can’t, I might as well be dead already.
  

So, what are your guilty pleasures? Spill the beans! ‘Fess up!

<>-<>-<>

In other news, Ken’s home!

---

Currently Reading: The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
Lately Listened To: tappity tappity tappity…
Recently Watched: kinda hard with no TV… :-(

Bzzzz

Words Written: “The Queen of Christmas”: 907 words
Writing Stats: fighting with contracts
Exercise: erm…

I went to the Valley for the LARA (Los Angeles RWA) meeting today, and thence to an Internet café called Lulu’s Beehive, where Christine and Jenn and I flipped open our Mac laptops (each a different size and kind) and wrote and gabbed about writing and ate and drank caffeinated things. Jenn posted a picture on her website. I got more words done on an erotic Christmas story (private antho call), although I didn’t get ahead on DFL. Still, it was good and productive, and so wonderful to hang out with other writers and bask in the shared creative energy. (The only people I saw in the place the entire time we were there were people with laptops. I felt so…Hollywood.)

I had to leave a little early, though, to make sure I was home in time for a conference chat with the rest of the Styxfest staff. Happily, Jenn is planning this at a regular occurrence, and I’m going to attend whenever I can!

<>-<>-<>

Augh! Our TV died! Not that I need to watch TV every second, but I do like to curl up with something each evening, or while I’m eating lunch—and the DVR’s going to fill up before we can get the TV fixed. Nor can I watch any of the Netflix stuff on tap. Yargh!

<>-<>-<>

Busy week ahead. Tomorrow, chiro appt and a bunch of little errands. Tuesday, dentist appt (bleah). Wednesday, hopefully Ken will arrive home. Thursday, take a red-eye (yuck) to Baltimore. Along with the usual writing, work, and so forth. But no TV-watching, apparently. Mrph.

<>-<>-<>

The picture above is the one I meant to post with the last entry, and managed to forget. It just seemed so apropos. Not only a wonderful Edward Gorey picture for the holidays, but it captured how I’ve been feeling lately—all these people wanting words from me, and me trying to get everything done and flee before they can snatch me down. I mean, I love writing, and I actually like editing (for the most part)—just not all at once!

---

Currently Reading: The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
Lately Listened To: Blowfish podcasts
Recently Watched: Jim Henson’s Storytellers: Greek Myths