S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 122

Comments Catchup Day

See you in comments.

When I Can't Write

This past week bad weather has been keeping me offline, which has reduced my writing time on the computer to only an hour or two every day. When this happens (and every summer it generally does) I try to work on editing hard copies or tinker on story ideas, but I'm pretty dependent on the VRS for handling the bulk of my writing. Fortunately this year I have a lot of non-writing promo projects waiting in the wings, like the giveaway totes I'm making for Her Ladyship's Curse, my August release. Here's one I just finished:



Because I had extra time on my hands to work on the embellishment, I let myself go a little crazy with it (no pun intended):



I also experimented with a new technique to pad the inside of the tote, both to cushion and protect the beadwork and make the interior a little more unique. This also turned out nicely:



All the hours I spent sewing gave me time to think about writing, too, and that's an important part of my process. Writing a story is not just about getting it down on the page; at times I have to let things simmer and sort through what comes out of the mix. Having the down time gave me a chance to run through the story I'm working on and visualize things and do a bit of rearranging. I stopped sewing now and then to make a sketch and jot down some notes, but it was sitting and just thinking about the story that helped me the most. When I finally did get a chance to turn on the computer and write, I went to town and knocked out three times the amount of work I usually produce.

It can be frustrating, wanting to write but being unable to due to circumstances beyond your control. Next time, don't let it annoy you -- use the time to think about your story. You might find that when you do get back to the actual writing you have a lot more to put on the page.

Boxes and Big Cats

Nothing melts your heart quite like watching a bunch of big cats behave like, well, cats (background piano music in this one, for those of you at work):



Video link filched from Gerard over at the Presurfer.

Partners

Sometimes when I'm working on the porch I get the feeling I'm being watched -- and sometimes it turns out that I am:



Our dog Cole has already chased these two cranes from our yard twice this Spring, but they keep returning to stroll across the property like a couple of supermodels. They also don't mind so much being photographed, but I'm still careful to keep my distance and use the zoom. I think this one might have been snickering a little at me:



Playing polite paparazzi to the cranes has also helped me notice more things about them. At first glance they look identical, but they have very different personalities. One is cautious, easily-spooked and almost tiptoes through the grass; the other is aggressive, loud and always seems to be looking for trouble -- but he's also very protective of his partner (I'm guessing he's the male):



Seeing how they interact with each other is teaching a lot about partners -- and not just the romantic variety. They never eat or preen at the same time; one always stands guard out while the other digs for bugs or neatens the feathers. When they fly off, however, they match each other's moves and stay within two feet of each other in the air. They also squabble now and then, but never when they can see me watching them (which I suppose is like an old married couple.)

I've read up on sandhill cranes and discovered some surprising facts about them, such as they eat just about anything, from mice to snakes to bugs, but it's illegal in my state for humans to feed them (not that I ever would; I just didn't know it was against the law.) They live for as long as twenty years, and I've known this pair for ten, so they're probably middle-aged. These cranes are also so territorial they will attack their own reflections, which is why they sometimes damage cars and windows. Watching them together has taught me a lot that isn't in the books, such as I have never once seen them apart, and yet they still call to each other across the yard. I can't tell if they're having a conversation, doing the mating thing or simply feel nervous, but no matter what they do I get the sense that they're always focused on each other -- true partners in every sense, caught up in their own story.



I just wish I could do this when I get an itch on my back.

Elsewhere with Fangs & Fichus

Today I'm making a guest appearance at The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills, where I'll be discussing the differences between vampire and non-vampire fiction. Stop by if you get a chance, enter the giveaway and you might win some Victorian goodies, one of my handmade pocket watch pendants, and a signed print galley copy of Her Ladyship's Curse.

Technical Difficulties

Bad weather and what it's doing to our power and broadband has been keeping me offline, but once I can boot up for longer than two minutes I'll be back to catch up. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Her Ladyship's Ten

Ten Reasons You Should Preorder Her Ladyship's Curse by Lynn Viehl

Awesome World-Building: I constructed this universe from the ground up, and it's one of, if not the finest, that I've ever built. At least that's what all my first readers keep telling me. They could be lying, of course, but some of them really aren't that nice.

