Odd Meandering/Happy Birthday

MTV turned 25, but they aren't going to celebrate because they don't want to draw attention to the fact that they are older than their audience. So VH1 did a salute instead. That says something sad about our youth-obsessed culture doesn't it?

I liked MTV when it was Music Television and they had REAL videos of BANDS. (What a concept.) BUT they discovered there was more money to be had in being cultural icons and did things like launch reality television (from which I will NEVER recover), etc. I really missed videos until my son steered me to Yahoo Music and their video section. They have some classics, and a lot of new music videos that I can watch on my screen. You can rate them if you want them to know that much about you, and they'll play the high rated ones more and screen new ones for you. Now, I'm paranoid, and I don't like people knowing too much about me, BUT I'm willing to risk it on the video front. Because I really don't want to watch Paris Hilton's video, I rated it NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN and I will not have to see it EVER EVER AGAIN. Little things like that please me more than they should. :)

ANYWAY, since my discovery of online music videos I have come across some really visually cool stuff, and just some seriously fun songs. Now, remember from previous posts, I also like BAD songs (the worse the better), we're talking "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" of music, so watch at your own risk:

OK -- Here are FUN ones.

1985 -- This is SOOOOOO me. I actually remember every video it parodies.

"Here it Goes Again" by OK Go -- I LOVE the choreography and wonder how many times they had to practice this before they stopped hurting themselves and got it right.

"Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley -- What these people can do with Rorsach blots!

"Beverly Hills" and "Hash Pipe" by Weezer. (Look at the Sumo Wrestlers walking the walk in Hash Pipe and think of me with the black widow bite)

"Secret Agent Man" by David (hey he's big in Germany) Hasselhoff -- see if you can
name all of the spy movies and television shows this spoofs.

"Jump in my car" (Hasselhoff again) -- The highlight of this is that it spoofs KITT his car in Knightrider.


NOW for AMAZING ONES -- well, there are LOTS of these, too many to list really, and I'm in more of a fun/Dropkick Murphys kind of mood, but I'll give you 1.

"Bring Me Some Water" by Melissa Etheridge.


ANYWAY, I'm becoming an "old fart" but I refuse to grow up. "I want my MTV" I'll just have to get it from somebody else, online.

Captive Moon is Out!!!

Good News! Captive Moon is out! We have another book on the shelves! This is the first of the Sazi books done in third person. It features Antoine Monier. There are wonderful things about this book, but I'm nervous. Why? Because it's third person. I LIKE first person books. It's so EASY to get into the character's head and understand their perspective. Third person is just not "natural" for me. I can do it, but while I can get a first person book out right away, third person HURTS. It's like pulling teeth. But there are people who won't read first person. Cathy does not have this problem. But I am not Cathy. SOOOOOOO not.

I haven't been writing much. This is not a good thing. But it is a third person book and, as I said, pulling teeth. UGH. It will be all right. I know it will. But UGH.

For entertainment James and I have been watching The West Wing (seasons 1-4 on DVD) and 6 Feet Under (Season 1 on VHS). Extremely good shows! I am definitely going to want the rest. Both are very smart and very clever with people who screw up occasionally, but try hard. Six Feet Under is amazing at capturing the awkwardness of not being "normal." It sometimes HURTS it's so on target. I'm hoping that I can capture just a little of that same feel for the heroine I'm working on now. I want people to relate to Aspen, not write her off as a nutjob. I LIKE her.

Was reading the LKH blog the other day. (I do this). Two of the entries hit home. Then again, a lot of them do. (1) Was about people's expectations of her behavior based on her books, (They expect her to be Morticia Addams in her everyday life and are disappointed that she's too normal.); and (2) It freaks her sometimes that her characters are so real to her that it sometimes spills into real life.

Well, I was going to rant, but I don't have the energy to do that and get the pages out. So pages first. If I feel better after (usually I do) I'll come back and finish. Otherwise, see you tomorrow.

All the best.

Cie

Live and Learn

Tried a new dog food as a treat for Lucky. Live and learn. We will NOT be using that one again. It's taken me quite a while to clean up the mess. NOT the way I want to start a brand new day. Sigh! I'm sure it was worse for her!

Okay, on a totally different subject, I just read that groups doing work on a project do best if there is a really smart person in the room and everybody has reasonably equal social skills, and that these "committees" work better than if people work on the project individually (even part of the time).

I understand that. BUT, maybe I'm in the minority, but I have seldom (if ever) done well in working in groups because (a) We're all supposed to have social skills (yeah right); (b) We're all supposed to be motivated to get the result (it happens, not often, but it happens); and (c) Willing to work, work together, share credit and have time at the same time. This has never, in my wildest dreams, been possible for me. Then again, I have never claimed to have wonderful group problem-solving skills. I'm an individual kind of gal.

Now you say "But wait, Cie, you work with a co-author. What is that but small group work?" Not the way we do it. We talk it out, sure. Then we write individually. Then we edit each other, pass it back, argue some more. (Sorry, did I say argue? I meant DISCUSS [LOL]) When we have a final product we send it in.

I hated group work in school. I detested group projects in the workplace. It never failed that one or two people wound up doing the bulk of the work. If it went well the credit was shared through the group. If it went badly, the blame went on the one or two people willing to even try because they "took it over and wouldn't accept input." Nope. NOPE NOPE NOPE. Not for me. My teachers will no doubt scold me (but vouch for my veracity) for not ever having learned how to do this and my poor attitude. (Not, may I say, for the first time.)

Ah well. My position is, that some people can do group work. They are extroverts. They are socially skilled (at least moderately). Some people are not meant for group work. That doesn't mean they're not bright, nice, hardworking people. I don't think you should force people into things they're REALLY not built for. We are, after all, individuals living IN a group. Then again, I'm not a corporate type.

I'm Grateful

Hi Guys! I did a list of 50 things I'm grateful for. My son saw it and said I should post it on the blog. Now some of this is personal, but what the heck, I don't appear to have attracted any stalking types to my life at this point. So here goes.

1) My parents. They’re great!
2) My son. I love him. I’m proud of him.
3) The mass. You forgave (and keep forgiving) me. This is huge. REALLY HUGE.
4) Every pet I’ve ever had, even the ones I screwed up with. They’ve made a huge positive impact on my life. If I named them individually and what they’ve done for me I’d be here for the next couple of years. Thank you so much for giving me my pets.
5) My homes. I’ve had several now. It’s a big deal owning a home. I hope that I can get to the point where I pay for it and own it outright. I know, ephemeral stuff. But here on earth, it’s a big deal.
6) Diane and Jeff, Tim and Sharon, Sarah, John, Jodi and all the rest.
7) Camilla and Bill. They’ve been like a second set of parents. I’m amazed at how supportive they are.
8) The rest of the relatives. They all have their quirks, but they are amazing people.
9) The teachers I’ve had. Some of them were jerks. But I learned things that have helped me with my life. Amazing stuff.
10) The taste of chocolate
11) Pepsi
12) The stars at night, the sun and the moon.
13) The beauty and order of the world and the universe.
14) Sex.
15) Men in general.
16) My health. Oh, it isn’t perfect, but I still get to do almost everything I love. That’s great shit. (But if you could help me to be active and get fit (and my weight down) I sure would appreciate it!)
17) My possessions.
18) My talents, particularly writing.
19) Empathy and understanding for and of others.
20) The ability to imagine.
21) The ability to forgive and actually forget.
22) Steak, hamburger, the fact that this world can grow food.
23) Books.
24) Friendship. I have and have had the best friends anybody could hope for. Amazing people. It is SO COOL.
25) Laughter.
26) Movies, television shows and the kind of entertainment that makes you happy, but gives you real insights into life.
27) Indoor plumbing.
28) The fact that I live in a free country and can choose my own path as far as religion, politics, and pretty much everything.
29) Music, politics and pretty much everything.
30) Individual snowflakes
31) Claw footed tubs.
32) The rosary.
33) Beauty.
34) The smell of baking bread.
35) The food you give me and mine.
36) That there are people out there who actually TRY to help others and understand me.
37) Habitat for Humanity
38) That I didn’t die from the spider bite or any of those bouts of pneumonia or anything.
39) Other people’s babies.
40) The computer.
41) Prayer.
42) Antibiotics, immunization and modern medicine in general.
43) Breath mints and dental care stuff.
44) Cat whiskers and purrs.
45) The wagging tail of a dog, (particularly mine) and getting licked because they love you.
46) Bird song.
47) Music in general.
48) MILK with or without brownies and chocolate chip cookies.
49) Editors (particularly ours.)
50) All of the wonderful folks (and the not-so-wonderful but heck, I got to know them and work with them and none of us are perfect) who I’ve gotten to work with over the years. I’ve learned all kinds of lessons in tolerance and kindness from them. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way, but hey… it works.

Sorry it's been a while.

Hi Guys! Sorry it's been a while, but I've been in the kind of mood that is best not shared. I've pulled back from pretty much everything and everybody. You REALLY didn't want to hear anything I had to say. Let it suffice to say that I ran head first into corporate America and came away bloodied and crazed. I will be dealing with the aftershocks for months most likely.

On a different and (bound to be) happier note, I am writing. I have set aside the mysteries for a bit. (Sorry Mom) and am working on the Sazi story we are contracted for. This one is going to be about Aspen Monier (the seer afflicted with both foresight and hindsight) and a former Wolven Agent who everyone believed was dead (he staged his death with the help of Lucas because of serious burnout). It is coming along nicely. I had run into a snag (usually happens at the beginning of the book) in the plot, but I think I've found my solution. See, I had my characters down cold, I had the romance figured out, I had the points I wanted to make emotionally (what's driving the characters). But the plot wasn't working. Now I've added a couple of characters and it's actually making sense. YAHOOO! I love it when it starts coming together. The writing goes so much faster. Instead of getting maybe a thousand words out, you get these huge heaping chunks of writing done and it WORKS. I love that.

ANYWAY, I have to go, writing to do, things to accomplish. Hope you haven't all stopped coming by, but I wouldn't blame you if you did.

Have a great day!

Cie

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is a virtue. I know this. I am not, however, particularly virtuous, at least as far as that goes. The dog is barking her head off at the construction workers next door. It is driving me wooka wooka. I have a bunch of checks due to me that are "in process" but haven't arrived yet. In short. I am being taught patience by force. And like all lessons learned by force, it is being learned with more than the fair share of resentment.

