Open Mouth, Insert Foot, Chew Vigorously

OY! Cie here.

Okay folks, I am who I am, what I am, and the product of my background.

In addition, I occasionally have all the social skills of a rabid skunk.

That said, I do get to have opinions. Sometimes even unpopular opinions. In fact FREQUENTLY I have unpopular opinions. But that doesn't mean there is malice aforethought. It doesn't mean people don't get to disagree.

I am a middle-aged, white (almost to the point of glowing in the dark) American of mixed ancestry on one side and Irish heritage on the other. I was originally from a small town in the middle of farm country. The town was (and is) VERY conservative. I, generally speaking, am not. (Which is a whole 'nother set of issues for another day and another post.)

ANYWAY, I was on another author's forum, and they were talking about one thing and the thread went in another direction, to "Why aren't there more black/African/African-American vampires?" And I posted the following:

I'm sorry, but I just don't see it as prejudice that there aren't more black vampires. It's just a tenet of the world. And truthfully, I think ANY author would get so much stress in our current socio-political client if they wrote a black main vampiric character. There are authors who've done it (Cathy and I included), but it's a real risk. No matter what is done, it's "wrong" to somebody. If the character wasn't flawed they're unbelievable. If they are, the author has to be desperately careful HOW they're flawed or they will catch he**. In this series it would be the same thing as happens with the rest of the characters only so much worse, because there would be inevitable accusations about prejudice. When I think how violently people react to Richard and Nathaniel and multiply that, it makes me absolutely shudder. Maybe I'm being chickensh** and unfair, but that's how I feel. In the USA at this time race is still a hot button.

And immediately people took this to be prejudice on my part. Um, WHA? That is SOOOOO not what I meant. Hell we DO have a black vampire -- Carlton in the Thrall series is black. But that's not the point. The point is that there are people who will attack viciously enough and assume the worst enough that I, for one, was given pause and had to really THINK about writing that character. There ARE cultural differences. I've run afoul of them more than once in real life. Hell, I'm running afoul of cultural differences that are not based on race every day having moved to Texas from "up north." Acknowledging that it could cause a problem doesn't strike me as being prejudiced.

BUT people took it wrong. Someone basically snapped that an author wouldn't have to study a "culture" that blacks and whites are no different. So I added the following post after.


Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that people won't argue about it. In fact, there are people who are always determined to argue about everything. We all bleed red. In the end people are people. But culture differences do exist and viva la difference. Because if everybody was the same life would be deadly deadly dull and there'd be nothing to read about.


So, I guess what I'm asking is, was I offensive? I really didn't mean to be. Truly. But I suspect anything further I say or do will only make things worse.

UGH

Cie

The Muse is a Fickle Wench

My muse is a fickle wench. I say this because, I will be cruising along, writing well, and suddenly POOF. Nada. Nothing. We come to a screeching halt for no reason that makes sense to me at all. And in the background, another story altogether jumps up and begs for attention.

Um, uh, love ya, but NO. I've got this DEADLINE, and um. . .

But nope. Not one idea or word will come on the story I SHOULD be writing, and the other one just starts to blossom.

Now part of this is just a siren song of distraction. Am I really dedicated to the work enough to finish?

But part of this USUALLY is that I've gone astray somewhere in the pages just before the stop. If I take a day or two, explore other things and come back I can usually see what the problem was, fix it, and move on. USUALLY. Sometimes, though, I just have to walk away for a while -- IF I'm not on a deadline.

In the time since I finished up Touch of Darkness the Muse has been particularly flighty, sending me from one project to another. Maybe it's because I'm actually CAUGHT UP and can do what I want right now. THAT won't last however, and I DO want to finish SOMETHING.

So wish me luck. Let's hope she settles down soon.


Cie

Writing is Thirsty Work Sometimes

Greetings and Salivations. (Yes, I really do mean drool.)

I'm feeling somewhat silly and spacey. I got the galleys in. (WHOO HOOO!!!!) On time. Found a couple of funny boo-boos and a couple of not-so-funny ones. One of my favorites, instead of Samuel Adams DARK beer it was Samuel Adams DANK. I suppose it would be the perfect beer for a Goth to drink in a cave or dungeon. In another one a sentence got turned around so that instead of the sweat from his mug falling on the bar, he did. (That Sam Adams Dank is one TOUGH beer. Not for wusses!)

ANYWAY, I need to focus on writing, and on doing the website (the goal is to have it revamped by the end of September.) And the promo items, etc. Instead, I'm all over the place. I burnt myself out badly doing Touch of Darkness for one thing. For another, the health has been wonky. I'm having symptoms I haven't had to deal with in years. BLECK.

Hopefully my head will clear soon.

In the meantime. Drink up. [Grin]

Grumpy, Complaining type stuff you may want to skip.

Blah, blah, blah.


Hi. I have a bad case of the—you guessed it—blahs. Nothing is really wrong. It’s just I’ve been stuck doing STUFF this weekend. You know what I mean. STUFF like, ooooh baby, working on getting all the viruses off of a laptop because they hadn’t updated or used their Norton for two years, and galleys, and cleaning house, and laundry, and repairing a hole in the wall, unplugging a stopped drain. . . STUFF. None of it is bad. All of it is useful and necessary. But it doesn’t really provide inspiration for my weekend. And it doesn’t make for an exciting blog entry.

Also, Lucky the Wonder Dog is being a POOP today. I love the dog. But she is a BIG dog with a LOT of energy. And if I miss walking her either morning or night I pay for it because she’s just that restless. Unfortunately, I’m not as young as I used to be AND it’s been @#$&* hot. (Okay, maybe everybody else doesn’t think it’s THAT hot, for summer, in Texas. But I do. So sue me. GRUMP GRUMP GRUMP.) So anyway, I missed the morning walk. And she’s being a POOP. But now she’s being a poop in the back yard for a while. And I am going to write to improve my mood.

Rather than bore you all more, I will try to cheer myself up.

Later.

Cie

Odd

OK, it's early morning and I'm feeling. . . odd. I had a very important nightmare last night.

Important?

Yeah, important. You see, nightmares for me generally pretty directly address my life and my future with just terrible wicked symbolism. Also, from Biblical times and beyond nightmares and dreams have been among the way God nudges his people. So I take some of them pretty serious. Not all. But you can usually tell the ones that are just indigestion from the ones that have meaning in real life (if you can just unravel the symbolism).

I realize that probably makes me sound like a lunatic. But there you go.

SO, I'm trying to unravel the symbolism and NOT forget the details this morning. Thus far, I'm making slow progress on it. I do know that some of what I've uncovered isn't exactly flattering. It shows my faults in all their hideous glory. Oooh baby. Just what I wanted to look at. (NOT. But then again, I probably should. I am TRYING to fix the suckers.)

Maybe I'll go look on a dream site and see if any of the symbolism they talk about helps.

Later.

Clearing Some Confusion

OK, I re-read yesterday's post and would like to clarify something. Heather Osborn ROCKS. She is the editor that replaced Anna Genoese at Tor. We are looking forward to working with her. BUT based on logistics (she's new, she hasn't had a chance to read our entire backlist what with getting broken in and all) we are having Anna freelance edit the Sazi and Thrall books while Heather will be doing the stand alone and future stuff. (Assuming, of course, they WANT future stuff. I mean, Lord knows we HOPE so. . .) ANYWAY, no slight was meant to her. Heather is our esteemed editor as well. We work fast enough that there is plenty to go around.

NEXT -- we discovered that someone had pirated our stuff and posted it whole on a website. (SHAME on you!) Now folks, I know that books aren't cheap -- especially if you're a reading junkie like yours truly who goes through a lot of them. But PLEASE, that's what the library is for. That's what borrowing from your buddy with a promise that you REALLY REALLY REALLY will give it back undamaged is for. Or, if you're a little more flush, what used bookstores are for. Pirating is not only illegal, it's mean to your favorite authors. It steals the profit right out from under the book. This means that not only do we not get paid (bad enough) but that there is no sales record with the publisher, which lowers the books profit which may impact whether and how much they're willing to risk another book by that author. Please please PRETTY PLEASE don't participate in this.

At least we were in good company. Really, the biggest names in the business were up there. I suppose I'm flattered.

Newslettery Post/Simultaneous With Myspace

Hi guys! I am writing this bulletin because. . . well. . . because.

The draft of Touch of Darkness, the final book in the Kate Reilly/Thrall series is in the hands of our esteemed editor, Anna Genoese. We made it in ON DEADLINE. (WOOT!)

Cathy is working on the first draft of a stand-alone novel which is the next book due under our contract. It has a seriously cool premise and everyone we've talked to about it has been very excited to see what we can do with it. (And no, I'm not giving any hints yet. LOL)

The galleys are here on Timeless Moon. (This is the Sazi book with Aspen Monier as the lead female character). So that's first up on the plate for yours truly.

We are also working on completely revamping our website. At this point we're getting permissions for some of the content we want to include (like photos, banner, and so forth) and are brushing up on our web building skills. (That have grown a little rusty with disuse). But since Cathy and I are both very "hands on" types, we're actually kind of excited about having the chance to create it exactly (we hope) the way we have in mind. Wish us luck in pulling it off. When the time comes (which won't be for about a month I think) I'll send around notice and ask y'all to take a look and give me some feedback as to what does and (le sigh) doesn't work.

We're also looking at some promo items, but that's still in process as we wait for permission on some of the artwork we want to use.

FINALLY, Upcoming events:Cathy and I will both be going to FenCon September 21-23, 2007. For information on the con go to www.fencon.org.AND we will be part of a multi-author book signing on Saturday, October 20, 2007 from 11-2 or 3 at the Hastings in Stephensville, Texas. I'll send out more details when we get closer to the date. In the meantime, anyone who wants autographed copy of books by Cathy and I can call and order them from the Waldenbooks in the Sunset Mall in San Angelo, Texas. We periodically go in and sign their stock. The phone number is 325-949-7040.

Well, that's it for now. Hope you all are well and happy. Keep reading.


Cie

I SLEPT

At last, long last, I slept most of last night. Oh, I got up once in the middle of the night, but that's IT. Otherwise I actually got REST. No night terrors, no tossing and turning. Halle FREAKING Lujah.

Can you tell I was getting tired OF it as well as tired FROM it?

Writing is going reasonably well. Since I'm not the one on deadline right now I'm doing things like working on an updated website, advertising and promo items, cleaning the house, AND writing. But that's okay. It all needs to be done.

And right now what needs to be done is getting ready for work and walking the pup.

See you later.

