Routines

I'm off my writing routine and struggling to get back to it. I need routine. Without it, I feel like I'm wandering. My stress level skyrockets because I want to write, but have a hard time settling in to do it when I only have a few minutes here and there.

With my son's school out for the summer, and with my cat's illness, I've just not been able to get back into a regular schedule, and if I don't have large blocks of time to write, I usually don't.

What about you? Can you sit down and whip out a few pages here and there when you can squeeze in the time, or do you need a more scheduled, routine block of time? Am a freak? Because I feel like a freak. Tell me I'm not alone. I beg you.

Oh, and my A/C is broken. It's a million degrees and we have 800% humidity, and my AIR CONDITIONER is broken. It's not too early for frozen margaritas, right?

Tuesday, May 31, 2005 @ 11:34 AM CST [link]

Silver Linings

After intending to get to my RWR for days now, I finally did. I didn't think this issue was particularly great, but I did find the article "Rejection Letter Decoding Kit," to be interesting. I read each little segment with a mixture of dread and curiosity. I mean, I have my suspicions about what editorial comments such as "not emotionally compelling" (I yawned my way through this story) and "not strong enough," (my three-year old has a stronger writing voice than you) really mean, but in this article, I get to find out for sure.

But the coolest segment was the one called "The Silver Lining." The author, Theresa Stevens, writes "Yet, there may be good news, even in a rejection letter. Sometimes a rejection letter will contain a magical little phrase: I'd be willing to look at future projects from you. When a writer is experiencing the emotional backlash from a rejection, she may be tempted to think that the editor didn't really mean it, or that the editor was just being nice."

Uh...yeah. I kinda thought that about a similar invitation in my Brava rejection letter. But then, a couple paragraphs later, Kate Duffy says she extends such invitations "sometimes but not often. I would ask if I like the writing but not what the writer had written in this particular instance."

Yay! So guess what, Kate Duffy? You will have a new novella on your desk soon! *g*

Hope y'all have a nice Memorial Day, and thanks again for all the kitty well-wishes. Geordie is still doing great, and she gets better every day.

Monday, May 30, 2005 @ 08:48 AM CST [link]

She's back!

It looks like my kitty is on the road to recovery!!!!!!!

She's gone 48 hours without an insulin shot, but her blood sugar is fine (actually, just slightly on the low side,) so it looks like she's producing her own insulin. She's eating well and is more active than she has been in days. She's still not 100%, but I'm hoping that a couple more days of rest and high protein, low carb food will have her back to her old self. Right now, things look good. And if her blood sugar stays low for a few days, I can reduce testing to once a week instead of daily, which will make all of us happy. It'll take time to see what the long-term effects of this episode will be, but for now, things are really looking up. I talked to a vet tech friend of mine last night, and when she heard all that Geordie had been through, and how low her blood sugar had been when she crashed the first time, she was amazed that Geordie had survived. She's a fighter.

We watched The Empire Strikes Back last night, so tonight, for our Saturday pizza-movie night, we'll watch Return of the Jedi, since there is nothing decent on HBO or The Movie Channel. And I'm going to read something today. Not sure what, but I'm back in a reading mood, so I'll try to finish one of the million books I've started. I didn't get a chance to read my RWR yet, but I did see that there's an article called "Running with Wolves, or: Plotting in the Wild." Clearly, Eloisa James understands the power of wolves. Must read that article first.

Saturday, May 28, 2005 @ 10:46 AM CST [link]

Kitty Update

Well, after I posted yesterday, I gave Geordie her shot, which was 1/3rd the usual dose. After a hypoglycemic episode, cats are extra sensitive to insulin, so it has to be decreased.

But she crashed again.

This time, I knew what to look for, and I also knew at what time it was likely to happen, so I was extra watchful. I tried to get a blood sample to check her glucose levels, but I couldn't, so I didn't have a super-early warning, but her symptoms soon appeared. I gave her a tablespoon of Karo syrup and rushed her to the vet. She came around quickly this time, with no problems. Thank God.

So I brought her home, and she spent several miserable hours recovering, but by early morning she was eating a little and drinking on her own.

She's lethargic this morning, but better than she has been since this all began. I'm cautiously optimistic. The next couple of days should tell us how much damage was done, and whether or not she'll still need insulin. It's possible that she started producing it again on her own, which would explain why even the small dose affected her so badly.

So anyway, thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. You guys are SO awesome. And please, keep the prayers up--she's still got a long road ahead, and there's still a good chance that she won't recover.