Worrisome

I wonder sometimes if other writers worry about some of the same things I do. For example, having seen other authors get raked over the coals over things their characters have said and done, I worry. Or will, because my characters, for the most part, have really dysfunctional families, people think that mine was/is? I had a great family growing up. Blue collar/middle class, happy, with lots of love and laughter. Oh, there were arguments, problems and misunderstandings, but everybody worked hard and -- for the most part -- we got along really well.

But happy families are boring to read. They just are. No conflict=DULL reading. So I take the sibling rivalry and amp it up through the roof, or make the parent controlling as hell, or emotionally distant and cold and imagine what life would be like growing up that way. I've explained that to my sister, my brother, my son and my mother (I don't generally talk much about writing fiction with my Dad). But that doesn't mean they aren't going to cringe if people start thinking that they're like these fictional characters I've made up. I mean... EWWWWWW.

Another problem, prejudices. Everybody has some, whether they know it or not. So, how do you make sure you're not unintentionally offensive? I mean, you can have characters who are offensive -- racist, sexist, or whatever -- people like that exist in real life, and if your world is going to be believable, there should be some in it too. But I'm talking the actual meat of the book. How do you make sure that you haven't been insensitive when you don't even KNOW you are because the prejudice is so ingrained? For example (and it is JUST an example), I've been told, a little bit to my dismay, that some people have a hard time relating to some of my heroines because they're TOO strong and kick ass. They don't show enough vulnerability to suit a lot of readers. I'm advised that a lot of readers really still do want the hero to do the rescuing and be just a little bit stronger than the heroine. Now this hasn't been conscious on my part -- but I AM a single mother. I HAVE dealt with most of the issues in my life without having to consult somebody else. So I just don't "see" that I've short-changed the males in my books. Now that I know, I have to look for it. I also have to make sure that, while I keep my men strong and believable, I don't eviscerate my females and make them wimpy whiny types either. OY! This is harder than it looks folks!

I want my characters to be well rounded. I want them to be believable enough that people feel like they KNOW them -- that maybe they live right down the street. But I don't want people to think that *I* know them because they're friends, or relatives, or whatever. In a weird way, I suppose it's a compliment that people find what you've imagined so believable that they can't believe you just imagined it. But hey folks I can REALLY imagine some weird shit.

Anyway, I gotta go. The mystery awaits.

Life, the Universe, and Everything

Hi Guys!

I've been depressed. Really, seriously depressed. Don't worry. It's mostly due to having worn myself out. That and having a REALLY frustrating time with beating my head against the brick walls built by corporate America. No, I don't think I'll talk about that. It would just make me cranky when I'm finally starting to cheer up.

Why, you ask? Because I'm finally catching my rhythm on the mystery. It's a very different "flavor" from what I usually write. But writing it, and writing in general, is a true joy for me. It makes me happier than just about anything. So, even if this book doesn't wind up being "right" for the publishing world, it will be right for me.

I've been reading a bit. Read a new book that was compelling, but odd. I couldn't put it down, but I swear that as much as I liked all the politics and the magic (not so fond of the sex stuff, but hey, whatever), I really didn't see that there was all that much plot. I'm a big fan of plot. I love for a book I read to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. But I liked it anyway. Go figure.

Well, my train of thought derailed. I think I need to get back to the book anyway. Thanks everybody for stopping by.

I stand corrected...

The correct term is apparently "HIMbo." Also, a spelling note. Apparently if you have a second g in giggolo (as opposed to gigolo) you have a HIMbo with the giggles. Good to know. I'd want my HIMbo to be cheerful.

Guten Morgen Fraus, Frauleins and Hommes

Okay, maybe I got that wrong, but you get the idea.


What do you want? If you could have pretty much anything you wanted, what would you want? Money? Fame? The world's greatest courtesan (or giggolo) in your bed? Now I'm talking personal here. Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward Men is a really great idea, and totally selfless. I admire you for bringing it up. BUT we're talking personal gratification. So leave the squishies for next time and go for the GUSTO.

I want --

To lead a mostly quiet life with plenty of money to get me out of debt and pay for everything I need and most of what I want.

I want my son, my friends and family to be healthy, happy and prosperous. (What, you say that isn't selfish? You are SOOOOOO wrong. I mean, how can I enjoy my prosperity if everybody else is resenting the hell out of it. Nope. Totally selfish. I want them content and happy so they leave me be. RIGHT. You believe that. Of COURSE you do.)

If I have any enemies (and I hope I won't but, let's get real. It's me.) I wish them all the happiness in the world -- somewhere ELSE. It can even be somewhere NICE. Not selfish? WRONG AGAIN! If they are utterly happy they'll be too preoccupied with their pina coladas and bikini clad bimbos (or thong clad bimbas, this is an equal opportunity blog) to harrass me.

To be a financially successful, multi-published, award winning, best-selling author of book-length fiction.

Oh, and just occasionally, I wouldn't mind a thong clad bimba to provide distraction -- in the name of research for those obligatory steamy scenes. (RESEARCH. I SAID IT'S FOR RESEARCH. GEEZ, you guys are SOOOOOO cynical.)


Your turn. What do you want?

I Don't Get It

Hi!

I just was reading another blog and found out that yet another of my writing acquaintances is having to deal with "trolls" attacking her and her work.

I don't get it.

I simply do not understand why people feel that they have a right to attack someone simply because their art/product isn't exactly to the viewer's taste. Okay, facts are facts. I am not a big Picasso fan. I get that other people are. I mean, they're willing to pay millions of dollars for his work. More power to them. I have yet to see a piece of his work that I'd want in my living room. Go figure. I also find a lot of the formal literary fiction... dull. And I'm not positive, but I think I might prefer a case of hives over having to read anything by Nathaniel Hawthorne ever again. That doesn't mean it's not brilliant. It is simply not to my taste.

I think part of the problem is that so many people believe REALLY believe that if you can read, you can write. To some degree that's true. Anyone who is literate can, and probably does write to make themselves understood. (Went to the store to buy milk. Call me on the cell if you think of anything we need.) But that is not the same thing at all as creating a believable world and peopling it with memorable characters. That, my friends, is hard work and *difficult* work. So even if I disagree with a direction an author is taking a series, I respect the amount of effort they put into it. I may choose not to buy or read the book, but I hope I would never attack the author, or confuse the beliefs and actions of the characters with those of the author.

We have (to my knowledge) only gotten one extremely unhappy letter. (Although we've gotten some really nasty comments in Amazon reviews. Some people hated the world of the Thrall. Some people loved it. But there weren't many people in the middle. That's OK. If they don't like it, they shouldn't read that particular series. I don't like beets. So I don't eat them. Easy. Nothing personal against beet growers.

Best wishes.

Cie

Hi Guys!

Hi Guys!

[WARNING--PERSONAL POLITICAL OPINIONS THAT BELONG TO CIE AND DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OF ANYONE ELSE, INCLUDING CATHY.]

Hope everybody had a happy 4th of July. Happy Independence Day for all the citizens of the good ol' USA. I hate that we're in the middle of a war. Then again, I have never truly understood politics. I think the reason I have such a hard time with it and get so frustrated is that frequently there are no clear-cut "right" answers. I absolutely support our servicemen (and women). I am horrified by the things I'm hearing are being done to our troops -- but I am also appalled at some of the things I'm hearing are being done by people representing my country right now. In my opinion, if you lose track of those standards of behavior and freedoms that set you apart, you become the enemy and have already LOST more than the battle. I am horrified by what our troops are facing. But I am also horrified by the thought that my own government may have authorized torture, and unjust imprisonment in Guantanimo. The point is that this government was set up on the principles of freedom: Freedom of religion, free speech, the right to bear arms, no taxation without representation. It is what makes us who we are. If we sell off the Bill of Rights in the name of safety, we are selling off the very soul of our country. War is hell, and we are at war. It frightens and saddens me.

OK -- time to move on. If you don't have answers, you don't get to bitch. I don't have the answers when it comes to politics. I'm not sure there even ARE answers. So I pray for our service people and I pray for peace.

The leg is better. The asthma is getting better. (It kicked in with the reaction to the spider bite). The writing is going slowly. No real surprise there. First, this is a different genre. My mysteries to this point have always been short stories. Secondly, I was completely burnt out and sick, so it's taking me a while to recover. But I've given myself the whole month of July to play with this, so I should be OK.

Hoping to visit my folks at the end of the month. I'll probably take the train as it goes right to their town. Flying would mean coming in to either Chicago or St. Louis, renting a car and driving. I'm not up to driving either the whole trip from Texas or possibly even the couple of hours from Chicago right now. It'll get better, but I'm not there yet. So I plan to take the train, barring disasters.

We switched my thyroid meds and it appears to be helping. WHOO HOOO!!!! This is a GOOD thing. I'm not back to normal yet, but at least I'm in the mammals.

(Note of explanation -- first medicine, I was a snail. Second medicine, a turtle. While we have not reached the rabbit/hare stage yet, I am at least in the mammal category.)

(Joke of the day -- What did the snail say on the turtle's back?


Answer: "WHEEEEEE!!!!")

Hola, que tal?

Hi guys!

Okay, I have a weird thing that is bugging me.

I have always wanted to be a writer. Ever since I can remember. So I'm living my dream and it is SOOOO cool. It really is. But something has happened that is bothering me. Some of my old friends and acquaintances are acting very, very weird nwo that we're starting to have some success. Some of it could be that time and distance have taken a toll, but it's like the success has triggered a breaking point for some of these folks. I don't get it. I'm still me. Still have health problems and worry about the kid, the cats and the bills. Still can't quite stay on top of everything I need to do. Still love horrible puns and the world's worst songs. (I like really good BAD songs. Think Tequila Sheila, Let's Do Something Cheap and Superficial, or Brad Paisley's Alcohol.) I want to stay friends with my friends. I don't want them to weird out. But what can I say? I can't MAKE them like me. But it hurts.

All the News That's Fit to Print

Hi Guys! Going to the doctor this afternoon for a follow-up. The wound has healed, but I've still got other symptoms. Still, I'm healing and doing much better.