Cie

UGH

Remind me not to send e-mails when I wake up at 3:00-3:30 in the morning.

I am not tactful at the best of times.

When I'm suffering from insomnia is SOOOOOO not the best of times.

OY.

The thing is, I didn't mean to sound cranky. I didn't mean to sound possessive. I honestly don't care so long as the name changes.

I'll need to apologize. Again. Because I was a jerk. Again, again.

I do wish I was sleeping better. Just not. I've gone back to doing what the people at the sleep disorder center were telling me more faithfully. Thus far it doesn't seem to be helping much. At least it's just the insomnia instead of night terrors and sleepwalking.

I hate night terrors. REALLY hate em. However, I have to admit they are VERY useful for when you're writing horror. Because boy oh boy can you get that ole creepy vibe going after a few mights of coming half-awake to blood-curdling fear. You betcha.

Tonight I should sleep well though. I've been working my body VERY, very hard all day so that I will basically collapse when the time comes and hopefully sleep. Because on the days after a sleepless night I have significantly more pain than usual. I don't like pain. I also don't like taking things for the pain, even over-the-counter stuff isn't good for you if you do it too often. So, I try not to.

ANYWAY, I'm going to head out now and draft my apology. Ugh.

DING DONG THE DRAFT IS DONE. . .

Ding, dong, the draft is done. The draft is done. The draft is done. Ding, dong, the dreaded draft is done.

That's right friends and neighbors. I got through it. I sent it. It is in Cathy's hands awaiting changes.

During the last pass I caught one big boo-boo. On one page Kate is ahem, exhausted and weak-kneed from having too good of a time, so that she sends Tom into the shower first. Two pages later she's fully-showered, dressed and wanting him to hurry up with his shower.

Little things like that usually happen when you're working on a book in too small of chunks of time, too far apart. You can re-read up to a point, BUT if you don't have much time, you only go back a page or so to get the flavor, and you wind up having missed something. Frustrating. But there you go. At least we caught it.

But be kind to your authors---and not just us. I mean it. Despite the best efforts of the writer, the editors, the proofreaders, the galley folks, things slip through. They just do. ESPECIALLY if it's a really good story and you get caught up in it. You're reading, not proofing. You don't mean to, but you see what is supposed to be there, not what is. The only cure is to let the blasted thing sit for months and look at it with completely fresh eyes. Which would be lovely, but isn't possible when you're on a tight schedule.

I swear I don't know how other folks do it. I mean some of these people are MACHINES, pumping out almost a book a month CONSISTENTLY over the course of years. I can do a book in a month. Hell, I can do one in two weeks if I have to. But CONSISTENTLY? Without rest. And without losing quality? Um, no. Not so much.

ANYWAY, I have a challenge for you. I found a typo in the back end of Touch of Madness while I was looking up something to make sure I didn't contradict myself in Touch of Darkness. Somewhere toward the end there Bryan becomes (ever so briefly--as in I HOPE just once,) BRIAN. FIND THAT TYPO.

Who knows, if you do and quote the line and page # in the comments I may dig through the shelves of goodies and reward y'all with something small. IF you hurry. As in, contest ends at midnight on August 8, 2007 (which is the deadline for us to submit Touch of Darkness to the publisher, so I know I'll remember the date. :) )

Have fun folks.

Editing

Editing Mode:

I am editing Touch of Darkness (the Finale in the Kate Reilly/Thrall series) prior to sending it to Cathy. Editing my own stuff is best performed when I am in a really bad mood. Editing Cathy’s stuff is better when I’m not quite as angry much more logical. When I’m feeling mean and brutal I can be too hard on anybody else, but it’s the only time I don’t like my own writing at all and can make really harsh changes that may be needed. Now there are times that I hate my writing and wonder if I’m any good and get all depressed, but that is SOOOOOO not editing time either. Because THEN I would just give up and delete the WHOLE FLIPPING STORY. No, on depressed days we back very carefully away from the keyboard.

Today I’m not in as brutal a mood as I could be, but I’m okay, and I’m on deadline, so I can’t wait anyway.

Gotta go.
Cie

After these messages. . .

Cie here -- I'm pooped. I'm in the middle of the finale and I'm pooped enough that I had to take a few minutes and take a breather. Then back to the action.

In the meantime, I stopped on a couple of forums I visit and did a little browsing around.

I discovered that RWA had stirred up a hornet's nest (again). Okay, first, let me say that I am not currently a member. I lapsed, and while I miss my local chapter (RWA Online) I was not happy with some of what went on in a previous administration and didn't renew. I've been meaning to sign up again, but honestly, I've been procrastinating, and also looking at it critically to see if it was a membership that was going to really do something for me.

That said, I've noticed something and I want to blog about it. I am especially willing to do so since there doesn't seem to be much traffic going through here right now and I can clear my thoughts without inviting open warfare (I think).

There seem to be two sore points that keep coming up (over and over and over again).

First -- sexuality, sexual content, erotica.

Second -- E-publishing.

There are people who firmly (VERY firmly) believe that explicit sexuality has no place in romance. There are other people who (JUST AS) firmly believe that explicit sexuality is a valid part of romance. Never the twain shall meet. So you have those pesky issues come up like visual standards for ads and covers being displayed where some folks are going "We have to keep it G to PG-13" (To use movie labels everyone is familiar with.) and others are going R is appropriate, maybe even X.

My personal stance: People have sex. If people didn't have sex there wouldn't be people. It's how we breed. It is also a wonderful way to express love, intimacy, affection, and a whole lot of other really positive things in an ongoing relationship. Romances are relationship books with people. Now, I admit. I don't personally read erotica. Not my thing. Nor do I want to write it. (I'm sorry, FOR ME it just feels too much like "Insert tab A into slot B repeatedly. Add moaning as needed.") But it is a valid art form that has been around since people started writing. Heck, there are probably some explicit cave paintings somewhere. You're not going to stomp it out, even if you try. I'm not exactly a prude, (as you can probably guess from our books), but our sexual content is about the top end for me. More than that and I get embarrassed. There are times when I really wish I could just write the old "fade to black" where they go into the bedroom and you KNOW that they're gonna, but you don't have to go into a detailed description. Just insert a chapter break and start the story again in the morning with them smiling and satisfied. But there are other people who not only write it, they love it, are good at it, and they have a huge fan base.

MORE POWER TO THEM. I don't believe in censorship. I do believe in the rating system, and in parental responsibility to watch out for what your kids are getting into, but I'm much more worried about graphic violence (again, our books are at the high end for me) and GRATUITIOUS violence and sex (and sexual violence) than I am about one, two (or more) committed people having a good time with each other in the bedroom.

Now, I'm not too worried about contests. First off, we tend to write stuff that is borderline to the point where people have a hard time categorizing us. So we're not likely to qualify for the big RWA awards (just my opinion. And if I don't re-join we definitely won't. We would both have to be members). But I do think that it is probably going to be difficult for an erotic romance to compete against its more conservative and mainstream brothers. I think a separate category would be in order. BUT that's my personal opinion. I know people who believe mainstreaming is the way to go. I just know that if I was judging the erotica wouldn't stand much of a chance because it makes me uncomfortable and I don't generally read it. Is that fair? Maybe not. Heck, even probably not. But judging is subjective, based on if you like the book.

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

On to E-publishing.

I said in a panel (taking liberally from something my co-author had mentioned) that IN MY OPINION (Note the all caps. My blog, my opinion. You don't have to agree. Hell, you are free to disagree) Comparing E-Publishing to Traditional Publishing isn't just comparing apples and oranges. It's comparing apples and CATS.

Because of the low (not nonexistent, but comparatively low) overhead, E-publishing can take risks that are simply not feasible for print publishers. They can experiment with shorter (or longer) lengths, unusual content, etc. Print publishers can't do that as well for a number of reasons. Two that spring to mind are (1) COST. Yo, they're in it for the money. It's a business. They have to have enough sales to pay for all that paper, shipping, advertising, etc. They're not going to take a huge risk on something that they're not SURE has the potential to pay them back. (2) TIME. E-publishing can go through the process a bit quicker. It usually takes 1-2 YEARS for a book to get through the print publishing mill (note the usually. It CAN take less -- or, God help us, MORE, but we're going with an approximate average). Trends that are HOT right now could be cold, dead, and long buried by the time a print book sees the shelf. It means that they will likely be more conservative in their choices so as not to wind up with a complete DUD that drags down their profit margin.

There are GREAT e-publishers and e-authors. There are CRAPPY e-publishers and e-authors.

BUT GUESS WHAT

There are GREAT print publishers and print authors. There are also CRAPPY print publishers and print authors.

AND GUESS WHAT ELSE?

Stuff I think is crappy you might love. And stuff that you love, I might think is crappy.

BUT IT'S OKAY.

Because it takes all kinds to make a world. And there is something out there for everybody if they're willing to look. This is a GOOD thing. So, if you're into inspirational--WHOO HOO--GO FOR IT. If you're into erotica YIPEE KI YI AY--Again, go for it. I will continue to read my middle-of-the road with suspense, some romance, a little mystery.

Now, back to the big fight scene with its (non-gratuitous and hopefully realistic but not TOO graphic) violence.

Y'all have a good day.

Cie

Almost time for Goodbye to Katie.

Okay, last week’s post got lost in transit for Divas of the Dark. I'm going to try to cross-post again, but we'll see if it works.

This week’s post will, hopefully, reach you all finding you happy, healthy, and ready to read all kinds of schtoof.

Cathy is back from the conference. She learned so much, so fast, that we’ve spend the past week having detailed meetings to go over it. WHEW! Good stuff, but heavy on the volume.

I am about to go into the big finale of the Thrall series. I have written everything leading up to the last build up of the battle scene. It’s funny I feel. . . odd about it. I’m happy, I’m nervous (Can I really pull this off? I want it to be really, really good. Yes, I know Cathy’s edits will make it better, but I want to make it spectacular before it even gets edited.) I’m also kind of sad. When this book is done these characters will have had their story finished. Yes, there will be others, maybe even others I like as much as I do these. But I’m really, seriously fond of this group. Probably because, in many ways, they’re a lot like me.

No, not the werewolf/vampire thing (I do NOT vant to suck your blud sank you veddy much). But having a hard time expressing your emotions, worrying about your family, having control issues, being Catholic. All of these things I can relate to.

No, Kate is not me. Not even close. But of all my characters thus far, she’s probably the person I relate to best. I’ll miss her. I’ll miss Tom, and Mike, and (heaven help us) Carlton. I’ll miss Kate’s brothers (though they drive me almost as crazy as they do her), and a bunch of the minor characters.