Now, I need to catch up on some email and blogs, and I have a new RWR to read. I doubt I'll get any writing done for a couple of days, but maybe I'll finally get a chance to read. Oh, and I'm watching the rest of the Star Wars movies so I'll have watched the entire saga from episode 1 to 6. Tonight is The Empire Strikes Back. My fave!

Friday, May 27, 2005 @ 08:35 AM CST [link]

Kitty Emergency

My diabetic cat, Geordie, has been very not herself over the last few days. She was exhibiting the same symptoms she had when she was first diagnosed with diabetes, so I thought she needed her insulin adjusted higher, or that she needed a newer, more potent bottle of insulin. So yesterday I got ready to go get her a new bottle (and a blood glucose monitor so I can know these things for sure,) and while I was getting dressed, she had a seizure and went blind.

I was terrified. I rushed her to the vet, where the vet discovered that she was in insulin shock (I'm SUCH and idiot. I should have known and given her glucose before I left the house.) She almost died right there on the table. He pumped her full of oral, intramuscular, and intravenous glucose, but it didn't look good. It took several hours to get her stabilized so she could come home.

When I brought her home last night, the vet gave her a 50/50 chance of making it. There were several times last night that it looked like she'd lose. Finally, at about midnight, she took some baby food in a syringe. I then force-fed her a couple of teaspoons of baby food mixed with water from a syringe every two hours.

This morning she looks better. She's still not out of the woods, but at least now there's hope. And even if she does pull through this, there was probably permanent damage done. Any extra prayers are welcome. I'm not ready to lose my little girl.

Thursday, May 26, 2005 @ 08:12 AM CST [link]

Star Wars Again

Okay. Went to see Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. And you know, I really liked it! IMO, it was far and away better than episodes 1 and 2. No, it doesn't come close to the originals, at least not close to episodes 4 and 5, but since I've never been a fan of episode 6, Return of the Jedi, I think I might actually hold Revenge of the Sith close to that one.

Yes, the acting left a lot to be desired, but with such sucky dialogue, the actors weren't given much to work with. However, that's been a problem with all of the movies, and it took great actors like Harrison Ford, Alec Guiness, and even Carrie Fisher to overcome the crap. I never felt that Mark Hamill had enough talent to work with the dialogue well, at least not in the first movie. (And wow, Anakin definitely inherited his father's tendency to be whiny.)

I never fully appreciate a movie until I've seen it a couple more times, so when I watch episode 3 again on DVD, I'll see if I still feel like it was as good as I thought. I have a feeling I'll like it even better the second time around. The story is good, and the major turning point is huge. Awesome. And I got chills when Darth Vader took his first breath in the Vader mask. And because the story was good, I'm willing to overlook the wooden acting and poor character development, and I think part of the reason I didn't hate the movie like I did episodes 1 and 2 is because I wasn't trying to like Anakin anymore. He was there to hate, and I did hate him. There was no pretense that he was in any way a decent person. His bad acting and lame-o dialogue could be written off to the fact that he's a scumbag. Worked for me, and I enjoyed him much more once I gave up wanting to find ANYTHING to like, as I did in the first two movies.

The romance between Anakin and Amadala still didn't work, but I finally wrote it off to fate. *gasp* Yes, I know. I dislike romances where the characters are "fated" to be together, and for exactly the reasons that are displayed in Star Wars; the heroine falls in love with a total jackass with no redeeming qualities for no apparent reason other than "fate." But because Star Wars revolves around the core idea that Anakin's being "the chosen one," is prophecied, I'll deal. Obviously the romance is, too. I'll forget the fact that I don't like "fated" romances and just let it go. It's the only way to explain why the hell Amadala fell in love with the whiny, arrogant, completely idiotic Anakin in the first place.

As for the tie-in of Star Wars: Clone Wars...I was glad I saw Clone Wars. It DID explain some things, and it provided a little background for some of the characters. Certainly, the animated adventure isn't crucial to the understanding of Revenge of the Sith, but it does provide a little extra meat.

Done rambling. To make things short, I really liked Revenge of the Sith. I think it did a good job tying the original trilogy to the new one, and by about halfway through, it really started feeling like it belonged in the original Star Wars family.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005 @ 09:31 AM CST [link]

Star Wars!

I've spent the last two days catching up on Star Wars episodes 1 and 2 (it was torture) so I can see episode 3 today.

But here's the cool thing. I also watched Star Wars Clone Wars, which officially bridges the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Clone Wars is an animated series of mini-episodes (you can watch them separately or as one seamless movie) that was sanctioned by George Lucas and written by someone else (thank God) so that it follows the Star Wars storyline, but has better dialogue. And acting.