Got the edits on Touch of Madness and turned them around, so the book is IN. :) It wound up being a very intense book. I'm really proud of it. Now resting prior to moving on to a murder mystery. I'm doing it for fun, and because my mother desperately wants me to write something without monsters and without sex. LOL.

Anyway, puppy is healthy and happy. Cats and James are doing fine. Life is pretty damned good. We've been getting good book news. So I'm just going to keep plugging along.

Take care of yourselves.

Cie

Better.

Hi Guys! LOTS better, but not quite well yet. But today I woke up actually feeling like I might seriously GET well in a day or three.

I don't know if any of you out there have had that sensation before and know what I mean. But for me at least, when I am well and truly sick to the point of "Oh shit, this could kill me" and I've been slogging through it there is one point where all the sudden it's just... better. The meds kick in, the immune system kicks in and, while you still feel bad you know that, if you do what you're supposed to, you're actually, eventually going to feel GOOD again. Not just less crappy, really, seriously GOOD. Today has that kind of promise. The trick, of course, is not to let up my guard, to still REST and do all the things I'm supposed to do. But, ahem, WHOO HOOO.

Still thinking I'm going to go to Vampire Lestat Ball. Have to work out the logistics of that and a trip to visit the family. I'm thinking that my costume will be a long black dress and cloak(usually available from any costume shop) that I will bead and decorate. The biggest beading will be a red hourglass on the abdomen of the dress and a silver spiderweb on the back of the cloak. I may also make a silver "web" veil. Sort of a salute, as it were, to the little nemesis who brought me so low. Yeah, I know, I'm weird. Live with it. LOL

Well, back to bed. I'm pooped.

Cie

The Refrigerator Test

Got this off of a Google Personality Test site. I am quoting. Loved it.

The Refrigerator Test

You will be asked four questions and you must rely on your common sense to answer them correctly.

According to Andersen Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all of the questions wrong. But many pre-school children got several correct answers. Andersen Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have the brains of a four year old.



Q1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?









Correct Answer
Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door.

This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.



Q2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?









Wrong Answer:
Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator.

Correct Answer:
Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door.

This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.



Q3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend, except one. Which animal does not attend?









Correct Answer:
The elephant, since it is still in the refrigerator.

This tests your memory.

OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your abilities.



Q4. There is a river you must cross, but it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?









Correct Answer:
You swim across. All of the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting!

This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life, the Universe, and Everything

Yesterday was James' day off work. Since I'm still down with the spider bite (pretty sure now that it was a black widow according to the ER doc) which is recovering nicely, (but was not an experience I would ever care to repeat!) We had long, long conversations that covered a lot of territory both fun and theoretical. I am usually so blasted busy that conversation just as an art goes by the wayside in favor of conversations with a "point" and decisionmaking. Of course, our culture, too, values activity more than "just" chatting. Anyway, to get TO the point, the discussions brought up these huge, AHA moments that give you an insight that could seriously change how you approach things and what you do. I'm so glad I got the chance. And I wouldn't have if I wasn't injured. So out of bad comes some good.

Wrote a couple of paragraphs yesterday before I keeled over from being pooped. (The meds wear me out.) They weren't great, but I discovered what was bothering me about the basics of the story and I now have a direction.


Well, I'm getting weary. The house is a disaster. I haven't been functional and upright for a week because of the injury and stuff just doesn't do itself. I hate a filthy house, so I'm going to try to shovel it out in short bursts when I have energy today. Of course, if I push too hard I'll pay for it tomorrow, so maybe I should just rest. RIGGHHHTT.


Oh 11:30 tonight it will be one week. A whole week of my life with really no production of anything. Oh well. There really wasn't anything I could do about it.

Ouch Continued (with a minor spoiler)

OK, it hurts. I was not nearly sympathetic enough to Cathy. I hereby apologize for any and all lack of sympathy for what happened to her leg last year.

My son is a little superstitious. He pointed out that in Moon's Web we have a werespider and Cathy got bit the year it came out. In one of the books coming out this year we mention a werespider and I got bit. He suggested NO MORE SPIDERS! (LOL)

I'm going back to the doctor tomorrow because I'm not sure if we're treating this aggressively enough. Cathy's was treated very aggressively and she didn't wind up needing surgery. I'd like to take that path too if I can.

Anyway, gotta go.

Best wishes.

Cie

Ouch!

OK guys, most of you will remember that this time last year Cathy got bit multiple times by a brown recluse. She was strong, she was good natured, she recovered nicely and all is well.

WELL... I'm a wimp. The other night I was wearing shorts, sitting on the back stoop petting the dog and talking to my son James when without my knowledge something eight-legged (not a Brown Recluse thank goodness!) decided to crawl up my shorts and take a blood sample. (OUCH!) There are several kinds of "bad" spiders in Texas. The Brown Recluse is the worst. But whatever got me was definitely bad enough. Wound up in the emergency room. The bite is about an inch-inch and a half from my crotch on the inside of my leg so that I currently walk like a sumo wrestler with hemorrhoids. Clothing irritates it. Movement irritates it. And I am SUCH a wimp. They've got me on steroids for it and I'm supposed to check back if it starts oozing or weeping. (YUCK!)

I have no idea how long this is going to be an issue, but I can't tell you how much I hate it! And it has not helped with my incipient arachniphobia.

Greetings and Salutations

Hey kids!

Let's see, where to begin? In just a minute I have to get back to the copy edits. I'm a little nervous about them. Cathy is the one who usually deals with it and I'm looking at these and wondering in some places what the copyeditor was thinking. But I will work through it and hopefully do an OK job.

Had an OOPS moment last night. A while back on one of the boards there was a long discussion about heroes and heroines that are "Too Stupid to Live." In it I made up a heroine who, KNOWING there was a serial killer on the loose who was fixated on women who looked JUST LIKE HER STILL didn't take basic precautions, had information she didn't share with the police, etc. I made it up off the top of my head at that time. I swear I did. And last night, when I grabbed a book I'd been gifted off of the shelves IT WAS THAT EXACT PLOT. No kidding. After I railed against it as an example of what not to do somebody got published doing exactly that. If I am very lucky the person who wrote it did not read my rants and get mortally insulted. I mean, my opinion hasn't changed, but I don't deliberately go out to hurt people's feelings or piss them off. (Unless, of course, they've viciously attacked me, at which point all bets are off.)

I'm seriously thinking about going to New Orleans for the Vampire Lestat Ball. So, I'm looking at costumes that aren't too much bother and might actually look OK on me. It would, of course, help if I looked a little more like Cindy Crawford or Kiera Knightly. Alas, I do not. I don't look BAD, but I do look like a short, overweight, middle-aged woman. Of course I AM one, which might be why.

Well, I've gotta go. Work awaits. Everybody have a lovely day!

Cie

Hey Kids

Hi! Weird note of the day. Apparently PeeWee's Playhouse is coming back on the air. Never really watched it, but I remember the scandal in his personal life that got it pulled way back when. I guess if you live long enough infamy fades.

I'm down. Part of it is physical. Part of it isn't. But I don't want the blog to be a bummer, so I'm trying to make like Peter Pan and think happy thoughts.

Anyway, the draft is done. This is good. I start the edits on Howling on Monday. This is good too.

Later.

Cie

Puritan Guilt

Hi! This, my friends, is an opinion piece. It is my own. I claim it. You are more than welcome to disagree and argue because I'm not emotionally invested in it. But I wanted to talk about it and you guys get to be the audience.

According to American history (as I was taught it back in the dark ages) the Puritans left Europe primarily because of religious intolerance. They came here and set up shop during seriously tough times and worked their butts off. According to what I was told, they believed in God, hard work, and that was about it. Probably a pretty good attitude for the time since they had to do things like chop down trees, dig and plant crops by hand and carry water from distant sources. Having gone camping and carried water, it's hard on the lower back. I can see why a heavy duty work ethic would be necessary. Anybody who didn't pull their weight would be a serious burden on people already overburdened. The impression I got from my readings was that the Puritans as a people were pretty damned dour. I can get that too. My back started twinging just thinking about hauling water.

Anyway, a part of our culture is decadent and corrupt. No doubt about it. But another big part of it goes back to those Puritan roots. Americans take less vacation time than people in the other developed countries -- a LOT less vacation time. We also seem to enjoy it less. I have a theory about the reasons for this: (1) we don't stay on vacation long enough to truly relax; and (2) we don't really leave the work behind. We check our e-mails, we take and make "check in" calls to the office. Things like that. Our mind never completely escapes work mode. Recreation is supposed to re-create us as people. That we aren't doing it is leading to some serious consequences.

We're tired. MAJOR tired. (Oh how I relate to this one). Since we're always "on" we have trouble relaxing, have sleep disorders (Oh, I keep reading that we also sleep considerably less hours than our counterparts around the world, too). And this makes us CRANKY and more conservative.

We're less creative. There was a time, once upon a time, when the US led the developing countries in IDEAS. Our art was at least keeping up, maybe ahead. We had some great authors and playwrights, several Nobel Prize types, and on and on. We do okay now, don't get me wrong. But I've seen a serious decline in appreciation of the arts. If you're working all the time, you don't take time to go to movies, plays, read anything that isn't business related. When that happens, you begin to think that the arts are not important, and you start voting to cut the programs that support it in the education system.

The thing is, creative people are creative. They can't help it. If you cut out the only outlets for their creative energy adults will find a way around. Kids... kids get frustrated, depressed, angry and rebellious. They think you're denying WHO THEY ARE and saying that their needs aren't as important as the football players and cheerleaders of the world. With these actions we are telling some of the best and brightest minds of a generation that they have no worth. The strongest and angriest will act out. (Ever wonder why there is a massive drop-out rate among the highly gifted?) The others will wilt, fade into the background, their talents lost to them, and to our culture. I often wonder how much world-class Nobel, Pulitzer and other such caliber work has rotted to dust in the bottom of a cardboard box in somebody's basement, or was never created to begin with because of the insistence that everything be useful NOW.

It's not just the fact that it needs to be useful that's a problem. It's the NOW. Because sometimes when you create something, you don't realize its purpose until long after its come into existence. And sometimes its the act of creation that produces something incredibly useful, just as a happy accident. One of my favorite stories is about Post-it notes.(insert registered trademark here!) Apparently the scientist was trying to come up with a glue that would NEVER break its bond. He failed miserably, got this glue that would stick, unstick, stick again. OK friends, have any of you NOT used a Post-it note? I was a legal secretary. These things controlled my LIFE. Can you tell me that isn't useful?