I know, it sounds weird. It sounds like I’m almost talking about real people. Sometimes, I swear, it feels that way. There are people who the characters are putty, to be shaped, reshaped, and ordered around. That’s not how it works for me. My characters are people, with minds, wills, and behaviors (frequently frustrating behaviors) of their own that sometimes drag my well-planned plots into new, unexpected, (and sometimes unwelcome) directions. For me, writing the story is like running into an old friend and having them tell you everything that’s been going on in their lives. It feels as if the story will keep going on, even if I’m not watching it any more.

So, I’m feeling a little elated, a little worried, and a little bit sad. Because, while the Sazi is an ongoing series, where old characters can pop up at the oddest time, the Thrall series is a limited one. It always has been. Three, maybe four books were planned from the beginning. (It’s 3 now). I like limited series. It gives the whole story arc a beginning, a middle, and an end. But I’ll be sad to see them go.

Cie

OOOPS

Okay, last week I posted here and at Divas of the Dark. I sounded. . . jaded and cranky. I really didn't mean to. I was trying to actually give decent advice about getting ahead of the game to new authors. I think the fact that I am just pooped and in pain affected the tone more than it should have. My apologies.

Cathy is at the conference. She is busy, working her butt off, but it sounds like she is also having a very good time. I'm glad.

I'm writing. The book is coming along. I'm finally getting closer to the end of the first draft. It felt like I was never going to get here. I've discovered that the middle of a book is sometimes very hard for me. I just feel like I'm slogging through a quagmire with no end in sight.

I'll finish the first draft, then I'm going to beef it up. THEN it goes to Cathy and to the editor. Time is becoming critical, but I'm keepign a positive attitude.

Gotta get back to it.

Take care.

Cie

Simultaneous Post/MY REALITY CHECK BOUNCED

Ah, sweet mystery of life. One day/week, my technology is working fine. The next I can't get the @#$(&@#( computer to do what I want to to save my life. Le sigh. Le great, big, heaving, highly irritated SIGH.

ANYWAY, I'm posting this simultaneously here and (by sending it to Cathy with a pretty-please) on the Midnight Divas' blog.

AGAIN WITH THE ANYWAY,

I'm working on Kate3 a/k/a Touch of Darkness. I'm not as far as I'd have like to have been. I'm running out of time (bumping up against the deadline. Still looks OK, but it will be closer than I'd like. I'm a "get it in early" kind of gal not a last minute, stress me to hell and back type.) I'm not going to RWA in big part because I need to get this baby DONE.

See, that's one of the things aspiring writers don't think about.

Their first book, their baby, the one that hooks the agent (crossing fingers), publisher ("Please, dear God, please"), and (hopefully) the readers can take them YEARS to write. They polish, critique, re-polish, fuss and suffer over practically every word until it's perfect. They desperately hope it will "break" them into the business.

But what if it does?

YEAH! YIPPEEE!!! WOOT!!!! Joy ensues.

UNTIL they find out they have to write a sequel, or another one. In a year, OR LESS. And that the baby they "finished" isn't. Not really:

(1) There will be edits. ("Dear Author. The secondary character John sucks. Flat as a pancake. Either beef him up or get rid of him. Love Editor. PS you need another subplot and to up the romance.");

(2) There will be copy-edits;

(3) and galleys.

All of which will be due in short order after you receive them, which will inevitably be when you are trying desperately to write like a lunatic on book 2 and are hitting the point of desperation because you don't write nearly as fast as you thought you did.

AND there is marketing and publicity, the conferences they will need to speak at, deliver goodies to, and meet (hopefully) their newly rabid fans (or soon to be rabid fans), booksellers, distributors, and reviewers at. Oh, and there's sending out those review copies, and doing signings and on, and on.

I'm not complaining. I LOVE THIS BUSINESS. I extra-special-especially love this business because I have a co-author who takes care of a lot of those things, and graciously splits the rest of the duties with me. Because I swear to you on a stack of bibles, koran's, torahs, talmuds, and any other holy books you want to drag out from the library that I would likely completely collapse under the workload without her. (Come to think on it, I owe that woman chocolates, a bottle of rum, or both.)

But it is very easy to get a little bogged down in the workload.

Which leads to yet another reality check.

It takes a while for you to make "real money" in the publishing business. Yeah, I know, Rowling has more money than the Queen. But for those of us toiling in the trenches, it takes a while. Because there are expenses (which, fortunately, can mostly be written off of taxes), and taxes (self-employment taxes are vicious). So the day job is a necessity for a long time and panic is the norm as the deadlines loom.

AND THE FINAL OVERDRAFT:

Life, the universe, and everything.

Yup, you heard me. Because as soon as there is a deadline life will (almost inevitably) intervene. Whether it is a brown recluse bite (Cathy), a house fire (Cathy again), a black widow bite (me), or a death in the family (a mutual friend who is also an author), life isn't going to conveniently come to a halt because something is due.

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

Am I saying a person shouldn't pursue the dream? HELL NO! Besides, it wouldn't do a bit of good. For an awful lot of us, writing is a compulsion. We couldn't stop if we wanted to and WE DON'T WANT TO. But unless a person wants to be a "one hit wonder" I would strongly suggest that they think about putting down the first mss long enough to write the SECOND one, and maybe even a THIRD before they send it out. It'll save them a load of stress and headaches. Because publishers have no sense of humor about missed deadlines. To them it's a business, and they expect the writers to act like professionals.

Okay, off of my soapbox and back to the mss.

Attempts to Blog

I have been ATTEMPTING to blog, and comment on blogs and generally be technologically savvy and market and all that good and happy stuff to stay in touch while I'm writing the draft to Touch of Darkness (the final installment in the Thrall series) and @#*$(&#$ it anyway I haven't been able to get it to work until now. Which is a day late for when I was supposed to blog for the Midnight site. Le Sigh. Le BIG HEAVING PAIN IN THE @$@#$ sigh.

Ah well, the book is going pretty well. I'd love for it to go faster, but that's not my style.

Still, I gotta go and try.

Later.

Cie

Greetings and Salutations

I don't know if anybody is even coming by here any more. I'm not sure whether that makes me happy or sad. I like the friends I made here, but I need someplace to dump my baggage as it were, and who wants to read that? I miss Jim, and Yo, and. . . oh well. I'll write. Either people will come by or no. It's my own fault anyway, because I haven't been blogging nearly as much as I should.

ANYWAY, let's get off THAT depressing subject shall we?

Lucky the Wonder Dog is being a poop. Frustrating that. I need to get her a new harness because walking her with a collar is SO not working. Payday cometh. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

The cats are all happy and well. This is a good thing. I don't know if you guys go to MySpace, but if you wanna, you can go look at the pretty pictures.

I am not going to RT after all (at least not for the whole thing. If I can get away, I'll come up for the signing, but no guarantees on that.) Personal stuff. Not fun. Ah well. Life is what it is.

Good news is, we've got plans for books through 2009. There is a new Tony Giodone adventure on that list for those of you who have been looking for him (you know who you are!). More good news is we won a RIO for Touch of Evil -- against Sherrilyn Kenyon and Katie McAlister!!! (OMIGOD!) The fairy book is coming along nicely, but slower than I would like because the body is being uncooperative.

Our editor extraordinaire, Anna Genoese, has left Tor (she will be doing freelance stuff, but is not actually working for them full time any more.) This caused major upheaval as we tried to figure out what the heck (if anything) we were going to do in response. In the end, we are happily staying put.

James is doing well. He is happy in Denver and doing well both at his job and his second job doing videography. I am proud, happy, and miss the heck out of him. (I do not, however, miss the additional laundry and housework--go figure). I hope to go visit him sometime this summer, but I don't know when because there is a possible tour and stuff going on with Tor regarding Touch of Madness. (Buy this book. Buy this book--Subliminal and not so subliminal messaging to all readers--BUY THIS BOOK). I'm seriously proud of TOM -- and if you thought Kate was having a bad day in TOE! WHOOOO boy howdy have things gone downhill! Besides, it has one of my favorite secondary characters of all time. Carlton ROCKS.

I am still losing weight. I have no idea what size and weight I am right now. I'm wearing elastic waisted and drawstring stuff for the moment until things are a little more stable. This is a good thing and is probably in response to the hormones getting right again. I even have a libido again. (I know, I shouldn't mention that in a public forum, but it's such a SHOCK.) I'm not entirely happy with the way I look, but it's getting better. I do know that men are starting to notice. Some of them are even the men I want to notice. Unfortunately, most of them are not. In fact, one of them was SOOOOOOOO much a not that I was really seriously unhappy. I know, I should be flattered no matter who pays attention. But I can't help it. I wish I were a better person. I'm not.

For example. I am not interested in men old enough to be my father, or who are actually OLDER than my father. Really. No thanks. Too weird for me. I don't care about their money, or their car, or . . . whatever. There is an EWWW factor I can't get past.

Now is this fair? I mean, would I object to being the older woman to a sweet young hunk my son's age? I dunno. Maybe. It depends on if we had things in common and if he got the creativity/writing stuff. But I would be more likely to try it than give a chance to an older guy.

Completely unfair. I know. But I can't seem to get past it.

Actually, I would probably completely weird if I got one of the sexy cover model types. I would keep wondering what in the hell he saw in me.

Not that it is an issue in the current location. VERY small town, very few unattached males, none of them interested in me or vice versa--except for a little flirting and the one offer that I wasn't interested in.

OKAY, enough of the personal stuff. I gotta take care of things anyway. The puppy is hungry, the kitties think they should get fed first, and I probably should eat too. And then there's the writing. Yeah. I do need to do some of that.

Toodles.


Cie

Frustration (I'm Whining. You May Want to Skip This)

I'm frustrated. Very. VERY frustrated.

1) Lucky the Wonder Dog is being a major pain in the ass.
2) I've screwed up my bookkeeping.
3) I've been working mega hours at the day job to fix #2.

But right now what I'm frustrated about is Lucky the Wonder Dog.

The other day she slipped her collar, got out of the fence, and wound up in a fight with a (presumed) raccoon. Wound up at the vet getting healed up.

Since we couldn't find the collar we hauled out the harness I use for walking her and have been using it for everyday.

Came home from work today to find she'd chewed through the harness, escaped the fence, and was running loose.

Bought a new collar. Decided to take her for a walk so that she'd be calm inside tonight. She slipped the collar and was not cooperative about coming back. I finally caught her playing with a pair of the neighborhood tomcats. Of course this is at night, after a full day of work, when I'm already tired out of my mind and symptommatic.