Clone Wars apparently introduces several characters who will be seen in Revenge of the Sith, including one who plays a critical role, General Grievous. I think my favorite part of Clone Wars was the interaction and character development (which we know is sadly lacking in the movies) beween Anakin and Obi Wan.

I'm not sure how helpful seeing Clone Wars before seeing Revenge of the Sith will be, but I'm looking forward to finding out. Will report tomorrow.

If you are a Star Wars freak, you need to see Clone Wars. If not, you probably won't miss anything. The good news is that George Lucas is considering having another set of animated features made to bridge the more considerable gap between episodes 3 and 4. I hope so, because that's a HUGE gap!

Have a nice day, everyone!

Tuesday, May 24, 2005 @ 07:34 AM CST [link]

Tagged. And Rant.

I've been totally out of the loop for a few days. Things got busy with my son's end of school stuff (his last day is today,) and with a baby shower luncheon and a barbecue. So anyway, I feel like I've been on vacation for a month. I'm completely lost.

Oh, and I must rant. Must. Rant.

There are reasons for laws. You might not think they are good reasons or even good laws. But they are still laws, and if you kill my kid because you broke a law you thought you didn't need to obey, I will come after you with everything I've got.

So what prompted today's rant?

Today, for the second time in less than a month, some idiot didn't think they needed to stop for the red flashing lights on the SCHOOL BUS. The first time, my son was nearly struck by an idiot who didn't notice the flashing lights OR my son crossing the street. The second time was this morning, when a moron didn't stop as my son was getting on the bus.

What is wrong with people??? These are CHILDREN. I think I'll spend the day roaming the neighborhood to find these idiots. I didn't get their license plate numbers, but I know what the cars look like.

Okay. Rant over. I feel better. But I'd feel even better if I'd gotten the license plate numbers so I could report those morons to the police.

Right. Rant over.

Jordan and Steph tagged me, so I have some answering to do:

Total number of books I own:

Uh...enough that the movers HATE us. Maybe not for the number as much as for the weight. A lot of my books are research and medical texts, which tend to be heavy. I'd estimate that I have around 500 books.

Last book I bought:

Tempting Trouble by Dorien Kelly

Last Book(s) I Read:

This is a hard one because I have some serious ADD going on. I've started reading about 6 books in the last couple of months and haven't had time to finish any of them. I THINK the last fiction book I've actually finished was Nobody's Baby But Mine, by SEP, a few months ago.

Non-fiction: Talking Trauma, by Timothy Tangherlini

5 books that mean a lot to me:

The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan. This was the first fantasy novel that kept me thinking about the characters for long after the book ended. It is the first in what is my favorite fantasy series.

The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Beautifully written, and I enjoyed the strong female slant, though the other Avalon books/novellas haven't been nearly as good. This one ties with The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart, for favorite Arthurian novel.

Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. Beautifully written and so gritty you can smell the 12th century.

The Sunne in Splendour, by Sharon Kay Penman. My first SKP book, as well as HER first novel. Her writing has improved since this book, but what makes it so extraordinary is that she originally wrote the manuscript and had the ONLY copy in her car. One day her car was stolen, and the manuscript was lost forever. She had to rewrite THE ENTIRE thing from scratch--and the entire thing is 944 small-print pages. Whenever I complain about losing a scene, I remember what she had to go through.

Larry's Terrible Day, by my son, Brennan. This year, my son's second grade did a special project; they wrote books. They worked with plotting charts to create conflicts, turning points, and beginning, middles, and ends. They then colored all the pages to illustrate, and wrote the story in the books, which included dedications and bios. The books were professionally bound and given protective covers. They are AWESOME. Larry's Terrible Day is my favorite book EVER.

Monday, May 23, 2005 @ 09:19 AM CST [link]

Sunday Cheat

Having a barbecue today, so I have no time. Not that I've ever needed an excuse to blog-cheat on Sundays. But today I have one.

Your Linguistic Profile:

70% General American English

15% Yankee

10% Upper Midwestern

5% Midwestern

0% Dixie

Sunday, May 22, 2005 @ 08:28 AM CST [link]

Serious Thinking

For a while now, I've been contemplating my writing future. I've had a hard time with that particular subject because I want to write everything. I want to write romantic adventure. I want to write sexy novellas. I want to write light, sassy contemporaries. I even want to write chick lit.

I've had all kinds of advice, ranging from "pick one and stick with it," to "write it all, throw it against the wall, and see what sticks."

I guess I've done more of the latter because I work on a novel based on the most flighty of reasons--my mood.