I hated school. I was a social outcast for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was that I was weird. I didn't think like most people. Hell, I still don't. But at least I had art classes, and choir, where I could channel some of that energy. It really bothers me to think how many kids out there don't have that. I ache for them, and I am so incredibly sad for our nation.

Technical Difficulties

Hi guys. I have been experiencing minor technical difficulties. The city had power blips last night, and my computer was on for two of them. It is now unhappy with me. I'm going to defrag and do other maintenance things to see if it helps.


I got the draft of the book to Cathy. It was still a little short. I'm hoping (a) she doesn't think it's dreck and (b) she can beef it up. I am exhausted. I'm cauliflower. (When we reach the point that we're so exhausted we can't function we joke that we are approaching vegetative status -- where you sit and stare at nothing and can't form a coherent sentence. Bad is broccoli. Completely incoherent is cauliflower because it doesn't even have the energy to produce chlorophyl.)

Copy edits arrived on Howling Moon. I will need to look at them. But for 24 hours I am going to do stuff that requires absolutely no functioning brain cells. Because right now I'm down to two, and they're not on speaking terms.

I know I shouldn't push myself to this point. Bad, bad, Cie. But I did. It's done.

Toodles.

Midlife (Optimistically) Crisis

Later that same day...

OK folks. Sleep deprivation is BAD. It wreaks havoc with the body, the mind and the (drum roll) mood. Now that I got a little rest, I'm actually feeling more like myself. YES, I do have some decisions to make. No, things are not nearly as dark as they seemed. In fact, they're pretty damned good! Just thought I'd better pop by and say so!

Later.

Cie

***************************

Hi guys!

Progress is being made. Today I need to do a serious chunk though because it's still too short. Sigh.

I have been taking time to sit down and decide what in the heck is the matter with me. I'm tired, and that's part of it. But there is definitely more to it than that. Once again, I've been finding myself becoming unhappy because I forgot to integrate parts of myself into my life. You know, "All work and no play make Cie a dull girl." And I am. Hell, I've been boring myself! Time is flying, the books are going well, but there's this piece of me that is very unhappy. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the career. But I need to figure out my personal life. I stand here at a crossroads, amazed at what I have accomplished, but see most of my life as a compromise, not a creation. It was absolutely my choice to get here, but compromise really doesn't bring uninhibited joy. I need to finish this book, get some rest, and then see what I WANT to do. This is probably all a product of exhaustion and boredom.

Jim, I Have Your Answer

Jim, the 2007 RT Conference is in Houston, Texas. :)

Yolanda, have you been submitting your stuff? Any word?

Working on the polish of the draft. Oy. Goal is to send it to Cathy fully ready for her to work on by Wednesday at noon. So I have to get back to it in just a minute. But I wanted to say "HI!"

Cie

HALLELUJAH!!!!

OKAY, draft is done and I survived. I'm taking a day off, then two to polish it one more time, then it goes to Cathy for her edits. I'm pooped. Totally pooped. But it is good that it's done, and for the moment at least, I think it's a good book.

Jim -- I'll check on your question about RT. I'm not sure where it's supposed to be. Oh, and are you headed to the Vampire Lestat Ball this year? I'm thinking of going and I'd love to run into you.


Had a wonderful time at RT, but, as is sometimes (often) the case, the trip wore me out too much and the body started raising hell with me. I'm doing better now. :)


Had fun watching some videos with James. Two were from Fountains of Wayne, (Stacy's Mom and another one that has a chorus of "The sun still shines in the summertime. I'll be yours if you'll be mine. I tried to change, but I changed my mind. Think I'll have another glass of Mexican wine." I don't remember the title, but I loved it.) the third is a send up of all my favorite old 1980s videos. It's done by Bowling for Soup and the song is 1985. Oh my GOD I laughed so hard! I'm having a hard time accepting that it's been 20+ years, but there you go. Hair metal will never die. (I'm paraphrasing Jim Butcher, because I'm not big on polka.)

Have a great day everybody.

Good Morning

Hi!

We ran into our editor at RT. Bless her heart, she gave us an extra two weeks. I really needed it because I was rushing too much and in a panic because I couldn't afford to take that time off to go to the conference. So now we're back and I'm pushing hard to polish it up to the point where I can give it to Cathy. Since I figured out part of what was bothering me on the trip, I am adding those sections.

I want this to be a great, fun, read. As always, I'm terrified that I'm blowing it irretrievably. I don't ever want to get too cocky, but a little confidence might be a nice thing. SIGH.

Anyway, back to work. Hope you guys missed me. :)

Cie

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK

Hey Guys!

No, I did not fall off of the earth, despite rumors to the contrary. We went to RT.

Good news is:

1) We won an award for Best Werewolf Romance. (WHOO HOO!!!)
2) We saw seriously cool people and met some new ones.
3) Signing went well. Books sold, people met.
4) Got many more people interested in a newsletter
5) Got lotsa pictures (Cathy will be posting some and sending some with the newsletter)
6) Relaxed and had lotsa book ideas. (Which have been duly placed on the back burner until after we get done with the stuff for this contract.)


One of the coolest things about this job (and there are many) is the people. Some of the folks we ran into who we've already known, and some we met are big front-list authors. But they're REAL people. No bullshit. No attitude of superiority. You have to love a New York Times Bestselling Author who can quote Rocky Horror Picture at you and share the war stories of the first time you ever saw it. Or the other major author who admitted that probably the biggest thing she's hoping for is to be tapped for a comic book. ("How much of a geek does that make me?" was what she asked.) Or the "Lifetime Achievement" winner who had us in stitches all through the signing, bought all our books, and announced to all and sundry that the two of us were "absolutely demented!" as she laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.

Another seriously cool thing -- running into the author who had just had her first book published at the last conference and was nervous as hell a year later -- after the book EXPLODED onto the scene and has done amazing things for her.

The cover models are great. Some of them are such incredibly nice guys, and THIS year things were much better as far as the attendees behaving and not doing the aggressively harrassing stuff.

There was the ocean, walks on the beach, a boardwalk with SKI BALL!!! An Aussie Tim Tam party. Food. More food. And yet, more food. I'm amazed I didn't waddle home. But the good news is, as much walking as we did, I think I actually lost weight!

Our editor is THE BEST!!!! Great good people.

MISSED THE CRITTERS AND THE KID THOUGH! SO glad to be back home.

Speaking of, the puppy's goin' nuts. Need to check and see what's wrong.

LATER!

Cie

WE WON

I would like to thank the Academy....

Seriously, we won the RT Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Werewolf Romance for Moon's Web. :) Got to accept at an awards banquet and everything. Thanked RT, Cathy, my friends and family (especially James), our Agent, Editor, and YOU GUYS!!! The readers are the ones who make this so much fun. So stand up and raise your virtual glass. You deserve it!

Thanks all!!

Cie

GREETINGS FROM THE RT CONVENTION

Hi Guys!

Writing from Daytona Beach, Florida. We're at the convention and things are HOPPING! Today they will do the awards ceremony. We're up for an award, so keep your fingers crossed!

Last night we had a wonderful dinner with Laurell K. Hamilton, her husband, bodyguard, some fans, Angela Knight and her husband. All in all there were nine people, and we had a wonderful time. I can never complain about a night when everyone can quote Mel Brooks. :)

It's very odd. This is our second RT Convention. They are so much fun! There was an Aussie Tim Tam party yesterday that was a great time! I was too pooped to go to the Vampire Ball, but Cathy went and has some pictures.

Anna (our editor) arrived last night. We haven't had a chance to talk to her yet. But we're looking forward to it.

Best wishes to all. I've got to go.

Cie

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Hi Guys! Happy Mother's Day.

Let's see, I don't have long, but I wanted to write. I'm going to the RT Conference and will be off of the blog for about a week. (Unless I can't bear it and log onto the pay computer--always a possibility). I still have to finish packing.

I love travel.
I hate travel.

I've pretty-much finished the first draft of the book. When I get back I'll be beefing it up for a day or two, then passing it to Cathy. It took longer than it was supposed to, which sucks. While I know the trip is important, a part of me really wishes I could stay and work on the book longer. I feel like I've been rushing it too much and it's driving me crazy!

I also hate leaving the house a mess, but getting the draft done was more important than housework. James is here to take care of the animals, so everything will be fine at home, but I fret anyway.

There are two I'm buying myself out of the next check if I can (barring unexpected expenses, which always seem to come up.) (1) A dehumidifier (I mean, crap, this morning I sat up at the computer and put on my glasses AND THEY FOGGED UP IN FRONT OF MY FACE. THAT is flipping humid. UGH. The heat doesn't bother me. The humidity does. I ACHE. So, a good dehumidifier. (2) A new mattress. I have one of the adjustable air beds (the model before there were "sleep numbers." It has served me well for a number of years. But alas, all good things come to an end. It's losing air all the time, and the divider in the middle has died so that I roll downward in my sleep. Sometimes it's actually funny because side A will deflate, but side B is still full (or vice versa, they deflate at different rates, which is annoying) and I will be sleeping on an incline. Enough already!

Anyway, I'm trying to get over being grumpy while everybody is still asleep. Humor does it for me. So I'm laughing at my bed and promising myself that I'll get a new mattress when I get the next check.

Everybody be happy! If you're going to RT, say hi to me in the bar!

Cie

Here we go again!

HI!

Sorry it's been a bit. The book deadline is looming, and while the pages keep coming, they're not coming as fast as I would like. Fortunately I haven't gone down too many dead ends with this one. I think I'd lose it completely if I did. Anyway, I've been locking myself in the office for hours at a stretch to make page production. Since writing the blog and posting to sites doesn't get pages out it's mainly gone by the wayside.

The RT conference is coming up in Daytona. Have to get things done before I go. I'm looking forward to seeing people, but weirdly, I'm not looking forward to the trip. I have so many things to do, I hate to take a week and a half off. Which probably means that I NEED to take a week and a half off. The body is not happy with me right now. I pushed it right to the edge of the abyss before I left the law office. The rest of the world can do that sort of thing and be okay after a couple days of rest. I need weeks, sometimes even months. Just the difference between people. So, if I handle the trip right I may actually come back in better shape. Keep your fingers crossed!