I love the dog. Normally she is a good and cooperative dog. She's been responding to training better. But today she was a disobedient little shit. I don't dare leave her outside now when I'm not here because of her Houdini act. You see the streets here are relatively busy (it's a small town, but people drive fast and don't pay much attention. I can't tell you how many dead animals I've seen that have been run over), AND she doesn't like bicyclists. I don't think she'd deliberately hurt anyone, but the kids on bikes don't know that, and she could certainly scare them enough for them to wreck. Which is WHY she is tied, and behind a fence. (Insert vehement swearing!) I also know that there are folks around this area who actually put out poison to kill "stray" animals and/or would use a bb gun or "whatever it takes". They really don't hesitate about it. It makes me crazy and scares the crap out of me. I don't know what I'm going to do.

I'm worried about her. I'm worried about me. I'm frustrated because damn it, I'm trying and she KNOWS better and life is currently SUCKING anyway so I don't need any added frustration.

The only good news--and it is VERY good news, is that we won the Reviewer's Choice (RIO) award for Touch of Evil with incredibly stiff competition (Sherrilyn Kenyon and Katie McAllister among others). I am writing. I am trying not to let everything get me down, and this helps. But tonight, honestly, not as much as it probably should.

Happy St. Pat's

Happy St. Patty's Day to all who celebrate it! For fun I did the google search that Debra Parmley suggested. I put in "Cie needs" and got:

(From An Phoblacht [Sinn Fein Weekly] no less) CIE needs a hike in investment not fares. I think I'm a little insulted. I do not have "fares"! Although frankly investments would be good.

BTW for those of you who are (or aren't) interested:

1) Lucky the Wonder Dog is recovering from her run in with what I am assuming was a racoon. She'll be on antibiotics for a bit, and we'll be making sure not to delay the rabies renewal, but she's okay, with just a few scars to show she's tough.

2) Howling Moon is doing well. If you're having trouble finding it on the shelves, feel free to order it from the Waldenbooks at the Sunset Mall in San Angelo, Texas. They have autographed copies of it (and all the other books in both series) available. Of course if you DON'T want it, then. . . well . . . PHOOEY ON YOUEY!

3) Cathy and I will be going to RT. I'm still up in the air as to whether I'm going to make it to RWA. There are people going I really would love to see, but it's a bit pricey to do both. So I'm dragging my feet and pondering a bit.

4) Whatever happened to Deno Russo?

Wong Foo/Julie Newmar

Hi Guys!

Last night I watched To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything. Julie Newmar. It was a fun little movie. Who knew that Patrick Swayze would look so good in drag? His jewelry was utterly FABULOUS!

I needed to lighten up things a bit. The body has been acting out considerably. I did something seriously stupid that I have to fix financially. (Actually a couple of things, and they're significant.) My uncle died. One of my dear friends is suicidally depressed. All in all, a nice, fluffy comedy was just what the doctor ordered.

On the other hand, the books are going well. I have people and animals who love me, and the errors I've made ARE fixable.

Someone wrote quoting the blog too. They want me to send them what I've written of the post-chick lit book I referenced. Made me smile that did. Unfortunately, because of other obligations, there is nothing yet to send. Still, I do WANT to write it--even if it may never find a home with a major publishing house.

Ah well, such is life.

I do hope that things go well this year in the career. Keep your fingers crossed.


Cie

Euphoria and Things I Shouldn't Talk About

Hi Guys! I'm posting both here and on Blogger. I am EUPHORIC today. First:

WE HAVE PLUMBING!
Okay, this is not something other folks usually make a fuss over. I mean, let's face it, most of us have indoor plumbing now. But mine has SLOWLY been getting worse and worse and finally I just CALLED THE FRIGGING PLUMBER. And now it WORKS PROPERLY. (Insert Hallelujah Chorus here.)
(Space and time to sing. . . "For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God omni. . .")
Secondly, I did a painting. Just a fun honest-to-God screw around and enjoy myself painting that, if it worked will go on the wall, and if it doesn't will go the way of all things. BUT IT WAS FUN!! I even FINGER PAINTED part of it! I can't tell you how long it has been since I just relaxed and let myself do a painting for the sheer joy of it without angsting over all of the realism and details, and it's a gift and what if it doesn't turn out, and oh CRAP I can't do this any more. (I was never better than a B talent, but there are times when I've fallen to an F- due to lack of practice and TENSION.) But I DID IT! It is entitled "Chocolate Bed Spins" and while it didn't turn out the way I originally envisioned it, I don't even care. Because I had fun--something I've kind of forgotten how to do over the past few years.
Haven't heard from James in about a week. Hope he calls. I think he's probably fine--I know he's been busy. But I LIKE him, and I love him, and I like hearing from him. SO SUE ME--I'M A MOM DAMMIT!!! I do find the irony of this exquisite since I now know EXACTLY how my mother worried about me. Karmic justice at its finest.
Oh, and they've finally got the thyroid meds right. You know how I know this? (1) My hair isn't falling out. (2) I don't feel like a barely animated corpse. (3) My skin isn't so dry its cracking. (4) I'm not swollen, bloated, and looking something like Bhudda without the good disposition. (5) I HAVE A LIBIDO. (6) I'm losing weight.
Holy crap--I have a libido. I haven't had one of those in. . . well, not since the thyroid went totally wonky a LOOOOOOOOONG time ago. This is, of course, a mixed blessing. It is good that I am getting healthier. But there is not, shall we say, a wide selection of available men in the small town in Texas where I currently reside. Also, it is a small enough town that everybody knows EVERYTHING about everyone else and LOVES to talk about it. No, dating here would be a BAD THING.

Well, the dog is fussing. I have to get cleaned up. Have a great day.

Cie

New Blogger/Taxes and Valentine's Day

First, I am now on the new Blogger. We'll see how it goes. I don't much like change when something else has worked reliably for me for years. It's like the new Windows Vista. Maybe it'll be a wonderful thing in a year or two (after any bugs have been worked out) in the meantime I'm a little whiny about a big change.

Taxes -- I believe in them. I pay them. But I HATE HATE HATE getting ready for them. I've been a very bad and disorganized girl, and it is going to cost me a FRIGGING FORTUNE which I HATE HATE HATE, mostly because it's my own blasted fault. Sigh. Still, I'm scheduling a full day (preferably one that is warm with sunshine when the puppy can be outdoors and not distracting me) to get them DONE and off to the accountant. WISH ME LUCK!

Valentine's Day -- I posted an opinion here, tried to copy it over to MySpace and wound up cutting and pasting instead. (Don't ask.) ANYWAY, I'm just bummed at the pressure being put on people acting like they have to spend a fortune and get the PERFECT thing or they will never love or be loved again and they will look like idiots. What ever happened to "It's the thought that counts?" Isn't it just good that they thought enough of you to put out an effort? I mean, it's a cheesy manufactured holiday anyway. SO LET'S GO FOR THE GOUDA AND CHEDDAR! Give me a 6' hot pink Gorilla with a big red bow clutching wilted flowers and a box of (probably melted) off-brand chocolates; or maybe a hand-made card with REAAAAAAAALLLY bad poetry; or maybe an amateur singing telegram ("You really got your best friend to DO that?") with silly lyrics. Or maybe just tell me you love me, and really mean it.

Greetings and Salutations

Guten tag.

I'm getting ready to write on the fairy book again. I've been moving more slowly than I'd like on it, but I think (I HOPE) I'm on the mend.

With regard to life, the universe and everything: James is doing well. Don and Cathy have almost got everything back together after the house fire. (UGH--major sympathy for them!). YO HAS A BOOK OUT!!!! WHOO HOO!!! I'm behind on my paperwork. The puppy is responding well to training (I'm doing it based on what I've been watching from "The Dog Whisperer" and have read and seen elsewhere. I haven't completely screwed up the elbow (only moderately screwed it up.) I still need to spend more time on Myspace, but haven't done it. And so on.

Basically, life is just being ordinary. What a wonderful relief. :)

Weird Ramblings and a Rant or Two

Weird Ramblings and Ranting
I mean because actual ramblings would be... like... boring... seriously.

Okay, I would like to start with a couple of weird quirks. Have you ever really looked at some of the things we say as "turns of phrase?" I mean, "baited breath," what? Their breath smelled like worms and stink bait? EWWWWW. Or how about "It cost an arm and a leg?" Graphic violent content -- and WOW aren't those prosthetics amazing.

On to the next -- I have a problem. My dog eats cell phones. Actually, not the whole phone. No. Just the soft chewy BUTTONS.. Which makes operating it. . . interesting. I try to remember NOT to leave it lying where she can get it. But I am occasionally careless and a doofus, particularly when I am late to work, or exhausted from work. (The day job, not the writing. Writing does not have health insurance and is oddly energizing until you've done it for twelve hours straight and your body is locked in the keyboard sitting position. But I digress. . . )

Item third -- Cathy and I were talking about writing. (Co-authors occasionally do that, but don't tell anyone.) The discussion brought home something that has been occurring to me more and more lately. There is this HUGE difference in perception from the person you are in your twenties to the person you are in your late forties AND MOST OF THE TIME YOU DON'T NOTICE IT because it was so gradual. My mother told me once that you spend your entire life feeling like you're the same age and everybody else keeps getting older. (Particularly the kids. The biggest shock for her? "When in the heck did my GRANDBABY get old enough to have a baby?") ANYWAY, I'm having a hard time. For example, text messaging? I don't get it. Why? I'm serious. I've zoned out in meetings, planned my days, nights, and book plots while someone droned on (and on) about things I didn't care about. But I still don't think that is nearly as rude as texting would be. Also, it DRIVES ME CRAZY that texting has created a culture where spelling is completely irrelevant and grammar sucks. And it carries over, into blogs and forums and (from what I have heard and read in critique spots) holy **** people are actually submitting MANUSCRIPTS like this? I don't think I'm a literature snob. I actually don't LIKE most 'serious literature.' But basic grammar and spelling are important to me. I like being able to actually read a book without an interpreter and massive brain farts.

Item fourth -- What IS it with people creating malware? WHY? WHY? You don't even KNOW me and you're picking on me. For CRYING OUT LOUD (another phrase -- see second paragraph above) all I'm trying to do is run a bit of a blog, stay in contact with my family and friends, do a little basic research and marketing, and write the books. AND YOU @#@#(&@#$ have polluted things to the point where it is difficult bordering on impossible to do any (let alone all) of the above without layers of protection. Let me put it this way. YES I believe in condoms and safe sex. NO it does not FEEL the same. YES I believe in all of the protective software. NO I don't enjoy having to scan every time I turn around or risk losing my life's work.