Continuing Health Insurance Coverage: Profits from this series will go toward paying my health insurance premiums, which at this point are pretty much astronomical. Buy the book and you'll enable me to get regular checkups, physical therapy, my annual mammogram, and otherwise maintain my health so I can continue writing novels for you. Uninterrupted health care coverage will also keep me out of hot water with the IRS and the President of the United States, never a bad thing.

Fanger-Free: Some of you StarDoc fans bailed on me when I began writing the vampire books, probably because you think vampire fiction is repulsive. No problem; I feel the same way about inspirational chick-lit. I guarantee you there are absolutely no vampires whatsoever in this book, and furthermore I give you my solemn pledge to keep these novels 100% vampire-free for the duration of the series. You can trust me; I was a Girl Scout.

First in the Series: While we're on the subject of series, this is the first novel in my latest. You know what this means: you don't have to first read 683 other books in order to get all the references. I bet after reading this book you'll have so much time on your hands you can probably get all your housework and laundry done and still have a couple hours to catch up on the latest episodes of Scandal.

History Rewritten: How many times have you wondered what would have happened to America if the colonists had actually lost the War of Independence, and were obliged to remain part of the British Empire? I bet you were talking about it at dinner just last night. Well, now you can find out -- but only by reading this book.

Instant Guilt Relief: Some of you have been coming to PBW for the last nine years to be entertained, discover online freebies, enter giveaways for free books, find answers to your writing-related questions, gather links, steathily borrow from my content, etc. -- and yet to date you've never purchased a single novel I've written. This haunts you terribly, I know, and I don't want you to feel tormented any longer. Instantly rid yourself of the guilt by pre-ordering Her Ladyship's Curse.

Investment in Artist: Profits from this series will also go to paying for college tuition for my kid, who at presently has ambitions to be an animator. She's very talented (this is one of her pieces) and I think she deserves a shot; buy a book and you help me make this happen.

Low Price: The book costs $2.99 (or less if you have a discount card somewhere.) That's about the same price as the average grande drink at Starbucks. I'm worth as much to you as the price of a dinky cup of designer coffee, am I right? Okay, lie to me and say I am.

Perfect Wedding Gift for My Editor: Yes, he's getting married, any minute now, and he really doesn't need another toaster.

Support for PBW: Yes, I always tell you that buying my books is the only way to really support the blog. Naturally you could just send me a check for $2.99, but that would make me a little uncomfortable and definitely piss off my publisher. This way you get a book, I get financial support, and my publisher stays happy with both of us. Win/win/win.

Ready to pre-order the e-book? Here's where you can:

B&N.com for Nook

iTunes for your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or other iOS device

Books-a-Million for Epub

Amazon for Kindle

Comments Catchup Day

Happy Father's day to all you dads out there, and see you in comments.

Fourth Nest (or First?)

The doves are backing having babies again:



I've gotten so used to this now I don't even blink when I see her up there. We also decided to leave the nest intact after the last batch because as precarious as it looks, it's actually very secure, and there have been no baby dove casualties. It's also in a spot that is well-protected from the local predators (probably why the doves keep coming back, too):



I don't think this is the same dove, however. Here's a closeup of this new Mama:



Now here's a closeup of the Mama dove from the three previous nests:



The new Mama has a lighter throat and different markings, and the pink on her beak is more pronounced, so either she's gotten a lot of sun lately, or she might be a female from one of the previous clutches. What do you guys think?

A Personal Cathedral

This video will give you some insight into the remarkable life of mountaineer Jim Whittaker, the first American to reach the summit of Mt. Everest (contains narration and background music, for those of you at work):

A Life Well Lived | Jim Whittaker & 50 Years of Everest from eric becker on Vimeo.