The dog is at 40 pounds. She is due to get spayed in June or July. We've had people approach us about breeding her, but I'm not going to. There are so many stray puppies and kittens where I'm at. Hell, she was a stray that nobody claimed. No, I won't add to the puppy population. Thus far the back fence is holding, which is good. The housebreaking is pretty much a go except when she is sick or there's a huge thunderstorm. Baby just doesn't like thunder and lightning. She can do a standing jump as high as my chest, and a running jump as high as my shoulders. She is very strong, very smart, beautiful, and very, very protective of me.

The cats are doing well. I'm happy about that. I got one of the multi-picture frames for me and another for James and took pics of all the animals to put in the frames.

Well, my break is over. Back to the book. Kate just got out of the first major fight scene and the police aftermath. She's extremely vulnerable and emotional. Not the easiest scene for me to write, but essential for the love story/romantic arc.

Hope all is well with you. Oh, and I'm thinking about the Vampire Lestat Ball again. New Orleans is rebuilding, and they're having the ball. I'm thinking it would be good to support that, but we'll see how I'm doing.

Later all -- be happy.

Cie

Getting Back on Track

OK, there are plotters, pansters, and a combination of both. I started out my writing as a panster. Come up with a general idea, realistic characters, and let 'em rip.

Cathy is a plotter. She plans where things are going and her characters damned well better stay on the map!

Working together things have evolved into a kind of a compromise.

Touch of Madness started with an outline. Unfortunately, the characters started wandering somewhat away from the outline as I worked to incorporate information that had changed since the first book got (a) finished being written and (b) edited and published. One thing started leading to another which, in this case, was not necessarily a good thing.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS we're back on track. The story has come back in the direction of the outline and is progressing nicely. (Not quickly enough to suit me, but that's a whole 'nother blog for another day.) ANYWAY, I have to get back to it, but am happy to report that I can actually see progress. Now I have to move the dog into the back yard and get writing again!

Later folks.

Hola, que tal?

Hi, how's it goin'?

Got close to 20 pages out today so I'm in a great mood about that. Also feeling better physically than I have in a while. Keep your fingers crossed, maybe it'll keep up!

Later!

Cie

Unintentional Grumpbucket

Hi Kids:

I'm an unintentional grumpbucket today. Achy, tired (although better than I was), but seriously behind on the self-imposed deadline that will get the book to Cathy with actual time for her to edit it. Made me snarly this morning, which is NOT acceptable.

The goal as of right now is to get this book done, and get down to business on a book for next year so that we're a bit ahead and I won't be operating under the gun so much next year. Wish me luck on that! Books get written at the speed they get written. You can only push your mind and body so hard before they rebel.

Gotta run. Pages, pages, pages. :D

Be happy.

Cie

Stuff

Hi! Deep in deadline mode, so again this is liable to be short. Bear with me please.

It's funny how a character can lead you down the garden path. You're going strong, it looks good, and then BOOM, dead end.

Lost a couple of pages yesterday. Production is important at this stage. LOTS to get done. SO, today I have to get a little more time in than usual.

But this morning, I'm happy: happy that I get the chance to do what I love; happy and grateful that I have the life I do. Yeah, the animals are work, but they also give me absolute, unconditional love. The things they want I can actually provide. Solveable problems are nice once in a while. (LOL)

Gotta run. Pages, pages, pages. Take care of yourselves.


Cie

Newsletter

Cathy and I are discussing doing a newsletter. If you're interested, drop an e-mail to cat_cie@msn.com and we'll add you to the list.

I'd write more, but I've GOT to get my pages done.

Take care everybody!

Cie

Batter UP!

Hi guys! Let's see. Book is cruising along. 15 pages yesterday. I wanted more, but life intervened. Went to bed last night wondering how I was going to tie everything together, woke up with the answer. Very cool.

House is an absolute pit -- but I'm on deadline. It has to wait.

Captive Moon's the next up -- comes out in August. Got the cover for Howling, which comes out in December or January.

Hope all of you are happy and well. I gotta write.

Later.

It's All HER Fault (LOL)

Hi!

Just read the LKH blog where she was talking about ideas and how they develop. I liked it, because it is very much like my process, which gives me instant vaildation and makes me feel SOOOOOO much less weird. (LOL)

For example, the other day I was reading something posted by my editor, where she talked about chick lit. (She's not that fond of it personally). POOF idea time. A post-chick-lit book. It's called: The Godmother: Or how I Learned to Let Go and Love My Bunions. Instead of a 20-30 something heroine, she's about to turn 40. She's changed careers from an editor to an agent, and has had to give up all of her Manolo Blahniks because of (GASP) BUNIONS! This costs her her foot-fetishist boyfriend (he runs off with an erotica writer) and... well, to say that it goes on and on and is completely absurd before she finally gets the man of her dreams (Raul, the romance cover model). I designed in my head the cover art. (You know all those cartoon Chick-Lit covers with the woman in a short skirt, her legs crossed and killer shoes. Picture the short skirt, shapely legs crossed, and ORTHOPEDIC shoes.) My son and I bounced ideas all the way to San Angelo (a nearby city) and even did casting of the movie version. (Charlie Sheen gets to play the ex.)

Now NOTE, I doubt this will ever get to be written (sadly). If I was going to use it, I probably wouldn't post it here. As it is, I'm not going into a lot of detail, but have a whole, dated write-up in my computer. (Paranoia, thy name is Cie). It was an idea whose time has not (and probably never will) come. BUT, it was an idea. And James and I had a helluva good time talking about it. And it came out of one comment, by one person in their blog that started a whole chain of "What ifs". What happens to the heroines of these chick-lit books as they get older? What would wearing all those heels do to your feet? (I know about this one! Not everybody gets bunions, but I did! THIS I can describe! LOL)

So, you don't go to the five and dime to pick up ideas (12 for a dollar). But sometimes you GET ideas at the five and dime. (OOOH, what if....)

ANYWAY, as you can see, I'm feeling somewhat frivolous this morning. I am about to change hair colors, and then will be getting ready to go to a book signing in Brownwood at the Hastings bookstore. I'm hoping we'll get some traffic. If not, I will at least get a chance to sit and talk with my co-author. I can barely imagine how boring it would be to go to a signing alone and have nobody show up! UGH!

Writing is going well. I'm thinking this book will span a period of about 7-10 days. Kate just had a VERY bad first day, and it's only going to get worse! Poor woman.

Everybody enjoy themselves. Live hard, laugh hard.


Cie

Moving Slowly

I'm having a hard time getting moving this morning. Just can't quite get my feet under me and get alert. I'm normally up at 5:00-5:30, but I just crawled out of bed a half hour ago. I vaguely remember sometime around 6:00 forcing myself out of bed to take the puppy out so she wouldn't have an accident.

I think the problem is that I couldn't get to sleep last night. The world was conspiring against me with late night noisiness. 5:00 comes damned early when you don't close your eyes before 2:00.

Cathy is doing the copy edits of Captive Moon. I'm going well on TOM. Life is good. But I just can't seem to get moving. Caffeine... time... for... caffeine. (SNORE)

It's Getting There

Okay, first thing, I want to say that I like Laurell K. Hamilton. I like her books [like 'em all, but am particularly hooked on Merry Gentry and the earlier Anitas], and I think that she is a really cool person. This is judging by the few times I have met her, the things she does for charity and for other writers, things I've heard of about her and... well, much as I hate to admit it... her blog.

Today her blog dealt with something that I have happen all the time and didn't quite know if it was common or normal. (Apparently it's at least 'normal' for writers. Good to know.) It is the emotional crap of either going ugly and thinking it's all awful and you might as well pitch it all and start over, or that it is too perfect and reads like a dream. In the end, it's probably somewhere in the middle and will need edits when you've taken the time to calm down.

This is a good thing to know.

Yesterday I actually (GASP) got some writing done. Re-read the synopsis (there is going to be some 'drift' away from the synopsis, BUT it gives me a good starting point.) Sadly, I NEEDED to. I had gotten so deeply into the edits of Howling Moon (Cat), and the next Sazi novel with Cathy (a stand-alone in Texas) right after having been deeply into Roxanne (the ghost story which is being put on the back burner until we finish all three books on this contract) that I lost the entire thing -- plot, characters, voice, everything.

Given a choice I would think of one book at a time. Unfortunately, that SO doesn't work in the real world. I work with a partner, we are always running at least two books (the one I am primary on and the one she is). I can run two books in my head. I can SOMETIMES push it to three with edits. I can't do four. I particularly can't do four paranormals at once. My brain simply will not hold that much info. Each world has so many different rules, such different people. Something has to give. The one that 'gave' was Kate/TOM.

Fortunately, re-reading TOE and going over the synopsis has gotten me back in the groove. I am getting a feel for it again. Still tentative, but I remember some of the subplots, etc. This means that, if I am careful and good, I can bang out some real pages over the next few days. SO, if you don't hear from me here (you probably will, but just in case), picture me in the new chair, in front of the keyboard with my glasses perched on the end of my nose, typing like a wild woman -- my eyes ever-so-slightly glazed, a huge can of Pepsi on my left, cats perched on the other desk, recliner, and the back of my chair.

Later.

Cie

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Hi Guys!

Yesterday I wrote a long rant -- and then deleted it, because, after all, who wants to be bummed anyway! It was all boring day-to-day crap anyhow.

Today, however, I am in a great mood. A little tired, but that's my own fault. I stayed up late reading a book. Basically, Cathy and I are constantly trying to improve our writing, so I was looking at a book by a master of romance -- Norah Roberts, to see what I could learn. It was a darned good book too!

I have cuts on the bottom of my feet -- so no walking for exercise this week. The puppy isn't too bummed about it, surprisingly. But then, again, it is close to a 100 degrees outside and exercise doesn't appeal in that kind of weather.

I am working on TOE2 (or TOM -- Touch of Madness). Yesterday I spent most of the day reading Norah and re-reading TOE to get in the right POV. I wrote a little bit, but I wound up deleting almost all of it today because it was going WAY gruesomely into the horror area which is not a good way to start a romance book. I love horror, and there will be more of it later in the book, but better to start out with the nice stuff.