Anyway, I want to do some "friending" but I haven't done it (even though I know it is a great marketing strategy and gets my name out there) because I've had to reformat my computer twice, clean it of viral crap more times than I can count, and I'm JUST LOSING PATIENCE WITH THE WHOLE THING.

THERE, I got that rant out of my system. I feel much better. Now I need to go out and live my real life.

Take care.

Go Rory!

I love hockey. I love hockey because it's kind of the blue collar underdog of professional sports. The salaries aren't (on the whole) out of the stratosphere. The season is long and grinding with a lot of games. The violence got out of hand for a while, but that was years ago. The lock-out sucked, but they've gotten past it. The new rules were an adjustment, but I do think it helped bring the game back from the brink of extinction, so I'm cool with it.

So, for the all star game there was a movement to get a "grinder" a mid-level player who just works his butt off into the game. Since it's fan voting, it was possible (even easy apparently) to tinker. Even though computer auto-voting wasn't legal, it happened in a big way. Rory was the recipient.

SO the league tried to tinker.

I'm thinking that was stupid. They had this big publicity phenomenon going on. The folks cared enough to rig the votes. If a presidential election can have dangling chads, I don't see why Rory can't play in the damned game. I mean, really!

I still love Blogger

First, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

OK, I'm on MySpace. I'm blogging (as much as I ever do). But I missed Blogger. I LIKE Blogger. So I'm probably going to be very schizoid and post both places. Different blogs too. Go figure.

Fey book is coming along. I need to write faster, but at least it's moving forward. I'm going to do a bit of writing today, but also I'm going to get rest. I've noticed that being exhausted to the point of slurring my words does NOTHING for my creativity. Go figure.

I've been working through some of my issues again. As with everybody in the world, there are things I just have a hard time with. Learning is never a straight line progress. It's up and down. Lately, I've been down. But it's the new year and I'm coming back with a vengeance. RAWR!

Found a book I've been missing. This is way cool as it is out of print and now hard to get hold of. It's called: Go For It and it's by Dr. Irene Kassorla. I refer to it as "the cheerleading book." On those occasions when I've been at my worst and most depressed this and Tony Robbins CDs gets me back on track.

I know, I know, people make terrible fun of the whole motivational industry. I also know there are people who have spent WAY more than they could ever afford on going to repeated seminars and "coaching" etc. But the fact of the matter is, this book and those CDs really do work for me. When I'm stalled and can't get moving, these two things get me energized and moving in a positive direction. So I recommend it in moderation. It's like alcohol. One or two drinks will relax a normal person and not hurt them. More than that and you could get trashed and wind up with a hangover and/or serious consequences. Use with caution and wisely.

ANYWAY, they work for me. Enough so that I've actually recommended them to other people. (Who it hasn't worked for, sadly.) I even loaned out my copy of the book to somebody who needed it [twice]. Sadly, both times they promptly lost it, leaving me without a copy. I'd pretty much resigned myself to having to go through one of the book search groups to get it [at a painful price probably] when POOF, it showed up on the used bookshelf in an antique shop in the dinky town where I live. I grabbed that puppy and RAN to the cash register.

Well, I actually have the opportunity to sleep in. The dog is back inside having "done her business." So I'm off to bed.

"Adios, au revior, auf weidersein. Good night." (CHALLENGE -- NAME THAT QUOTE)

Multiblogs

OK, I'm still new at all the MySpace stuff. BUT, I have a name now. I am listed under CTAdams (no spaces, no punctuation). Cathy is going to come over in a day or so and we will try to get me to make friends. We'll see how that goes. Maybe I'll be better at it than I think.

ANYWAY, Howling Moon is now available to order. It is officially out January 2. BUY THIS BOOK. (LOL).

Please check it out!

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog&pop=1&indicate=1

MySpace

OK, I'm here, but I'm also there. Very schizoid of me, I'm sure.

I've always liked Blogger, BUT Myspace is considered a huge marketing tool. So I'm trying it. Which means that I've uploaded pictures, got a blog there, etc. SO, I am asking y'all to stop by there. PLEASE. PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE?

THANKS!

Cie

Hello Again

OK, have you ever just been really good at annoying people? Sometimes I just piss people off. Usually it is when I'm seriously stressed. I am (THANKFULLY) getting over this right now, but for a few weeks there everything I said or did got misconstrued, misquoted, or generally caused havoc and annoyance. I AM SO VERY VERY GLAD things are getting back on track!!

ANYWAY, guys, I mean well. REALLY.

I screw up. I'm human. But I really do try hard. So please cut me some slack. If there's a good way to take something, and a bad way, PICK the good way. Assume the best, give the benefit of the doubt. PLEASE.

Thank you!


Cie

Stuff

Greetings and salutations.

Let's see. I know it's been a while, but I don't have a lot of time, so I'll try (Laugh) to be brief.

Life was hard in November and early December. It is getting better.

James is doing well! WHOO HOO!!!!

The puppy is being a demanding pain in the patootie.

We have finished the books for this contract except for edits which are proceeding apace. Until we have another contract there is time to work on something new. I am giving myself until the end of January to do the first draft of the first book in an entirely new world. I hadn't realized how much I missed world building. Things like creating geopolitics, religion(s), criminal justice systems (or lack thereof), geography of both the actual landscape and the cities. It's so flipping cool. The book is going to be extremely dark sci fi/fantasy with some romantic elements.

I am drafting a MySpace space for Cathy and I. Since I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing it should be interesting to say the least. Still, what the heck. I'll give it a shot.

My computer is still not behaving properly. This is a pain in the patootie as well. I'm managing, but finding it very frustrating.

I haven't been visiting websites because I've been sleeping more and worldbuilding. (Some worldbuilding is actually done best with eyes closed. Aw darn!) It has also been cold. I get sore and stiff and consequently grumpy when I am cold. I am, however, not going to whine too much. I am, after all, in SOOOOOOOO much better shape than the folks in the midwest who had the ice storm and lost power for who knows how long. Nope. Life is pretty darn good thank you very much.

I want to see Yo's blog. I want to hear from Jim. I want to get the silly book written.

Oh, and today is the first holy day of obligation this year that I've actually remembered early enough to go to mass. I mean, it's only mid-December, why rush this sort of thing. (Cie pounds head into imaginary wall).

Oh, back to world-building. Someone wanted to know how you do it. I can't speak for everyone. Cathy and I do it by thinking of things, asking questions of each other and ourselves. Things like:

Society -- is it rural or urban? Mixed? What's the level of technology? (Are we talking rocks, swords or lightsabers?) Transportation? Multiracial or monoracial? Trade? At war or at peace? With whom and why?

Religion--do they have one, more than one? State sponsored? State banned? Is it monotheistic or polytheistic? Basic tenets?

Anyway, you get the drift.

Oh, and minor annoyance of the day. I needed an aerial photo of the Pentagon because my cities in this Empire were all built to a standard form as the empire expanded. It is a pentagon with concentric "rings" that are zoned for particular uses. But since 9/11 it's difficult to get good aerial photos of the Pentagon. YES I can draw one, but it wound up being amateurish and a pain. I realize that there are security concerns. But JEESH. I'll check in the old physical encyclopedia and make some photocopies. But I was trying not to have to go to the library because it's FLIPPING COLD TODAY.

Well, I need to get ready for church. Since I DID actually remember in time, I really should go.

Hasta manana. (I hope).

Cie

OOPS UPDATE

Oh, a last minute reprieve was given the secondary character who was going to die during the edits. Just FYI.

Ahhhhh

Alas, as soon as I complained that Howling didn't appear, it did, making me look foolish.

I, however, and more than capable of looking foolish without technological help. My life, in case most of you haven't noticed, is frequently an "I Love Lucy" episode in some ways.

Today, the dog ate my cell phone. Actually not ate. All pieces were accounted for. They were, however, in PIECES. Well mangled and chewed pieces.

I feel like one of those little kids giving an excuse to the teacher. But no, really, It was freaking freezing outside last night (Besides which, the dog always sleeps inside anyway. What is the good of having a watch dog who isn't watching?) Apparently she got cross because she was restless and didn't get a walk. Or perhaps she was bored. Or it may be that she's just a puppy and they chew things. But sure enough, I forgot my cell phone. It was in reach, and. . . well, the rest (at least the cell phone) is history.

So I got to have everything changed over to a new phone and then have them keep the old number, transfer the minutes and do all that foo frau. UGH. But it is now done.

Also done and sent are the revisions to Timeless Moon. This is the last book for the contract so we are actually (TAH DAH!!!) caught up for the moment. Which means that I need to get cranking so we'are actually AHEAD OF THE GAME instead of rushing around in crisis mode.

WHOOO HOOO.

I also hope that sometime this weekend I will clean and decorate the house. Oh, and get all the other stuff done that has been on the back burner. Wish me luck!

But now I am out of time. I have a society to plan. I have the religion. I have the city maps. I even have a vague idea of the politics (need to work that out more). Also need to work on more character backgrounds. This is more a fantasy with a romantic subplot than the other way around. We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!


Cie

Hmnnn

OK, I am kung fused. I thought I changed my profile so that the cover of our next release "Howling Moon" that comes out at the end of December would be the picture in my profile. When I'm on the dashboard, it shows Howling Moon's cover. When I get to the blog, POOF, it has magically transformed back to Touch of Evil. Now, don't get me wrong, the cover for TOE is SERIOUSLY COOL, but, hmnnnn.

Cathy just got "Timeless Moon" back to me. We have a couple of changes to make and then it goes to Anna tomorrow. This morning I had another one of those "Holy CRAP it's a BOOK moments." I don't know if every author has them, but every once in a while I find myself stepping back and blinking (a lot) when I realize that a world, people, and the stories that started out as wisps of thought in my head are now transformed into something real and solid that people all over the world can pick up and experience. I mean, "Holy CRAP!" This book will be out on shelves, then it will be in libraries and homes, then used bookstores, then more homes, for years and years. That just is so amazing. I can't even explain it. But it makes the hard part of the job worthwhile, and believe me there are some VERY hard parts to this job.

But today and tonight, edits. These are the kind of things where changes were made between drafts that created plot holes that need to be filled. Little things like, a person can't be in the front seat and the back seat of the car at the same time.

Well, gotta run. The world awaits.