But I've recently had a lightbulb moment thanks to Michelle's last two posts. This one really made me think. This one made me think more.

So I'm thinking that I really just need to pick something and stick with it. I mean, I HAVE always gone with the emergency medicine theme, so I do have that going for me in all of my stories. But really, is that a brand? "Hey, Larissa Ione is that chick who writes emergency medicine romances that are sometimes light and sassy and sometimes dark and gritty."

Um. I'm thinking not.

I just wish something I've thrown out would stick, because that would make things so much easier. I need focus, and I need to sit down and figure out what I write best, and what I enjoy the most. And I guess what it comes down to is that I don't know what I write best. I've found my voice, but I haven't found the niche where I'm most comfortable.

I do know that for me, shorter is better. I honestly question my ability to produce ST manuscripts on a regular and timely basis. The shorter contemporary works MUCH better for me. The easiest manuscript I ever wrote was Snowbound, the 60K Temptation.

And novellas...well, that's a double-edged sword. They're shorter, so they take less time to write (always a good thing, considering my attention span and frustration index,) but they are also HARD to write, because you've got very few pages to blend a romance and sex together in a believable way.

So anyway, this next week will be spent working on the Brava novella Kate invited me to send (I'll make sure I include a nice butter knife as a gift,) and thinking about how to brand myself. When people hear my name, what do I want popping into their heads? (And no, heinous wench and talentless hack are not the answers I'm looking for.)

Saturday, May 21, 2005 @ 08:48 AM CST [link]

Anatomy of a Rejection Letter

Rejection letters are complicated things. No matter what they say, you are always trying to read between the lines, desperate to find hidden clues that will help you understand why your precious work wasn't good enough. You study the letter over and over, sure it'll say something different if you read it again. Maybe it'll be more complimentary the thirtieth time you pick it up. Maybe on the fortieth read it'll tell you WHY the conflict was weak or the characters were stiff. Heck, maybe on the fiftieth glance, it won't even be a rejection anymore.

But here's the thing; once you master the art of subtext, you don't have to keep torturing yourself by reading the letter over and over. How cool is that?

Need an example? How about the rejection letter I just received? That should work. Watch and learn.

MASTERING SUBTEXT: Lesson 2


Dear Larissa Ione, (Dear Talentless Hack)

Thank you for submitting Signed, Sealed, and Delivered to Lori Foster's Brava contest. (Thank you for submitting Signed, Sealed, and Delivered to Lori Foster's Brava contest.)

I apologize for taking so long. The entries just kept coming and I had to take a look at them all. (I saved yours for last because I'd rather saw off my own leg with a butter knife than read your story)

You have a clean and engaging writing style, but the premise just didn't catch my interest. (Are you as boring in person as you are on paper?)

I'd like to see other work from you in the future, though. (I'll keep that butter knife handy)

Sincerely, (Good riddance,)

Kate Duffy (Kate Duffy)

See how easy that was? You can spare yourself hours of torment once you master this technique. Subtext, baby. Subtext.

Friday, May 20, 2005 @ 07:09 AM CST [link]

Diggin' the Linkage

Because I don't feel like actually using my brain today, I'm going to cheat in a non-blog quiz way.

First up, Anna Genoese at RTB is talking about the interesting (and depressing) reality of publishing. Good stuff, if a little sobering.

Sela Carson has a wonderful rant that highlights the reason reviews (on anything--movies, books, music,) don't influence my buying decision, and she also takes the ebook industry to task.

And I'm sure you've all seen this guy's hilarious work. Well, he's probably wondering why his website is exploding, but it's because it was highlighted in my new PC magazine. I would die. He's got some new covers added, too!

Anyway, hope y'all have a wonderful day!

Thursday, May 19, 2005 @ 06:58 AM CST [link]

Sheesh--leave for a day and...

All hell breaks loose!

Seems like people are in a serious uproar over this.

To be honest, I don't get it. The author, Diana Laurence, asks why erotica sucks so much. She's an author of erotica, and she also reads erotica, so it isn't like she's not familiar with the genre. People have suggested that she had an agenda for posting something so inflammatory, and I think someone actually suggested that her publisher put "a gag order" on her.

Maybe she did have an agenda. Maybe she knew exactly what kind of reaction she'd get so she could sell books. Or maybe she wanted a reaction so that the genre she loves would get a kick in the butt and make improvements.