I want this to be a great book, but I'm nervous. Then again, I'm always nervous, so what's new! LOL.


Cie

Pooped/It's a Book

Getting ready for bed. Edits came back from Cathy, and I went over and accepted or rejected them and forwarded the whole thing on to Anna. Since track changes was being persnickity I sent a tracked version as well as a clean version. Let us hope that it makes the editor happy. :) At any rate, I am glad and happy and think that the changes have helped the book.

Also found out that galleys are on the way for Captive, which will need to be turned around by 4/28. TOM (Little Toe) is due by June 1, and I have to have it to Cathy a bit before that so that she can make edits, so we are definitely in the middle of crunch time. Glad that I am now on full-time writing because I'll need it!

Well, I'm off to bed. So incredibly pooped. But happy. Definitely happy.

Cie

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Hi Guys!

OK, I have passed on the edits to Cathy and am waiting to get them back. I could work on Touch of Madness (TOE #2 or "little toe"), but Kate's voice is very different from Catherine's, so I'm thinking it's better to wait. So I scheduled myself a day of complete rest. (Well, actually, rest until noon with regular stuff in the afternoon.) I took an Excederin PM to get rid of the pain and help me sleep last night with the absolute GOAL of sleeping until noon. Yup. Me, the early riser, sleeping in. I did not want to be out of that bed before the clock struck 12:00. See, I have a sleep disturbance, and I've not been getting any rest worth a damn for over a month.

Alas, no rest for the wicked. Between the cats, the dog, the phone, and my son getting ready for work, 8:00 was IT. BUT, I did sleep HARD until then, and only woke up twice during the night (neither of which time I remember clearly). So today I feel more rested than I have in a while. YIPPEEEE!! So now I'm puttering around a bit before I officially face the day. :)

Did some internet surfing. And I have to say folks, it is time to thank Cathy. Because if she hadn't forced me to harden my skin, some of the things people have been saying about the books are BRUTAL. I would've been so hurt. I mean, yeah, I don't like every book either, but I don't turn on the author(s)! On the other hand, weirdly, it is sometimes a sign that you've arrived that people feel the need to pick on you. Weird, but true. I've seen it happen to all my favorite authors.

On a completely different track -- The Dixie Chicks have a new single out about being "Not Ready to Play Nice." I LOVE IT!! First, whether you agree or disagree with their personal politics, they GET TO HAVE OPINIONS, JUST LIKE YOU DO!!! Secondly, it comes out at a time when we're doing edits on a book where we have a character (a were jaguar) being forced to interact with a wolf pack. When James played this song for me it was just SOOOOOOOOO Catherine's take on the pack!

OK, I've got to go. The dog needs walked. I need lunch. There's house stuff to do. But I actually feel OK today. Not spectacular, but OK. Maybe if I can get sleep over the holiday weekend I'll even feel GOOD by Monday. WHOO HOOO!!

Gotta run!

Cie

On Demand

HI. I'm pooped today. Completely wiped out. No real reason for it. Just the way it is. Still, had a great time in San Antonio this weekend. Edits are moving along. I'm very happy not to be in the law office and hope that things are going well for my boss and the new person. I still have a TON of stuff to do, but I'm just too blasted weary to do it.

I did get a sh#tload of edits sent off to Cathy for her review. She is going to work on adding the villain's POV. She will send stuff back, and I will accept or reject her suggestions before sending the whole thing back to Anna. Hard work, but definitely worthwhile. If you've ever seen an uncut gem and compared it to the final cut one, you'll know what I mean.

I think that today I am going to get "stuff" done: Cleaning and organizing the office; picking up the mess the puppy made; getting the screens refitted and on to the windows before things get hot down here. All of it things that don't require me to be at my best either emotionally or mentally -- because I'm just not. I discovered a long time ago that there are some things you work through, and there are other things that you just have to accept and work around. Today's a work-around kind of day. I also think it's a good day for me to avoid people as I'm a serious grumpbucket. Mindless and soothing -- just the ticket.

Later kids.

Back Home Again

Went to the SARA conference in San Antonio. It was a BLAST!! Lots of fun! Had a bit too much to drink and was a little rowdy, but I'm not sorry at all. Tomorrow I'm going to get the digital camera to download photos.

Also, because it was a business trip we took care of a lot of business. This is a good thing. Ready and rarin' to go tomorrow. Tonight James and I are going to watch Danger Mouse. :) Later.

Cie

Guten Morgen!

Hi Guys!

Getting ready to (1) pack and (2) go rassel me some fence (yee-haw). We are STILL trying to come up with a fence that will keep in the dog. ARGH! Still, she's getting big enough that I THINK she's going to have a hard time finding a way out. On the other hand, soon, very soon, she may be big enough the JUMP the blasted thing! I really am considering getting an 8' privacy fence for the back yard soon.

OK, complete topic change. Have you ever had one of those total disconnects where you KNOW you see things completely differently than (nearly) everybody else does? It happens to me all of the time. For example, I came down to a small town in Texas from Denver. When I was standing at a grocery counter I saw a truck go by with flags and flashing lights that read "Joe's Escort Service." My first thought was "WOW." Because, in Denver, an "escort service" means, politely, a "rent a date." Apparently Joe wasn't running one of those, however. Nope, here an escort service is a company that escorts trucks carrying oversized loads. :D I had to wonder if I just had a dirty mind, so I asked my son, and Cathy and her husband. All of them had the same reaction. I guess it's a city v. rural thing. LOL

When I was little and was first going to the library they put up a sign in the window that said "Book Depository in Rear." I thought it was SOOOOOOO rude! I mean... OW! Yes, I knew what they meant, but couldn't they have said something like "Book Return Behind Building?" Still four words and SOOOOO much nicer.

As I say, I look at things differently. Some people find it funny. Others are deeply offended by it. I don't mean to offend, truly. (Well, not MOST of the time anyway. Push me hard enough and, yeah, I can be a bit of a hag.) But there you go.

Anyway, gotta pack, run errands, and get ready by noon, so I'd better run. Everybody be good. (I won't ask at what. ;) )

Cie

Life, the Universe, and Everything

Greetings all!

Day 3.

Yesterday was great. Got about halfway on the edits for Howling. Yeah, they were extensive. Kind of a bummer. But when I consider where we were in terms of Cathy was sick, I was sick, my job sucked, and that book was pure hell to write, I'm refusing to beat myself up about it. Just get the job done and move on. It certainly could have been worse.

I don't miss the day job. I'm trying not to miss the steady paycheck. I know I'm doing the right thing, but it DOES make me nervous. I guess that means we have to get ya'll to BUY MORE BOOKS. ;)

Friday we go down to San Antonio for the SARA Conference. We'll see Anna there, which is seriously cool. Looking forward to it, but it means I need to get off my butt and WORK today. So just a couple more minutes then I'm back to it. I've decided to treat it just like I would the other job. I have to be butt in seat at 8:00 a.m.

I wish there was more to say, but there really isn't. So, I guess I'll call it a day and keep moving. Best wishes to all.

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY!!!

Today is a great day! First day of the writing full time without a day job. The edits for Howling Moon/Cat have arrived (tough, but not as bad as I feared), got good news at the doctor. No surgery for the time being (check back in three months for more testing.) All in all, a great day!

I'm going to take a quick nap now, and then to work. (My new boss is SUCH a slave driver -- LOL :D )

Clean Up

I prefer things clean, quiet and smelling slightly of lemon oil. I seldom get this, mind you, but I do prefer it. As soon as I am done posting here I am going to get started on my day. I'm trying to decide just how to spend it. There is a stack of stuff that needs to be done that is taller than I am. A lot of it is urgent. Some of it is critical. And there is almost nothing on the list that isn't important.

(NOTE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE INTERESTED: Urgent = requires immediate attention, even if it isn't going to affect life in the long term and isn't terribly important in reality; Critical = requires immediate attention and has serious consequences in real life. Important = may not require immediate attention, but will cause the defacational matter to hit the rotary oscillator at considerable speed if not taken care of properly)

Still, there is only one of me, and I have to prioritize -- and hope that during the next week as I become my own boss, that I can actually get my... ahem... together and get things back on track.

DAY JOB -- One more day. I need to slip in there today to wrap things up and clear out the very last of my stuff while she's not there sharing the desk. (Do things like stick labels on the closed files, clear my personal crap off of the computer, clear up the last of the messes that she wouldn't know what to do with, but that we don't have time for me to do while I'm training her, etc.)

The good news is, she's very nice and very bright. So, I really hope that it works out. She doesn't have a lot of experience, which is liable to be a problem, but it isn't MY problem and I need to get and stay out of the way.

WRITING JOB -- I bought a good office chair. I needed one desperately because the hydraulics broke and my seat was about six inches from the floor. Not exactly ergonomic. I was in MASSIVE pain -- and that, my friends, did not bode well for knuckling down and getting the next mss out in a timely fashion. Since there's a bit of a crunch on this one, I NEEDED that chair, so I bit the bullet and did it.

Next weekend we're going to San Antonio for a writing conference. We'll see Anna there, which is always fun. Cathy is speaking, which she loves. She absolutely adores teaching. Such a foreign concept for me as I HATE the responsibility. It's one of the reasons I prefer setting up a notebook for the successor rather than trying to train them.

I go to the specialist on Tuesday. May need some minor surgery. Pain in the neck, but there you go. Just another reason why I have to hustle butt and get things done.

HOUSEHOLD = Pets are doing well. Dog growth has slowed, but she's still growing. Has several more months to go and hasn't yet come close to growing into her paws. Currently at 25+ pounds. As soon as it is practical, I'm going to try to get Lucky in for obedience training. Wish me luck on that. She's smart, but very willful. Fits right in with the rest of the family. LOL

Well, gotta run. The elves have not come along to do my work for me. Sigh.

Cie

Hi Guys!

OK we're counting down until I am a full-time writer. Very exciting stuff. Day job is still crazy for these last few days, but we're hanging in there.

At home I'm trying to get organized so that when big day one of the new full-time gig rolls around I will be ready to roll and make the most of it!

Cathy and I are now fully-fledged members of HWA -- the Horror Writers Association. Seriously cool stuff!