A New Beginning

Every day is a new chance. A complete do-over. Oh, there's consequences from previous choices, but you get another go.

Things have been hard lately. I did something foolish, and am now paying for the consequences. I've been beating myself up pretty badly about it too. But today I'm starting over. I'm forgiving myself for the screw up, getting back off the mats and going for it again.

The good news is that Howling Moon made the cover of RT, got a 4 1/2 stars top pick and a great review. It comes out at the end of the month. It was originally the first book, the one we built the world for. It's not perfect, but I'm proud of it.

BUY THE BOOK. (LOL)

On Writing

OK, I just finished the draft of the book and sent it to Cathy yesterday (see yesterday's post). But one of the things about writing that a lot of people don't "get" is that, even if it's fiction, you have to get your facts straight.

For example, in this manuscript I had to research a TON of information including (but not by any means limited to):

(1) The layout of international and municipal airports and private airstrips.
(2) Aztec and Incan religious cultures & temples
(3) Colombian geography.
(4) Arizona geography, farming, and in particular the growing of peanuts.
(5) Box cars, flat cars, and east-west track lines for the railroad.
(6) The quetzalcoatl
(7) Goth/Rock clothing for guys
(8) The 2005 Volvo, particularly the safety features.
(9) Hotel layouts in Flagstaff and Daytona Beach
(10) Sunrise/Sunset times for Arizona and Florida
(11) Travel times from various cities using various modes of transportation
(Thank you Mapquest.com)
(12) Flight times and routes from Albuquerque to Daytona Beach
(Thank you Expedia.com and Travelocity.com)
(13) Luxury residences on the Florida coast.
(14) Route 66
(15) A little bit on guns (although I reused some of the research I'd done for Howling Moon to speed up the process)

There's a lot more, but these are just the ones that either spring to mind or got bookmarked because I was going there so often. A lot of people think that because it's fiction you get to make it up. Well, some of it you do. But if you want your readers to invest in the characters and what's happening to them, you have to make it believable. That means that if it takes one hour to drive from the location where you put Pony, Arizona to Albuquerque according to a map, then you can't have them driving all day and not getting there and your readers are going to notice if you "lie" or "fudge." It will piss them off and pull them out of the story. Now, if you're writing from the point of view of a character who doesn't know guns, you can have them look at it and say -- "Ah a gun" and not know what kind or how many bullets, etc. On the other hand, if your POV character is a cop or a mercenary. They're going to know. So you have to know. And you have to tell the reader.

If you have your character having a power that would be useful, but they can't use it here, you have to explain why (and make it make sense) or the reader's going to go "Bullshit" and throw the book down. (OK, maybe they use better or worse language, but they will definitely be unhappy with the book. The goal is to make them happy, not frustrate them.)

OK, enough lecture. I have to get moving. Have a great day.

Cie

TA FRIGGING DAH!!!!!

OK. I'm back. A few things.

FIRST, I have (at long last) finished the draft of Shadowed Moon (working title that may or may not last) to Cathy. It is short. It is too short. UGH. I did my best, but she is going to have to beef it up. Fortunately, she's REALLY good at that (among other things).

It is, I believe, the most "romantic" of the books thus far. Don't panic. There's still plenty of action. (Oh, and a supporting character that we got to know in a previous book winds up getting killed). It has the snakes and also a new problem/situation.

This book did not fight me like Cat/Howling Moon did. It just didn't take off either. It wanted to be written at a pace of about three thousand words per day. That's really pretty slow for me. Particularly since I tend to go back and rewrite sections and not use sections. UGH. Oh, and then there have been the computer problems that slowed things down, and real life intruding. . .

Speaking of real life: James is doing well in Denver. He's happier than he's been in a while. It makes me happy to. I do miss him though. And I worry. This is part and parcel of the whole Mom thing. You worry. A lot. Over stupid stuff. Particularly stupid since he's a fully grown adult human being with enough sense to take care of himself. And still I worry. UGH.

OK, I got "Tagged" by Cathy. I'm supposed to write 5 things about myself that people don't know. Now this is tricky for me, because I'm inclined to blurt out stuff so that people know things about me, but I'll just go with "interesting" things that you may or may not know.

1) I was ambidextrous as a kid and still do things with both hands. But I am now very definitely right dominant because of the whole practice issue.

2) I was hit by lightning when I was about fourteen and it screwed with my body a bit, so that I have all kinds of weird electrical things happen (particularly when I'm stressed.)

3) I have spoken to many, many, many people and have come to the conclusion that I have the world's single most embarrassing work moment to my credit/debit. It is a long and involved story that I will tell you when plied with liquor or if I am just feeling frivolous. But I will not repeat it right now. I also have several other runner ups of the "most embarrassing" moment items, including talking to a plastic parrot.

4) I was once stung by a wasp in a spot where no woman wants to be stung by anything (while pulling on a pair of jeans fresh from the clothesline), and was bitten by a black widow spider in very nearly the same place.

5) I had to have really serious surgery when I was 25 and made a list of the 100 things I wanted to do before I die. I still have the list somewhere, and I've checked off quite a few, but a lot of them have changed. (Note to the world. Things that sound seriously cool at 25 do not necessarily sound really cool at 45).


Let's see. I'm supposed to tag 5 other people. I will try to tag Jim, Yolanda, Anna, Carrie and Jay.

OK. . . I think.

OK, life has been a little hard. There was a power surge that fried my refrigerator and zapped my computer. I have (twice) reloaded. It's still not running exactly right, which is slowing me down and is annoying as hell. BUT, the good news is. . . I DID NOT LOSE THE MANUSCRIPT COMPLETELY. I lost all of my saved favorites (including Yolanda's blog, and all sorts of other things that I can't seem to find now [YO IF YOU COME BY, PLEASE E-MAIL ME YOUR BLOG ADDRESS AGAIN!!!]). But I wasn't going online much anyway because I'm behind the eightball on a deadline.

James is up in Denver. Keep your fingers crossed. He's got a good job, but it's hard to make the transition.

I DIDN'T get to go to Vampire Lestat. BUMMER. HUGE HONKING BUMMER. BUT I was dealing with the manuscript, and health issues, and it probably is for the best. We sent a basket with our books for auction for Habitat for Humanity, BUT, despite the fact that I was ASSURED that it would arrive on time (and I sent it with plenty of time) IT DIDN'T FLIPPING ARRIVE until after the event! UGH! BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS that Suzi's friend bought it and donated the money, so it ended up being OK. Frustrating though.

Anyway, I've been frustrated, and a little upset, so I haven't wanted to write. I figured if I did, I'd just sound whiny and who needs that? Hopefully I'll recover my sense of humor by the weekend. I'll let you know.

Stuff and Nonsense

Okay, well, I'm a bit bummed about Vampire Lestat, but there you go. Nothing I can do about it.

James is doing OK in Denver, which is good news.

Let's see, we got an inquiry from Australia about the whole "mating" issue among the Sazi. So I worked up a summary, ran it by Cathy and here it goes:

Mating –

In the Sazi world mating is a magical and physical bond between Sazi. (Generally of the opposite sex, although there are some gay and lesbian Sazi.) These bonds grow stronger through sexual contact. There are two types.

Single-sided matings – this occurs when one person is mated to another, but the recipient does not return the bond. It is actually fairly common but can cause serious problems with obsessive behavior, stalking, etc. If the recipient does not wish to enter into a relationship the cure is to separate the couple. Eventually, with therapy and avoidance the bond fades (it never breaks). The more powerful alphas tend to “collect” people mating to them (this is a biological leftover as the strongest were the best breeding stock/survival of the fittest, etc.). The recipient of a single-sided mating can, in a crisis or deliberately, pull power from the person mated to them. Losing the mate to another has been known to cause madness in extreme cases. (See Jack Simpson).

Double-matings – these are relatively rare. This is when both sides of the couple mate to each other. It is a bond where awareness and powers can be shared mutually. It usually takes real effort for one person to shut the other out. However, there are situations that can interfere. (Sometimes major hormonal shifts, like pregnancy can cause real issues).

Some general notes regarding both types of mating:

1) It affects both males and females, but not equally. A female can still enjoy sexual contact with someone other than her mate. It is not “the same” but she will not be incapable.

2) A mated male who totally bonds with his female will relatively quickly become incapable of having intercourse with anyone else. His body will simply not react. While he can initiate and participate in other forms of sexual contact, it will be a less than satisfying experience.

3) There are those who desperately wish to be mated. (Like looking for a “soul mate.”) But for the most part, many males regard it with more than a touch of horror as it is irreversible and because of (2) above and (4) below.

4) If the mate dies, the surviving half of the couple generally dies too (particularly in wolves). They “pine,” and are unwilling and unable to eat or drink. It is a slow, painful death.


I had run into a snag on the newest book. Wound up going to bed to "sleep on it." I came up with what feels like the right solution. Today I'm trying to write it, and it's not going nearly as smoothly as it did in my head last night. It is, however, moving forward, toward the climax. WHOOO HOOO!!!


I swear, sometimes I just can't get over the fact that I'M WRITING BOOKS. REAL BOOKS, ON THE SHELVES AND EVERYTHING. WHOOO HOOO!!! Weird, having your dreams come true. Very good, but very weird.

Good News/Bad News

Good News -- Got back from Denver safe and sound. James got a job the first day, has been working since the second. He has a temporary place to stay, leads on roommates, a social life, bus passes and a cell phone. Things should (knock wood) be okay for him for a while.

I drove home and am exhausted. Pushed myself too hard and have caught a crud. Also book deadline is looming ominously. Between one thing and another I won't be able to go to Vampire Lestat after all, which has me seriously bummed. But I have to be realistic. If I continue to push myself too hard I will get so sick that I can't bounce back for weeks or even a couple months. I can't afford that. So, reluctantly, I'm staying home. This means I won't meet Jim for a while longer, or Suzi Q, or any number of other cool people. I'd also looked forward to the possibility of getting the chance to talk to Laurel and Jonathan again. Sigh.

Book is coming along nicely. Slower than I'd like (always), but it is coming together. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to it.

Everybody take care.

Cie

Overcommitted

I've overcommitted myself a bit in Denver. Who knew people would actually be glad to see me and still want to spend time together? It makes me happy. I've not had a chance to make many friends down in Texas--a few good ones, but not many. First, writing is solitary. Secondly, it's a small town. In my personal experience (note the caveat, remember the caveat) small towns the people grew up together, went to school together. It's a closed environment. So even if they like you things were fairly set (think concrete) before you ever got here. There are set "sides" and if you are friendly with one you may not be accepted by another. Sounds silly, but people frequently are silly.

