Barbara Hambly's Blog, page 59

San Diego Signing

A long and tiring day tomorrow. I'm taking the Surfliner down to San Diego for a signing at Mysterious Galaxy - the train costs about the same as the tank-and-a-half of gas, and though it makes for a longer day, I'm less trashed physically. (I'm especially glad I decided to do this because my shoulders, arms, and back are still giving me grief). It's a pleasant ride, especially if you have an iPod and noise-cancelling headphones (and a good book).

And, in two weeks, I'm Guest at MileHiCon in D...

History

Got a good running start on "Firemaggot" - the Antryg short-story - over the weekend... and hit a curious... not a snag, exactly. A curious thing about stories that start in the Real World and transfer to another universe. Silent Tower and Silicon Mage definitely take place in the late 80s. Joanna is a computer tech, so the technology is late-80s. By implication, Dog Wizard takes place only a few months after the end of Silicon Mage (and no technology is mentioned in the rather brief sequence...

Vanity

If I wanted to download a picture of my WoW character, Miss Biddy, how would I do that?

Connie Martinson Talks Books

Whew! Just finished an interview about Homeland for syndicated TV (no, Mom, I have NO idea when it's going to be shown, or on what channel, and yes, I did ask for a copy but don't know when or if that will materialize); very professionally done in a studio at Beverly Hills High School. The interviewer - Connie Martinson - was first-rate, pleasant and relaxed and easy to talk to. Now I'll be picking fragments of mascara out of my eyelashes for the next two days.

After slogging up to Beverly Hil...

Turn-Ins

Both manuscripts are ready to go in - Press the Magic Button, and poof! One's in New York, the other's in London. I've spent an exhausting week trimming Dead & Buried down to 89,999 words - after that, inputting the polish on PWMNBSO-II was quick 'n' easy. I feel like I can take a quiet Sunday sitting on a little rock in the middle of the ocean (as Judas Iscariot was said to be permitted to do on Sundays), before swimming toward the next island, a LONG way away. (The next island being Blood M...

Real Life

Trimming excess verbiage out of Dead & Buried, extremely tiring but enlightening; the new publisher has fairly strict guidelines about length. After the "cut this manuscript in half" exercise I went through with Homeland, this is actually fairly easy.

And, a faculty meeting at the college Thursday, so, no quest, alas.

I've swapped the newer, less falling-apart chair back for the old one, having realized I'd rather have my back hurt than my arms and shoulders. We'll see how long it takes for the...

Done and In

Just pushed the magic button, and Dead & Buried is going to show up on the computer screen at Severn House Publishers in London in the morning. My fingers are crossed.

A warm holiday weekend here - my best friend's birthday party last night, sitting around a propane fire-pit in the twilight: no propane in the tanks, so we all gathered those little LED tea-light candles (which flicker realistically) from the picnic-tables, and put them on the concrete logs that mask the gas-jets in the pit. The...

Slaughtering Bears in Darkshore

So, my quests this week are to go to the forests of Darkshore and teach 50 Community College Students about the Spanish-American War, and then slaughter 20 Thistle Bears in Woodland Hills... or, no, wait...

I'll be at the Inn at Auberdine Thursday evening at 6 PDT, loaded for bear. (I have to do a turn-in quest to Darnassus and may take care of that Tuesday, if I get my lecture notes tidied up).

Four very long and crowded days.

Back to School

Next week - Monday to be precise - I start teaching, so I lose three days this week to "Faculty Orientation." Given the amount left to do on the FINAL polish of Dead & Buried (yay!) I think, no quest this week.

But, I am extremely pleased with Dead & Buried. And can't wait to get started on a) the final polish of PWMNBSO-II (or at least, Project Not Spoken Of under my own name) b) Blood Maidens (yay! - I periodically take out the outline and savor it) and c) the first Antryg story, which I think

Homeland

Homeland should be in the stores this week.

I've worked on so many things since the manuscript got turned in, I almost forgot that I wrote it - which is odd, considering how emotionally involved I became in the story. I'm re-reading it now, and struck by how much the story is about emotional isolation, and how people deal with it: curious, because I'm working on Dead & Buried, which is more and more about community.

With luck, fingers crossed, I'll wrap the second draft on D&B this week, and actua