The guy who came to hook up my cable access at home was a jerk (apparently) didn't like the dog (ah well, she lives here, he doesn't), kept leaving the door open so that James had to frantically make sure the cats didn't get out (UGH) and disconnected my speakers, the printer, etc. and didn't bother to hook them back up. I have to sit down when I have a few minutes and get everything back the way it's supposed to be. Blasted nuisance, but still I'm glad to have the home access back up.

The gremlins are still stalking my life and undoing my progress, but I WILL PREVAIL! It really is hard though, trying so hard to make progress and seeing everything coming unraveled behind you. Who was the Greek in the myths who was punished by making him push a boulder perpetually up a hill? I can't remember the name. I keep thinking Cicephus (sp?) but I'm probably wrong. Tantalus was the guy who was punished by having food (an apple) perpetually just out of reach and water lapping at his feet until he bent down to get some and then it, too, would pull out of reach. Which is how the word Tantalyze came into being. Blast it -- I HATE not being able to remember things! It's going to drive me crazy until I remember enough to look it up. Ah well.

Well I'm wishing you all happines. Have to get back to it!

Cie

Stuff and Nonsense

Hi guys! I am blogging in the last of the last ditch efforts to avoid the bookkeeping crap that needs to be done at the office, and the household repair crap that needs to be done at home. Besides, you want to hear from me. You know you do. (LOL)

Let's see.

First, Jim, your books are on the way, but I want to send you a replacement. Damon told me to write something "really cool" to you in the flyleaf, and for reasons known only to God my mind went totally literal and the only thing I could think of was "Ice Cubes." I swear! (Often and fluently). But it was the end of a long day, and I was in one of those surreal, frivolous moods. I meant it in fun, but decided afterward that it probably wasn't appropriate. So let me send you a replacement. It'll make me feel better. E-mail me with the address.

Shawn, YES indeedy. The sequel to Touch of Evil is currently in process on my D drive on the computer at home. Progress has been slow because of stuff at work and some health issues, but progress IS being made and I'm very excited about how much I'll be able to accomplish when I switch to writing full-time in about 9 days.

Due to circumstances beyond my control the fence situation is still being a pain in the patootie. At this point I'm so incredibly frustrated I can barely speak coherently. It feels like every time I start to make some progress around the house the gremlins follow me around -- not only undoing what I've done, but wrecking more things besides. UGH.

Lots of good things coming up. We're going to a conference in San Antonio next month and will get to meet up with Anna (which is seriously cool). We decided that I should go ahead and register for RT and go if my health permits. People keep telling me the process I need done isn't too big of a deal, so hopefully I'll be fine to go. Then there's Writer's Weekend, and Butcher Con (I absolutely love the Harry Dresden books!) and trying to go with James up to Denver for a bit... Oy, I'm getting tired just thinking of it all. But it's all good and happy stuff.

Oh, in case anyone is wondering, customer reviews on Touch of Evil are very mixed. It's dark. Heck, originally it started as a horror story. Very good v. evil. And the heroine is prickly and very, very strong. All of these things mean that people either love it or hate it. Reviews tend to be either 5 star or 1 star and nothing in between. Had a lot of people say "stick with the Sazi."

That honestly doesn't upset me. Books are very much like people. Different types appeal to different people. If you threw a party with all the characters from our books Cathy would be chatting guns with Tony and Carmine. I'd probably be in the corner joking with Raphael and Liselle (Linda's Mom -- the one who did the limbo) and sighing with regret over the fact that Kate and Tom ducked out early because of an early flight. The people who like one character or book may well not like another. It's OK. All we can do is write the best books we can and hope that each finds a home with at least a few folks who enjoy being along for the ride.

Well, gotta run. Like it or not the work will NOT do itself (darn it!) Hope everybody is having a great time. Yo, thanks for buying the book. Hope you enjoy it!!

Cie

LOTSA STUFF

Sorry I haven't written more. Life continues to be hectic. Let's see, good news first:

Signing tomorrow. :) Waldenbooks in San Angelo where Damon takes very good care of everybody. Evidently the local newspaper may or may not show up, so I'll actually have to do the whole make-up thing and wear red so that I don't look like a corpse in any pictures. I will also be bringing the digital camera so I can take pics of people who come by (assuming anyone does).

I indulged myself big time to celebrate making the lists. My entire adult life I've wanted an actual LazyBoy recliner. I got one. I sink into that thing and my body just goes limp and relaxed. WONDERFUL stuff. Of course it's HUGE. It looked big in the showroom, but there's big and there's BIG. Still, it was the one that actually fit -- right length from hip to knee, right height to support my neck, everything.

We signed another three book deal with Tor. VERY EXCITING. Happy happy. We get to work with Anna Genoese some more. :D She rocks! Of course, I could be prejudiced a bit -- after all she is the discerning soul who decided to buy OUR books in the first place. (LOL). I do wish we'd get the edits back on Cat. I'm honestly scared to death about it. I just won't feel "safe" until I see that the book is really going to make it. James, who has read it, says that it's a great book and I worry too much. But he's my son, and he's prejudiced. Cat (Howling Moon) was by far the HARDEST of the books to write so far. There was so much to take into account, things that were said in passing that had to be incorporated, a time line that was set in concrete. (Deep breaths, stop hyperventilating LOL)

I will be switching to full-time writing soon. Heady, scary stuff. But we have lots of contracts and lots of deadlines, and it's time. I know this, but oh boy am I nervous about it.

Lucky the puppy has backslid a bit. Fence has a new problem, so we've been tying her up. This means she didn't really get enough exercise this week and came into the house destructive because of it. She's a big, energetic puppy and needs to blow off steam and not be stuck inside. I know this. But I've been sick, and tired, and the fence hasn't been truly fixed. (I thought it was, and was terribly disappointed to see her get loose again!) This Sunday I'll put up the new fence section, repair the damage she's done everywhere (screens, screen door, etc.) and we'll start again.

She isn't completely housebroken yet, either, but she is doing well. It'll help when I'm home more and available to let her in and out. The fence is critical. I just have to get the fence done first and things WILL improve. (Thinking positive!)

Gotta run. Real life calls. I have a ton of crap to get finished during my last week of work and none of it is going to do itself.


Take care of yourselves!

Cie

Bwa ha ha ha LIFE IS SO GOOD!

THE FENCE IS FIXED!!!! And it only cost a couple of bucks! I found out that the hardware store sold replacement slats and I just bought a couple and slid them into the empty wire slots and WAHHOOOO!!!! Now on the days when I'm too tired to walk Lucky I won't have to feel so guilty because she'll have been able to run in the yard.

Lucky is fairly effectively housebroken! YIPPEEEE!!! For those of you who are more patient with messes than I am, this may not seem like a big deal. But OOOOOH BABY it matters to me!!!

We made the USA Today Bestseller's List!!!!! WHOOOO HOOOO!!! (THIS one is going to keep me smiling for months!)

Today I got up early to get some things done before Cathy and I go in to one of the bigger cities to celebrate. I thought I'd do a quick entry.

Thanks again guys for everything. Jim, I stopped by the Werewolf Cafe briefly. It's gotten so big I'm not sure even where to go! But it is so cool that you've got so many people interested in what you're doing. I'm very happy for you! Hope your Dad is doing OK and that your folks kitchen is finished and terrific.

Yo, I'm so proud of you! Keep up with the writing!

Shawn, AE, thanks so much for coming by and posting! I appreciate it!

Gotta run. Lots to do before the celebration!

Cie

THANKS GUYS!!!!!

We are so happy and grateful to everybody who has bought the books. Honestly, it's been an amazing, exciting time. Exhausting too -- then again, maybe that's just having to deal with the new puppy, the health stuff, etc. Tonight, whoo baby, I get to go into the back yard and fix the fence so that Lucky has somewhere to run. We've been tying her up front, but she has a bad habit of getting her chain tangled and then whining and crying -- which does no good if we're not home to untangle her. Love the dog, but she's just so much more work than the felines -- all of them combined. On the other hand, I'm losing weight fron taking her on her walks, (which more closely resemble a dead run).

ANYWAY, writing is kind of stalled for the moment. Having a hard time finding time and concentrating.

But it WILL work out. I know it. And I am truly looking forward to trying to write full-time. Wish me luck!

Cie

WE DID IT!!!!!!

YAAAAHOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Touch of Evil made the USA Today Bestseller's List, coming in at 119. WHOOO HOOOOOOO!!!! PARTY PARTY PARTY!!!

Thank you everybody who bought the book. THANKS SO MUCH!!!!!

Cie

Guten Morgen

Good morning! Hope all is well with all of you. Things here are busy, exciting, interesting and so forth. The contracts for 2007 arrived. We're now doing the line-by-line checking that is part of the process when you've been a legal assistant for most of your life and don't have the ability to assume other people did it. Good that the career background isn't totally useless. LOL.

Time is flying! I'm very excited about it, and at the same time it scares me. I'm about to hit a major period of life changes. It feels somewhat like that last surge before you get to the top of the huge hill on a roller coaster where you're feeling like "Oh shit, what have I done?" At the same time it's so incredibly exciting and you wouldn't trade it for anything. One of the biggest changes is that I will be transitioning into full-time writing this year. If it doesn't work out, then I'll have to find another job, but it's time. We've got enough on our plates that I should be able to make a good living and there is certainly enough work to go around that I won't be bored. But it is scary relying on an income that comes in short, intense bursts. So folks, I say unto you -- BUY THE BOOKS -- LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF COPIES.

Gotta run, the day job awaits (for a few more weeks at least).

Cie

Nervous

I wish I was more self-confident. Sometimes I am. Most of the time, about things that really matter to me... not so much. The problem with self-confidence (self-esteem, and all of those other like qualities) is the SELF part. Nobody else can give it to you. You have to give it to yourself. Which is HARD.

Where is this coming from? I mean, after all, Touch of Evil is doing well. We're getting great e-mails from fans and reviews are great. Sales look good, etc. (And yes, I DID go to my favorite bookstore to look at it on the shelves. THAT bit of ego stroking I simply can't ever resist!) Well, the truth is that the edit letter is going to be coming back in a week or two from Anna (our editor at Tor) and I'm scared poopless. That was SUCH a difficult book to write because it was so intertwined with the first two in the series. The edits could be a real bear. And Cat (now Howling) was the book that originally started it all. (Even though it wasn't published first, I made up the world for Catherine and Raphael, before Cathy and I even joined forces). I also re-wrote the blasted thing so often that I was to the point where I told someone (possibly the blog) that *I* was ready to join up with Jack and kill her! Poor character -- she didn't deserve it. But I really was fed up. This, my friends, is the seamy side of writing.