Another issue is that my attitudes do not mesh well with conservative. (Are you shocked. I mean, I write about vampires and werewolves, why would that be a problem in a small town with like 32 churches (a church for every 186.5 people -- we will assume for the sake of statistics that there is one woman who is 4.5 months pregnant per church). When you consider that some people (GASP) actually don't hold with organized religion and go to church you end up with a WHOLE LOTTA churches for not that many people. I live in the buckle of the bible belt. This is not a bad thing. Most of the folks here are great. But some of them just don't cotton to my attitudes and worry about the state of my soul. I believe in church. I have one. I go. I believe in God. Most of our stories really are stories of good v. evil, and while it isn't always easy, the good guys generally win. We write about monsters, but we also write about tolerance and other issues. Of course, a lot of these folks won't ever find that out. The open minded ones will. The others--not so much.

AND THAT IS OKAY.

You heard me right friends and neighbors. They don't have to. We live in a country that (for the moment at least) still embraces free speech. That means they get to say things I don't like and I get to write things that they won't ever read. There isn't always one right answer. So open discussion can get things on track. I get very upset with people who say you can have free speach as long as you don't disagree with me.

Which leads us off topic onto the subject of the Dixie Chicks. I'm going to go see "Shut up and Sing." I think it is an amazing subject. Free speach to me means that you get to get up on stage and say things (even in a foreign country) that other people don't like. I have a very good friend who disagrees vehemently about this. She tells me that it shouldn't have been said in front of a foreign audience when we're involved in a war. I disagree.

[DELETED WHOLE RANT HERE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO ARGUE POLITICS. LET'S JUST AGREE THAT WE ALL HAVE OPINIONS AND THAT MY ADMITTEDLY LIBERAL TENDENCIES DON'T NECESSARILY MESH WITH THE CONSERVATIVE TENDENCIES WHERE I CURRENTLY RESIDE AND/OR AGREE WITH THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.)

Well, that went somewhere unexpected. Surprise! I'm generally not political at all. (Drives my son crazy!) I'm a live and let live kinda gal. But I'm a big believer in the Bill of Rights and it scares me when I think my country may be moving away from that.

[DELTED MORE POLITICAL RANT. WOW, I GUESS I HAVE MORE POLITICAL OPINIONS THAN I THOUGHT -- AT LEAST EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN I'M SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING READY FOR A TRIP.]

I think I'd better hush and get moving or I may be here all day, writing opinions with flaming passion, then deleting them. While it would be entertaining, I certainly wouldn't accomplish much. ANYWAY guys, I'd love for everybody to buy and love the books. I know it isn't going to happen, which is why I REALLY APPRECIATE the people who do. THANK YOU ALL.

Nervous Nellie

Hi Guys!

I'm getting ready to take James to Denver and I'm nervous as hell. Not a lot of reason for it really. He's an adult. He's capable. But, I'm scared. It's part of being a mom. First off, I'm going to miss him. Secondly, there are never any guarantees. But the house sitters and animal sitters are lined up. The car's been worked on. Most of the stuff is packed. It's going to happen whether I'm ready for it or not. Having a major computer crash and a book deadline at the same time didn't help, either. OY.

Just keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I want things to go well for him so very badly. Heck, I want things to go well for ME so badly too. And the animals, never forget the animals!

OY

OY! A transformer blew less than a block from my house. Now my refrigerator is iffy and it fried my computer enough that something got corrupted and I had to wipe the hard drive and reinstall everything. An entire day of installing, updating and trying to get things to function that didn't want to. It was enough to make me absolutely INSANE. Fortunately I didn't lose the manuscript or I'm not sure I would've been responsible for my actions! It doesn't help that I'm stressed out of my gourd getting ready to help my son move to Denver.

Once upon a time, when I was about 14 years old or so, I got hit by lightning. It has some very interesting lingering symptoms that kick up especially hard when I'm stressed.

Vampire Lestat is coming up. I haven't finalized my plans because I've been too caught up in trying to just get through writing this book in time for the deadline, getting James moved, dealing with all the power-related foofrau. Oh, and the daily stuff.

BUT WE WILL OVERCOME. RAWR!!!!!

Later kids.


Cie

FenCon ROCKS

OK guys, I'm back from FenCon. I've recovered (somewhat) and been writing like mad. (Deadlines--ARGH!!!!) Got to meet SOOOOOOO many cool people. Everybody I got to talk to or on a panel with wound up being cool. How great is that? I got to meet some of my favorite authors, get autographs for James from a couple of his heroes, and I only made a complete ass of myself on one panel. The people were all so incredibly cool, but I am not going to drop names in case I miss somebody.


Yes, you heard me. I made an ass of myself. It's not like I could help it. First, I was completely outclassed. I mean, right out of the box I'm at a disadvantage because YO, the panel is on books to movies and whether or not it works, and here I am supposedly moderating a panel with men who have been doing this stuff for thirty some years and are seriously famous. We're talking people who call Spielberg "Steve" and tell buddy stories about him and "George" (Lucas). Oh yeah, like I can really contribute something here. Then, on top of that, (you mean, that's not enough, really...) I'd eaten something at breakfast that made me sick, so that I had to literally run out of the room in the middle of the panel and find a bathroom. Oh, yeah, great.

Still, the guys were the consummate professionals and absolute gentlemen (Thank GOD), so it could've been SOOOOOOO much worse.

But it was a wonderful con, well organized, the people were great! I have Jim Butcher buttons that read "The building was on fire and it wasn't my fault." and "Polka will never die!" from The Dresden Files. Cathy gave me a picture -- Magnus and Loki: Tuna Roast, which now is displayed prominently in my office.

Hi Guys!

Yeah, I know, been a while. SORRY!!!! I've been trying to get the current book done between trips. Just got back from Illinois a couple of weeks ago, now I'm getting ready for FenCon, then to take James back to Denver, then to New Orleans for The Vampire Lestat Ball. BUSY, busy busy. BUT it is all good stuff.

I've also been a little stressed, and didn't want it to make me sound grumpy. So I've been trying to keep a low profile.

BUT I MISS YOU ALL!!! I hope you don't give up on me during these (admittedly long) absences.

Cie

Guten Morgen

Guten morgen!

OK, I am in a really good mood today. I have been trying to find a good fenced spot to let the dog run and play. Fenced high enough that she can't jump it. (Believe me, it's an issue. The dog can jump almost as high as my head in a standing jump now. I don't even know how high she could go if she took a good running start.) I don't like having to chain her, but she jumps the fence now and I don't want to risk her getting hit by a car. So exercise is an issue. She's a big, energetic dog and needs her exercise so that she doesn't go kennel crazed and aggressive. Walking her helps, but really isn't enough.

ANYWAY, I found one good spot for ball play. It's an old set of tennis courts that nobody uses that has a fence and gate. As long as I make sure she doesn't make a mess (or I clean it up after) we should be cool for good games of chase the ball. Still shopping for a spot for plain old running, but I'll find something. Eventually, I hope to put up an 8 or 9 foot privacy fence in the back yard. But that, my friends, is time, labor, and money intensive, none of which I'm up for just yet. But I want a happy, healthy, pup, so am taking interim measures.

The cats are doing well. They're adapting nicely to the pup when she's not too aggressive. Things in the Adams animal kingdom are improving. Still, I'm on the lookout for a good training manual for the pup. I'd gone to Petco, but their person quit and they haven't replaced him yet. There is a private trainer they gave me a card for, but I hadn't called because I was going out of town.

One thing I really think is important (as much for me as the animal truthfully), is getting a set, reliable schedule. If the dog knows that she goes out at 5:30, gets breakfast at 8:00, goes to play at the park at 11:30, goes for a walk at 8:00 or 9:00, and settles down for the night at 11:30 (These are NOT the actual times, mind you, just examples) they have a sense of rhythm and calm that helps. But my life has been so upended for so long, I've had a hard time doing that. But it is the plan. Wish me luck.

There are days, and then there are DAYS

Hi all! I'm back, working hard, etc. Good things are happening. I had hit the wall a bit on Aspen's book, but during a period of enforced nothingness I'd finished all my work while in Illinois and forgot my book on the train ride back) I came up with the answer. So I have been plugging away at it. The trick, of course, is that life intervenes in the form of family, animals, and general all-purpose stuff.

Some of it, of course, is self-imposed.

I was depressed. One of the first and best ways I deal with a serious downturn is to redecorate my surroundings. It gives me an immediately visible result over something I actually have some control over. When I manage that, I feel like I'm on a roll and can usually get unstuck in the other areas of my life. I know it may not work like that for everybody, but I'm not everybody.

ANYWAY, I started with my living room. Moved the floral curtains from the office onto the main windows in the LR. Got rid of the ruined ones from the LR. Then I started painting the office sky blue. My living room back in Colorado was sky blue (with white on white curtains) and I have really missed it. Got one wall done, Saturday. Took Sunday off and was starting again today.

AND THEN IT HAPPENED (DUH DUH DUMMMMMMMMMM)

I knocked over the paint can onto the hardwood floor, spilling a good half-gallon.

All of the time and energy that would've gone into painting went into cleaning up the mess. But clean I did. Of course, I had to keep the animals away while I did it (very unhappy critters, they LIKE being in the office when I'm in there.) Of course halfway through it starts to storm. I can't let the dog in until the paint is completely cleaned or I swear to God she'd drink it. (OOOOOH, blue... does it taste like boooberries?) I love the puppy, but I KNOW the puppy. She would have an absolute BALL putting nice big paw imprints everywhere!

ANYWAY, I am taking a moment to laugh it off, sit in the air conditioning, and then finish up for the day. I will try again tomorrow with (I hope) better luck and results.

Hey, at least the writing went well. Although, now that I think about it, I think I'm going to back up my work. Later...

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAACK

Okay, I think maybe that made me sound like a sheep. OOOPS.

ANYWAY, I am back from visiting the familia in Illinois. It was an excellent trip. I enjoyed seeing everybody. The train ride was very relaxing. I got the editing done, and life was lovely. Unfortunately, as is usually the case when I am around groups of strangers or travelling, I caught a bit of a crud. Not a terrible "OhmiGod I'm DYING" crud, but a crud nonetheless. Still, I'm doing much better today and have hope that tomorrow I'll actually feel like a human being again.