Really, I didn't take offense to her post. Seemed a little tongue-in-cheek to me, and seemed like an author who wants to see the genre she loves be the best it can be. She also didn't say that ALL erotica sucks or that ALL readers are stupid. Basically, I saw it as her speaking out against lazy writing (a problem in all genres) and a move by some authors away from romantic elements by treating sex cheaply. I felt like she was asking readers to hold erotica to a high standard, and that when she mentioned the crack-addict thing, she was saying that people sometimes love certain story elements so much that they are willing to read anything to get it, even if it isn't so great. I understand that. I love vampire movies, and I've watched some real crap in order to get my vampire fix. And by spending money on the vampire crap, I'm encouraging more mediocre crap to be made to fill the demand.

Thing is, the kind of post Diana made isn't new, but it's rare. Why? Because it seems like when an author speaks out against problems in her genre, she gets skewered. And that's what I don't understand.

Then again, the erotica thing isn't one of my hot buttons, like it clearly is for a lot of people. But when one of my hot buttons is pushed, I go ballistic, so I do understand where the people who are upset are coming from, and I'm not saying that they have no right to be angry. Her post was, after all, a bit on the strong side at times, and probably not as clear on her thoughts as it could have been.

But I think the reaction she's getting is exactly what makes it hard to speak openly and honestly about problems in the romance genre. People say to speak up, but when they do...SLAM. Disagreeing is great. Healthy discussion that leads to better things is great. But it seems like some of the commentors in her blog have takent things to almost a violent level.

I dunno. Like I said, I don't get it. Reactions like Diana has had make me scared to voice my opinions, and make me glad I've held back on a lot of occasions.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 @ 08:45 AM CST [link]

Movie Report

Saw Kingdom of Heaven, and loved it! Overall, a good movie. The timeline was VERY skewed, but that's understandable--they had to squish about 5 years' worth of story into two hours. Some of the events were skewed, but again, there's a time and entertainment factor to consider. The hero, Balian of Ibelin (Orlando Bloom) was actually a mix of two real people, the actual Balian and Raymond of Tripoli, the latter of the two being the real man who was in love with the princess (the real Balian had a wife and kids throughout the entire time period--wife and kids who were given safe passage out of Jerusalem by Saladin before the siege.)

But still, even with the historical fudging, it was a good movie. Very gritty (love that word! ) and very interesting, though I I think it could have been better. For example, a lot of the historical religious attitudes (most notably those moderate Christians who wanted peace rather than war) could have been explained with just a line of dialogue that made clear that the moderates were mostly those born in the Middle East and who had learned tolerance amongst Jews and Muslims (or who were profiting from living there in peace.) As it is, people question why, in a time of religious fanaticism, anyone took the more peaceful views.

There are a lot more issues that could have been explained/fixed a little better, but really, only people who are familiar with the history will know.

I would like to have seen a little more humor -- strike that...ANY humor --to offset the intense, serious gloom of the movie. I think it would have been MUCH better. I'm not talking slapstick or goofiness, but come on! People laughed back then. Even if it's only gallows humor in a time of war, people laughed. Made jokes. Enjoyed themselves. In this respect, the film didn't ring true to me, and in a way, I felt more cheated by the lack of humor than I did by the historical fudging. Because I UNDERSTAND the historical/timeline fudging, but I don't understand the utter lack of one of mankind's greatest coping mechanisms--humor.

So anyway, I give the movie a B+. I'll buy it when it comes out on DVD, and it'll go on my keeper shelf, along with the lesson I took away from the movie; in any story, make use of as many aspects of human nature as possible, or you risk your story not ringing true no matter how accurate your facts and details are!

Monday, May 16, 2005 @ 08:50 AM CST [link]

Movies!

Well, I got NO plotting done yesterday. The day was spent mostly outside doing yardwork. Joy. But I did get to watch part of my race, and we watched Mean Girls.

It was good! The humor was sometimes silly, and reminded me of the humor from Drop Dead Gorgeous. I thought the ending was a little unsatisfying; I'd like to have seen the meanest girl get more of a comeuppance (yes, she got more than what she deserved, but because it wasn't related to her obnoxious behavior at the school, it wasn't satisfying for me,) and the "nice girl" got treated a little harshly, IMO.

But overall, I enjoyed it. It was the kind of movie everyone can relate to, because everyone has dealt with cliques--high school or otherwise. In fact, it cracks me up when I hear adults say that other adults' behavior is "high school cliquish." Why? Because high school is only the beginning of that behavior. It continues into every phase of life, both online and off. PTAs can be cliquish. The local squad of stay-at-home moms can be cliquish. The rich kids' moms can be cliquish. Military wives can be cliquish--and are often worse than any high school cliques I've seen. Where in the world do we think the kids learn it? From us! Cliques aren't "high school." They are very adult.

