The Speed of Life

January 28, 2007 | Writing, family, life

What a weird week this has been.

I managed to land a day job. And after receiving three agent rejections this week, perhaps it’s a sign. I’ve been looking for a job, albeit half-heartedly, since November and with very little success. Then this week, one interview, a few phone calls and I start Monday. Huh?! DS is thrilled that he’ll be able to go to a babysitter, I’m worried sick, but I’ve been known to be a tad overprotective.

Today I’m going to the hospital to visit my grandfather. He is in the final stages of prostate and bone cancer. This too seems to moving with a sudden and frightening speed. Three weeks ago DH and I were at my grandfather’s house so DH could hook up the wires to my grandfather’s new TV. He didn’t look well, but I must admit I’ve been completely unprepared for just how quickly he’s deteriorating. His doctor says he’s dwindling, and I can barely wrap my head around the idea that this could be the last time I see him. Okay, let’s talk about something else.

My WIP is coming along really well. I love my characters. I’m still has conflicted as ever on B&B. Though, I’ve made one decision that I definitely think was the right one. I rewrote the scene and can’t believe how much better it is.

Amongst my many rejections for Witch last week was a personal one. Good, right? Although, the agent didn’t like the conflict or the pacing, she did say the writing was good. That’s something, isn’t it?

Well, I should stop my ramblings here. I have a ton of stuff to do today. After all, tomorrow I have to go to work.

Music: On the Hood–Matt Mays and El Torpedo
Mood: When my brain catches up, I’ll let you know

The Silver Teapot

September 15, 2006 | family, life

I am completely addicted to tea. After spending most of the summer gulping down various green teas (the lime being my favorite), I am now hooked chi spice black tea and ginger lemon twist. Both are delish! Due to this relatively new preoccupation, I decided what I needed was a tea pot. My last one broke years ago and I had never replaced it. Anyway, I was in a little store a while back and came across a silver tea pot exactly like my grandmother had. It’s not fancy or terribly pretty. It’s a squat little thing with a long spout and wood handle, but my Nana’a always brewed a mean pot of tea. And to my delight, it only cost twenty-five bucks. (Unpublished writer=broke most of the time.) Obviously, I bought the little tea pot and made it mine. My Nana died two years ago. We were close and I miss her very much, but I’m not by nature a sentimental person. So it’s interesting to me how something as simple as plain silver tea pot can make feel oddly comforted. Why analyze? I think I’ll just sit back, think of Nana and enjoy my tea.

Their Eyes Follow You Where Ever You Go

August 28, 2006 | family

As promised. The thrilling details of my vacation.

Let’s see, my mom, brother, his wife, myself, dh and ds, two good size dogs in a small three bedroom cottage that stunk of mothballs. What could possibly go wrong?

Actually, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds, the deck, dock and swimming were lovely. The view was gorgeous and except for one day of rain the weather was pretty good too. Inside the cottage, it did reek of mothballs to the point where I got headache the day it rained. Oh, I had a wisdom tooth start to come in and abscess while we were there too. That kind of sucked. (The dentists is threatening to take it out, but I’ve stalled him off to the middle of September. Maybe it will come in the rest of the way without further incident by then. Stop snickering, he said he’d have to cut bone to get it out. BONE!)

We also had some interesting companions in the living room. I guess whoever owned the place was a hunter, or taxidermist. There was a big stuffed dear head on the wall, along with some animal skins, and stuffed goose and a stuffed fox in the rafters. Very creepy. But the weirdest thing was two stuffed squirrels on a shelf in the corner.

Now, I get the whole hunter stuffing his kill–actually, I don’t really. I don’t agree with hunting at all, but that’s me. Still, I suppose I can see how someone would mount a deer head, but a squirrel? Honestly, who stuffs a squirrel. Weird.

Anyway, once I figure out how, I’ll post the pictures. So both my readers can enjoy the creepiness.

Rejections and Sword Fights

April 26, 2006 | Writing, family

Received another rejection yesterday. After reading it, my five-year-old asked what it was, and I explained that the letter was from someone who didn’t want my book. He then asked what the book was about. I told him it was about people solving a mystery. Since he equates all mystery-solving with Scooby-Doo, he was suitably impressed.

Then he asked, “Does your book have any sword fights.”

“No,” I told him. “No sword fighting.”

“People like sword fighting. You should put a sword fight in your book.”

I thanked him for his advice and giggled to myself after he left the room. But let’s face it, at this stage of the game I’m willing to try just about anything. So I started toying with fitting a sword fight into the paranormal I’m writing.

Now wouldn’t it be terribly funny if that was the book that sold?

Mood: Up
Music: The Arcade Fire

Well folks, welcome to my head…

March 30, 2006 | Writing, family

…It’s chaotic, jumbled and endlessly amusing–at least to me.

I’m a romantic suspense writer–that’s what I do for living, but as I’m unpublished the pay isn’t all that great. I’m about sixty pages away from completing my third manuscript, rewriting my second and trying to sell my first. (And when I say trying to sell, what that actually mean is collecting a wide array of rejection letters :-))

I’m also a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister and a friend. I have an evil dog I call Hell Hound and a very stressed out cat. I live in a rambling house, one hundred years old with a leaky roof and sloping floors. All of this makes for a whole lot of crazy, but I’m sure one day I’ll look back and laugh. Right?

Today my little guy is at school so I should be hard at work. I owe myself five pages for my WIP and I need to finish rewriting chapter 11 for The Witch’s Stone. Instead, though, I’m starting a blog. Ah, glorious procrastination. But seriously one more cup of coffee then I’m back to work.