We have turned in the next Sazi book -- Moon's Fury. Cathy was primary on it. It is set in Texas and it ROCKS! Excellent excellent. YAHOO!!!! I am now working on the as yet untitled Sazi book regarding Aspen Monier. It is cruising along nicely. This makes me VERY happy because Cat (Howling Moon) SOOOOOO didn't. That book had been the first one in the world, and it got written and re-written so many times while we were learning our craft, and the world changed so much while it approached print that it was HELL to work through. I think it turned out to be a very good book, but it WASN'T easy! Weirdly though, Touch of Madness (the Kate Reilly sequel to Touch of Evil) WAS. I mean it was like a wild horse that knew exactly where it wanted to go. I just had to hang on and let my fingers let the words out. I will never ever understand why some books just come easy and some just don't.

We've been asked to do a couple of interviews. One of them wants to interview the character of Kate Reilly. I'm really looking forward to that one. :) I've also got the pattern now to do my costume for The Vampire Lestat Ball. I have to get to work on it soon. I want it to look GOOD not cheesy. Or both. Whatever.

Gotta run. Writing to do and life to live. Later kids.

Cie

Headed Out

OK, I'm headed out to visit my folks in Illinois Monday. I'm excited because I haven't seen them in a while and miss them. James is going to take care of the animals for me. (Thank you darlin!) I'm taking the train because it stops right in my hometown, not far from my folks house. That means no renting a car and driving either down from Chicago or up from St. Louis.

Of course this also means I've got a @*#$ load to do before I can go, and I'm so drained from the heat I don't wanna. Ah well. Definitely worth it. Cathy finished the draft of the book she was working on, so I'll edit that on the trip.

I've been really stressed out. One way I can tell, my memory is going. UGH. Of course part of that is that I haven't been able to fill the new Rx. When the thyroid's low I have trouble with memory and concentration. That's always frustrating. Oh well, I'll just have to write notes for a while. (The pharmacist couldn't read the Rx, the doctor was out of the office, and I'll be out of town before they can talk on the phone.)

Anyway, if I'm not around for a while, at least pretend to miss me. :)

Oh, and I'm still debating whether or not to joint RWA. I LOVE LOVE LOVE RWA Online, but the main RWA National.... well, there's all this political stuff that keeps raging that I just am not dispositionally suited to dealing with. The group seems almost split in half between conservatives and liberals. Which means pitched battles over things like romantica/erotica (is it or is it not romance) and defining romance as one man falling in love with one woman and having a happily ever after ending. (As opposed to gays, lesbians, and/or groups.)

Totally off subject -- I didn't always watch Frasier on television, but I saw one that just cracked me up. Niles, the up-tight brother, was explaining that he NEEDED for them to go out for their usual drink because of a misprint on his ad. Instead of printing "Jung" Psychiatrist they put "Hung." Wouldn't have been so bad except for the rest of the ad: Hung Psychiatrist -- Individuals, Couples, Groups. Frasier said, "Surely the people who called knew..., I mean..." The response was. "You have no idea." I laughed so hard!

OK, off to clean house, pack, and finish all the critical stuff! TOODLES! Be good while I'm gone.

Cie

sigh...

Folks, this is going to be an odd post. I've divided it into sections so that it will sort of make sense, but I'm exhausted, my mind is wandering... oh, and I have the hiccups.

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

OK, I'm not perfect. I'm not even close to perfect. But some days, weeks, well, I'm less perfect than others. It's been a tough week.

First, I believe in spaying and neutering pets. I especially believe in it after living in a small town where a lot of people don't and there are an incredible number of unwanted "strays" that have miserable and short lives. I won't get on my soapbox about this for long, but it breaks my heart. The animals didn't ask to be born, and they don't deserve mistreatment.

BUT it was probably not the smartest/best plan of action to neuter the cat and spay the puppy the same week. Both surgeries went well, but the recuperation keeping them both inside resting but away from each other has been... tricky. Doing this when I'm getting ready for a visit to my folks AND I've got edits due AND am in the middle of a new book is worse than tricky.

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

I hate feeling frustrated. It's stupid, of course, because frustration is a part of life. It is PARTICULARLY a part of life for anyone who has children and/or pets, or interacts with other human beings, or... well... it's just inevitable OK. But I'm trying to recover today from a bout of serious frustration.

First, I can't seem to get anything DONE and then have it STAY done. Housework for example, and laundry, dishes. You do all that stuff, and it is undone within minutes. The dishes are washed, dried, even put away, and then you hear someone in the kitchen cooking and see a dirty glass sitting around, and off you go again. You change the litterbox and the cats REJOICE by going in and taking a fresh dump. You're wearing clothes when you do laundry, so there's more laundry. You get the picture.

Yesterday's frustration came early and lasted all day. It was like 95 degrees already at 7:00 a.m. I was taking Lucky to the vet to be spayed. I get her outside, am trying to get her to go into the truck (which she usually LOVES and wants to climb in when she ISN'T supposed to) and she balks. She not only balks, she bolts, slips out of her collar, and starts sprinting down one of the busiest streets in town (which while not up to Denver standards by any stretch, was busy enough during the morning commute to nearly give me a heart attack.) She's a cattle dog breed. They are FAST, can turn on a dime, and well, let's just say I'm not as young and limber as I used to be. I finally caught her parading herself in front of a fence with three unaltered males going nuts behind it. Get the collar on her and tighten it. (Wishing now I had the choke collar, but hadn't thought I needed it because she's normally so good about this shit, and now I don't have time to go get it). Get her back and it happens again! (This time she found an unaltered male dachshund (sp?)whose owner came out to find out what was causing the commotion and wound up laughing fairly hysterically about it. By the time I finally got her loaded into the truck and to the vet I was a wreck, which wouldn't have been so bad, except I was going straight from the vet to my doctor out of town and was now arriving dripping sweat, dischievelled, and smelling very strongly of dog.

Got there late (of course). When they tried to draw blood they couldn't get my body to cooperate. NOPE. All blood was supposed to stay inside, thank you very much! Took them five sticks before they finally got a vein by using my wrist. They were frustrated and embarrassed, and I was running late to my lunch appointment. Tried to call my editor, Anna Genoese on business, but missed her completely. Tried to get my prescription, but the pharmacy couldn't read the writing and the doctor's office was closed, so they're having to call this morning instead. Went to the bank, and for some reason they're getting back my mail. The post office says I don't live here anymore. This confused the heck out of the bank because, well, they're the ones with my home loan.

All day I operated at a dead run, and everything I touched went reverse-Midas on me. I am SOOOOOO glad to start over this morning.

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

I am a Catholic Christian. (There are people who say Catholics aren't Christians, which doesn't make a bit of sense to me. Our religion is based around Christ being the savior, so what's up with saying we're not Christian. Makes no sense to me at all.) ANYWAY, I am. I believe in it. I'm not ashamed of it. I try to live my life according to my beliefs. Some days I do better than others, but I try.

BUT I HAVE A BONE TO PICK. What is with all of these "threatening" e-mails. I will get a wonderful, inspirational (in the literal sense) e-mail that will have me smiling, and then we get to the end: THE THREAT. If you don't forward this to everybody and their dog instantly you WILL GO TO HELL, you are ASHAMED OF GOD who will, in turn BE ASHAMED OF YOU (revert back to the YOU WILL GO TO HELL). This paragraph instantly erases every bit of good accomplished in all the other paragraphs. I see red. I snarl. Even if I would've sent it on (because I really think the inspirational part is cool) to people who would appreciate it I stop. The only way I will pass it on now is if I take the time to cut and paste the first part without the last part. NOT BECAUSE I'M ASHAMED but because I don't want to be an emotional bully and ram my attitudes down someone else's throat.

If you present the information to someone, and it is good information, you don't need to hold a gun to their head (figuratively or literally) to get them to believe it. In fact, if you do they're going to be a little distracted (well, more than a LITTLE) and disgruntled (to put it mildly) and miss the point of the information completely and just cut to resentment of the bullying. In my opinion this kind of crap is counterproductive to actually being a positive influence on people, which is the point, I think, of evangelism. (I'm not sure, since I'm not terribly evangelistic.)

BUT there is this vague sense of guilt, like, maybe I'm making excuses. Maybe I should be thinking the way these other people are. What's wrong with me? This is partially a result of a good Catholic upbringing. Guilt is a part of my life. But it is also more pronounced because I've moved into the "bible belt" and I SOOOOOOOO don't fit in. So, to address this issue right now and forever. I'm NOT ASHAMED OF GOD, but I don't forward e-mails with the bullying paragraphs.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

OK, for those of you not in the US and/or not paying attention, we've been suffering a heat wave. We're talking the kind of major heat wave that has actually killed people. NOT GOOD STUFF!!! Well, in the middle of this, my trusty air conditioner for the office gave out. Day after day over 100 and no a/c when working on a machine that gives off heat. Needless to say, baby that I am, I haven't been writing much. I had to wait (because of various things that I won't go into in this blog but were circumstances beyond my control) to get a new A/C. Alas, I now have one. James and I installed it this morning. There is much rejoicing at Casa Adams by both human and furry.

Now understand, I have never been a fan of A/C for the most part. I have to be really careful about the filters or my allergies act up. But ever since the spider bite my internal temperature mechanism has been out of whack (I'm going to go to the doctor about it) and I'm not only hot I'm POURING sweat. UGH. At any rate, I'm grateful, REALLY GRATEFUL for the A/C.

Now I can write without worrying about the machine overheating or my passing out from the heat. YIPPEEE. (Or, in the immortal words of Tim Taylor "And the peasants rejoiced!")

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

Totally different subject. Online stuff. I LOVE cruising the internet. I've made some awesome friends electronically (Including, but not limited to, our very own Jim and Yo from the blog) But I've discovered something. It's a time killer. It devours HOURS of time that I'm supposed to be writing. So when I'm trying to make deadline I've been cutting myself off. BUT IT SUCKS!! Because by the time I get back to everybody too much has happened that I've missed, AND I've mightily pissed people off who think I'm only coming to sites when we have a book out to "advertise." Sadly, when a book is first released is currently almost the only time we're NOT in a major deadline crunch -- if then.

Also, some of my favorite sites have gotten too big for my comfort. I like small to mid-sized sites where you can get to know people. When it's too big and there are too many topics, I don't even know where to start, so I just "freeze" and only go to the spots where it directly relates to me. SIGH. I definitely have to work on that.

ANYWAY, dog is raising hell. I'd better go see what's up.

Later.

Cie

WHOOO HOOOO!!!!!!

Captive Moon is not only out, but it made the USA Today Bestseller's List at 128!!!!!

That's one book from each series. NOW WE'RE COOKIN'!

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!