Okie doke. Tangent over.

Today we're going to see Kingdom of Heaven. Or maybe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Emily says there's a Serenity preview at the beginning, so I may have to see HGTTG just for that...

Oh, and I updated the myths on the Doggie Bag page, and over to the right on my sidebar is an Amazon link that, if used to get to Amazon to buy stuff, will benefit the ASPCA. So instead of letting 5-15% go nowhere, use the link to help animals. Yay!
Anyway, have a great day, everyone!

Sunday, May 15, 2005 @ 09:38 AM CST [link]

Saturday Blah

There is nothing exciting going on today. Well, there's a NASCAR night race tonight that I have to watch, and since it's "pizza movie" night tonight we're also ordering pizza and watching Mean Girls (anyone seen it? Is it good?)

But today I think I'll play around with my website a little and get my sidebar updated. And maybe work outside on the back porch a little. Needs cleaned up desperately so in the mornings I can sit out there with my coffee. I love doing that (when the love bugs, gnats, and mosquitos aren't horrible.)

I may even re-enter Plotting Hell for a little while today. Ugh. I bought a couple of romances to help me get out of Hell, hoping they'll spark ideas. I think my biggest problem is a lack of external conflict and weak internal conflict. It's weird, because my stories are usually external conflict-heavy, and this one pretty much has none.

Anyway, hope everyone has a good weekend!

Saturday, May 14, 2005 @ 08:28 AM CST [link]

Plotting Hell: A Visual

I'm still in Plotting Hell. It's hot here, and it sucks. At least I'm not alone. Michelle's hanging out, and Kacey brought beer. Jordan brought buns. Joely's contribution of beer and Doritos was nice. Jill's over there whining about tofudogs, but she ate two...

In the Synopsis chamber two rings over, some crazy lady named Lynn is waving her arms and shrieking, but it's probably because we won't share the beer. Amy is peering into Plotting Hell and shaking and drooling, but she isn't here yet.

But hey, at least we have food and drinks. Over in Revision Hell, I just hear weeping. I think they didn't realize you could bring alcohol. Of course, being immersed in excrement might have something to do with it.

Anyway, here's a Writing Hell visual. "Frozen in Ice" is a bunch of bull. "Encased in a blistering, swirling pit of doom" is a little more accurate.

Friday, May 13, 2005 @ 07:10 AM CST [link]

Plotting Hell

That's where I'll be today, if anyone is looking for me.

I try, try, TRY to be a pantser every time I start a manuscript, but then I hit the beginning of chapter two and realize that I can't go forward without plotting and working out my characters a little (or a lot) more.

So I'm off to Plotting Hell. I'm sure I'll see some of you there. We'll have a weenie roast.

Thursday, May 12, 2005 @ 08:28 AM CST [link]

Today's Post

Is at Romancing The Blog. It's a grit thing!

Tell me what you think!

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 @ 07:05 AM CST [link]

Taking Inventory of Works In Progress

Last night I was thinking about all of the projects sitting in virtual folders on my computer. I have several completed manuscripts, but a couple of those need some serious revisions before I can even think of submitting them anywhere.

Mostly, though, I have a ton of Works In Progress. To organize my thoughts, I took inventory. The results are scary.


On Front Burner:

1 short contemporary

On Back Burner (stirred frequently)

1 short contemporary
1 chick lit

In Fridge And Easily Accessible For Reheating:

1 nearly completed novella
1 completed ST in need of revisions and 60 more pages

In Freezer But Thawed Occasionally:

1 partial ST

In Cryogenics Chamber Waiting For Miracle Resuscitation:

1 partial historical
1 completed historical in need of revisions

What does your WIP inventory list look like? (Please tell me there's someone more pathetic than I am out there... )

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 @ 07:02 AM CST [link]

Briefness

In a hurry. Must take cat to vet. She's fine, just needs a check up.

Busy weekend. Built swingset for sick kid (who isn't sick anymore.) And planted tree. And baked cake. Wrote a few pages on new WIP. Watched Chronicles of Riddick (ugh.) Watched the Garfield Movie (double ugh.) Watched National Treasure (not bad, but I liked Sahara better.)

Now that I'm all caught up, please go over to HelenKay's blog and congratulate her on The Call!!!

Congrats, HelenKay!

Monday, May 09, 2005 @ 09:13 AM CST [link]

Mother's Day Sunday

Sunday is always my day to screw around in my blog and post cheaty things like blog quizzes. (Yay for blog quizzes!) So when something else happens on my cheaty day, it messes with my routine. I guess I'll just have to live with it.