So I'm scared. I want Anna to like it. I'm afraid she'll hate it. I'm afraid the edits will be huge and scary and.... Well, you get the picture. You would think that it would get better the more books we get out, and it has a little. But it's sad how little it takes to shake what confidence I have. So I keep telling myself. "It'll be fine. It'll be fine." Over and over.

Neurotic? Moi?????

A Quickie

OK, only have a minute. Book is out. It looks great! I'm stoked. Crossing my fingers for a possible USA Today showing. People go their whole careers without it, so I won't be crushed, but DAMN it would be a fun thing to do!

The puppy has more than doubled in size. I looked up the breed she might on the internet. They generally are 23-26 inches at the whithers and 60-100 pounds. Oh MY. Repeat. OH MY. THAT, my friends, is a DOG. Apparently they are notoriously smart (no kidding, I could tell) and fiercely loyal and protective. They are considered very good watchdogs for the home. This is good. I'm just glad she gets along with the cats! She needs more running room, so I am in the process of fixing the fence in the back yard. Wish me luck.

Gotta run. Life calls. I'll pop in over the weekend with a more informative post. Hope you'll all buy the book and love it. If not, lie to me. I need the confidence. (LAUGH). NOT. Seriously, I want constructive criticism, just not "Cheerios pissers" who whine and snipe to be mean without offering legitimate suggestions. Fortunately for me, while I've seen those types elsewhere, nobody who has stopped by here has been anything other than supportive.

SO, BEFORE I FORGET.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT!!!!


Cie

Good News

Hi Guys! Happy Friday!!!!

Let's see, the good news of the day is that we made the Barnes & Noble Bestseller's List and the book doesn't even get released until 3/7 (YAHOOOOOOO!!!!). We also found out that the publisher has paid for serious visibility and placement, and that there are so many huge good things going on!! HAPPY TIMES!!!

Hugely busy, but MASSIVELY HAPPY! I'll write more tomorrow!


Cie

Personal Taste

Hi Guys! Cie here!

Everybody has their own taste and opinions. Liz Taylor has admitted publicly to LOVING the color purple. Adores it. It is her signature color, etc. I like purple. It's a pretty color. Looks great on her. But it's not my favorite.

I have never been a fan of pink -- any shade. Nor am I big on ruffles and bows. Far as I'm concerned, a little bit of lace goes a long way. I like it, but in small amounts. You can ask my mother to confirm this. She will regale you with tales of the horror I was during Easter dress shopping almost from the time I was an infant.

Given a choice, I will never wear a pink garment, paint a room pink, or have a pink ANYTHING. I don't care how beautiful it is the words just pop out of my mouth "But it's PINK!!!" This is stupid, I know. I am not, after all, the arbiter of all good taste (although I should be, dammit! LOL) This will leave all the more of these things available for the rest of you. Enjoy.

I guess part of this is a reaction to the overload of red and pink that bursts out every Valentine's Day. (Not my favorite holiday either. Probably because I'm single. Then again... it COULD be the pink. It really could.)

Anyway, the whole taste thing has come up for a reason (Really! Honestly! This is going somewhere!). In writing our books Cathy and I have been talking about the characters (as always). Your taste in clothing, furniture, housing, etc. says a lot about you. It's important to have your character live in a place that makes sense for their personality. The other day Cathy and I took a field trip into the local furniture stores looking at what rugs, art, and furniture the main characters of her book would have in their homes.

Thus far, most of the characters I have developed have had hardwood floors and lived in apartments or condos of one sort or another. Part of this is that having people in neighboring apartments gives you interesting character interactions. Another part is that the characters have lived in older, recently renovated buildings (Kate did her own renovations, Cat hired it out)and hardwood is "in" right now. Also, these are impatient people who wouldn't want to deal with spills or stains on a carpet. My current character is much the same, but she has really lovely expensive rugs and oriental carpets (some of which are about to be ruined in the next scene -- sigh). Raphael's home in Cat was a Frank Lloyd Wright design, with lots of tan stone and cubbyhole areas, but very distinctive lines. His pack office was airy, carpeted and done in soothing colors and light oak and original art work. Lucas, on the other hand, had an office down the hall that was very "lawyerly" with dark cherry furniture, burgundy leather chairs with brass studs and lots of bookshelves. Very different people with very different work spaces.

Windows, too, are a big thing in a lot of the stories I write. Not only do they make things light -- they give the character something to look at when they are thoughtful, trying to avoid eye-contact or whatever. I'm only realizing this now, oddly enough.

The characters Cathy has written have been much more likely to have carpet, more modern furnishings with clean lines, etc. It's not better or worse, it just *IS*.

The trick is to make sure that you don't make everybody alike. Carmine and Linda are NOT going to live in the same type of house as Sue and Tony. It's a personality thing. Fortunately for me, Cathy and I have completely different taste, and while this may make designing the website or ads a topic for long discussion, it means that our characters are going to have more variety.

Anyway, it's something to think about. Because when the character turns the front door key and walks into their home, it needs to be THEIR home.

Gotta run. Have a great day!


Cie

Stuff/Then Rant

A couple of things. I should keep this short while I try to get moving at work, but there are things I want to address.

Good news -- Our editor from Tor will be at a conference in early April in San Antonio so we're going to head down to meet up with her. When we inquired about it the group graciously invited us to join their signing AND to speak. Seriously cool!


OK RANT TO FOLLOW. STOP HERE IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED (AND YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT)

First - I hate having to be phony, but sometimes it is just required. For example, in a previous job I worked for more than 7 people, and there were 65 or so faculty members. Some of them were terrific. Some of them were terrific a**holes. I had to be polite to each and every one of them, no matter how ridiculously or horrendously they behaved. It's part of the whole office staff job description. Then there are the really snobby folks who turn up their noses at what I write or do things like wave cheerily, but speed up so that they won't have to talk to me outside of the office. Still have to grin and bear it when they show up at work. UGH.

I also have no clue on certain social issues, and don't give a da** about others. Which makes it very difficult for me when I'm placed in situations with folks for whom appearances are EVERYTHING. I really do care a lot more about what someone has to say than what they're wearing when they say it -- and whether I think they're a good hearted person than what kind of vehicle they drive or the neighborhood they live in (or their apparent bank balance).

Secondly, I hate that people ASSUME that your characters' lives reflect yours. I've written a psychopathic serial killer -- but I'm not; a cop (I'm not); a vampire hunter (Nope); etc., etc. Some of our characters are prejudiced. Some are brilliant, some aren't. I figure I (and by extension other authors) wouldn't be all that creative if we had to LIVE OUT everything we put our characters through. Doesn't make sense. Just because a character loves a leather and chrome living room doesn't mean I've got one. And believe me the characters' sexual proclivities and preferences reflect options out in the real world but not necessarily my or Cathy's own preferences or practices. (Hell, I have no idea, nor do I want to know, what goes on between my favorite authors and their significant other(s)). The prurient interest aspect really annoys me.

Rest

OK, I'm back. Only a few minutes, but I thought I'd check in. I've found a new doctor (mine closed his doors abruptly) and I lucked out in that she actually HAS one of the major things wrong with me. This means she understands AND from what I can tell has taken a vested interest in getting all the best and most current information. WHOO HOOO!!! I'm scheduled for blood work and tests (ugh), but I now actually am hopeful that I'll eventually feel really GOOD again instead of dragging butt all the time. Again WHOO HOO!!!!

The puppy is named Lucky. She is apparently at least part Catahoula Leopard Hound. She is smart, stubborn, and is getting along really well with the cats. It appears that I will continue to be the proud owner of a dog, and I am in the throes of housebreaking. UGH. Only a week until Touch of Evil is due out. WHOO HOO!!! Pre-sales are going well. Reviews are great (catch them on our website if you like -- http://ciecatrunpubs.com).

Writing is going slowly, mainly because I've been coming home from work and falling face first onto the bed for a while. But progress has been being made on the weekends, and I am taking any progress I can get.

Well, gotta get back to the day job. Everybody be good, be happy, and I'll talk to you later. If you get the book, and read it, post your review on Amazon or B&N, and comment here if you would so that I can know what you think.

Later!

Cie

GOOD NEWS

Kirkus reviewed Touch of Evil and LIKED IT. WHOO HOO!!!

Seriously, good reviews are coming in for the book. It makes me so very happy! Back to work! Someday, I'll be able to write full time. SOMEDAY.

20/21 Years

Twenty or twenty-one years ago right this moment I was being given anesthesia and asked to count backwards from 100. I was going into surgery for them to remove my necrotic left kidney and I was actually pretty sure I wasn't going to be coming out of it. I had, in fact, been really, really pissed that the nurses wouldn't let me see the flowers that had been delivered ahead of time because I KNEW my sister, aunt and my mother had gone all out. My son was 2 (either just turned or getting ready to) and I was really afraid that I wasn't going to be around to raise him. I did know that if I did make it, things were going to change a bit.

First -- there are things you can't help. Realize it and let it go. Getting angry is not going to move the cars in the traffic jam out of your way. Really.

People are who and what they are. You don't get to change them any more than they get to change you. Deal with it. If you can't, avoid them. But don't ask them to do things they are actually completely incapable of doing. It's cruel, and an exercise in frustration.

There are more important things than money. Granted, it's hard to get by without it, but you need to keep it in perspective. It's a tool to get you what you need and what you want. Nothing more. Like any other tool it can be used or abused.

People can change, but only if THEY are willing to. You can't make them want... whatever. You can't, in fact, MAKE anybody feel anything. If it isn't there, it just isn't.

There are things worth dying for. Most of them aren't "things."

Life is short. Don't blow it. Try to live so that you won't have regrets if it ends tomorrow, because it just might.

I need to get to work, but while everybody else is celebrating their love, I'm just celebrating, because I got 21 pretty terrific years.

LIVE AND LOVE WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT.

Cie