So anyway, Happy Mother's Day all you moms!

And here's my cheaty thing, courtesy of Lynn, where I saw this first:

Your Birthdate: August 12

Being born on the 12th day of the month (3 energy) is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life. The energy of 3 allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental. There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, sometimes "couldn't care less" attitude. You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression. Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing. You are energetic and always a good conversationalist. You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters. Your mind is practical and rational despite this tendency to jump about. You are affectionate and loving - but very sensitive. You are subject to rapid ups and downs.

Sunday, May 08, 2005 @ 07:01 AM CST [link]

Better

Better today! My son is still icky, but he kept his food down all night, so it looks like we're over the hump. Yay!

I totally had something to write about today, but I forgot, so I'll just leave you with a cool link to Susan Elizabeth Phillips' VEGETARIAN recipes! (More subtle militant vegetarianism)

Oh, and I'm glad that everyone is back from the RT convention, because things were just too quiet!

Saturday, May 07, 2005 @ 08:32 AM CST [link]

Back!

I had an unscheduled absence yesterday, but I'm back. And okay, it WAS scheduled, but at the last minute. I had to go to the hospital for my biopsy. I was heavily sedated, poked, prodded, and sedated some more. Then, after all that, they didn't go through with the procedure. So I came home, sleepy and dizzy and really sick. Then my son's school called and made my husband pick him up because he had a nasty fever.

So we were pretty much all up last night...me being tired and generally ill, and my son with a 103 fever and throwing up.

It was fun.

Today I'm going to try to get some writing done, but I'm still slightly groggy and puke-fever boy is home today from school, so we'll see what kind of drivel I can come up with. Hope y'all had a nice day yesterday!

Friday, May 06, 2005 @ 08:11 AM CST [link]

Tagged!

By Lynn and Beth!

If I could be a scientist...
If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a musician...
If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter...
If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary...
If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect...
If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist...
If I could be a librarian...
If I could be an athlete...
If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper...
If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer...
If I could be a backup dancer...
If I could be a llama-rider...
If I could be a bonnie pirate...
If I could be a midget stripper...
If I could be a proctologist...
If I could be a TV-Chat Show host...
If I could be an actor...
If I could be a judge...
If I could be a Jedi...
If I could be a mob boss...
If I could be a backup singer...
If I could be a CEO...
If I could be a movie reviewer....

Well, since I've already been a midget stripper and a llama-rider, I'll go with...

If I could be a doctor, I'd work in emergency rooms, because they get the best stuff. And people who came in for dumb stuff like stubbed toes? They might as well camp out, because they get seen after everyone else who is there legitimately.

If I could be a Jedi, I'd have a lot of fun with idiot drivers. No more cutting ME off! Bwahahahahaha!

If I could be a judge, scumbags who abuse animals, women, and children would get the maximum sentences and fines.

If I could be a proctologist, er...let's not go there.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005 @ 07:06 AM CST [link]

A Day at the Movies

This weekend, I saw Sahara, which I liked more than I thought I would. There are several reasons I didn't think I'd like it. 1) Matthew McConaughey. I'm not a big fan. 2) Penelope Cruz. Again, not a fan. 3) I've never read a Clive Cussler book I liked, though to be fair, the plots never bothered me. It's the writing.

So I wasn't sure what to expect with Sahara, but I was pleasantly surprised. And one thing that surprised me was (spoilers ahead):

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The romance. It worked for me despite the fact that it was subtle. In fact, it almost seemed thrown in, and was so loosely threaded into the story that it could have been removed with NO changes to the movie (except the deletion of the last scene.) I'm actually wondering if the romance is even in the book, or if it was thrown in by Hollywood.

When I say that the romance "worked for me," I don't mean that I liked it...I actually have issues with the fact that it was so independent of the plot that it could have been removed with a few keystrokes to the script. What I mean is that it didn't completely annoy me.

So many action movies insert romances where the hero or heroine make really stupid choices out of love or lust or attraction. Not so in Sahara. When Dirk Pitt saved the girl, I always felt that he was saving a fellow human...not a potential bedmate. And because this was an action movie, not a romance, that worked for me.

Anyway, not a bad flick. Now I'm looking forward to National Treasure, released on DVD today, and Kingdom of Heaven, to be released...any day now? Yay! *g* And then the new Star Wars movie, which can ONLY be better than the last two.

What summer movies are you looking forward to?

Tuesday, May 03, 2005 @ 07:56 AM CST [link]

A (love) Letter From Joss

A couple of days ago, amongst the spam and loop emails in my inbox, I saw something different. Something that made my breath catch and my thighs quiver like a romance heroine who has just seen her first Greek tycoon. It was...it was...yes! An email from Joss Whedon. I jumped up and down. I cried tears of joy. Body parts heaved and throbbed. Joss had sent ME an email!!!!

Okay, my friend Karen had to ruin it by reminding me that it was a mass email, but whatever. Joss had sent it to ME. Sure, on the outside it looks like a mass email and appears very general in content, but the subtext is there. It's obvious to the trained eye. I'll show you:

Browncoats {Larissa}

As thus: The movie is very nearly finished. You've seen many pretty images in the trailer. But I've still got work to do and you've still got months before you can see it. {I love you and want you to leave your husband for me}

Unless. {always}

And, no, I'm not talking Australia (but Hi, Australia! anyway), I'm talking here in the more-or-less-United States, a one time multi-city Browncoat sneak event. Thursday, May 5th at 10:00 pm, the movie (Serenity! Pay attention! Jeez.) will be playing at exactly 10 theaters in 10 cities across the country. You (or possibly someone much like you) (or possibly a robot EXACTLY like you, but with better manners and sonic arm-lasers, sent to take your place) will be able to buy a ticket to see Serenity months in advance. Not just the bitty trailer with not enough Kaylee and Book, but the whole film, in its extremely almost completed state. {I'd send you tickets, but people would get suspicious about our relationship.}

You probably have some questions. How is this possible? What cities exactly will it be in? What are these changes my body is going through? {will our secret get out?} All valid. It's possible because some clown put a bunch of Universal execs in a theater full of Browncoats and dude, they came out SWEATING, they never seen energy like that. They loved it, {I love you} and even though they were already wicked supportive of the movie they simply weren't ready for you guys. When I whinged on about pushing the date and everyone here was posting about "what do we do till September", they agreed to let me sneak it out. {Just like I'm sneaking this email to you}

Maybe they thought it was a fluke. Maybe they wanna see if people really do care about the flick. {Like I care about you} Or maybe they're just treating us with respect and kindness, though that last option confuses and terrifies me as much as these changes my body is going through (I'm "perspiring" and becoming "interested in girls", which believe me is very unsettling when you're 40.) {No, not "girls" plural, just one girl, and that's you, my dearest Larissa} Does it matter? The plan works for me, and it can work for a select bunch of y'all. Here's what I know {that my feelings for you are real}:

The cities to be hit are:

Seattle
Austin
Sacramento
Boston
Altanta
Chicago
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Denver
The Portland of Oregon

If you're in or near one of those, you might wanna stop by. {I really tried to get TPTB to hit Pascagoula, Mississippi, but darn it, they wouldn't go for it. But I tried. Just for you.} There's supposed to be a "Can't Stop the Signal" page on this website (I don't know where it is -- hey, I remembered my damn password, doesn't that buy me any cred?) There should be more info there soon about how to get in, bringing peeps into the fold, I think there's even competetions and stuff. (All I know is I have exactly 20 Brownie points. I answered ONE triv Q and got it wrong. Forget cred. I have no cred.) Now a couple of us might just creep into one of those major metropolitan multiplexes to see if anyone does show up, {I'll meet you in the janitor's closet behind the concession stand} so remember: swearing in Chinese ONLY. {bring popcorn}

All right. This will please the fans and satisfy the employers of Joss Whedon, so I must stop as my arm-lasers are getting tired. I politely thank you for your attention. {Marry me}

Should be fun. {All my love,}

-j. (Isn't it cute how he just signs his initial? So sneaky, so no one will realize it's really him writing to me.)

I think my husband is suspicious, and in fact, he's coming now, so I have to finish this up. Crap! He sees! Secret is out. He's hurt, I can tell. He's not very emotional, so he's hiding his hurt with laughter. Poor guy. I mean, he's laughing so hard he's crying. He must REALLY be hurting. Well, the doubling over and rolling on the floor is a little extreme and unnecessary, I think.

Anyway, while I go console my husband and assure him that the email Joss sent me was really a mass email (wink, wink) I want all of you to buy tickets for the early Serenity movie showings so TPTB will see a huge response and will commission the second movie right away. (Because there could be three!)

Happy Monday!

Monday, May 02, 2005 @ 09:15 AM CST [link]

Sunday Quiz

Thanks to Julie!

Your English Skills:

Grammar: 100%

Punctuation: 100%

Spelling: 100%

Vocabulary: 80%

Grr--I know exactly which one I missed...

Sunday, May 01, 2005 @ 08:06 AM CST [link]