Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 17

With my little red party dress on

Friday is housework day, even for OCD people who spent half of yesterday cleaning out cabinets like a maniac. But it's just as well I got that head start, for the morning was interrupted by Greyson's trip to a new groomer. We had some...issues, with the previous folks; most obnoxiously, they had a bad habit of "losing" our appointments. We kept driving the poor dog all the way out there, only to find that the office had spaced on us. Yet again.

(In case you're new here, Greyson HATES riding in the car. It's the shaking, puking, and drooling kind of hate.)

So at any rate, we've been bathing him here at home with a garden hose over the summer - and if I can catch Greyson in just the right mood, he'll let me trim his nails and foot-fluff. But it's gotten too cold to wash him that way and quite frankly, he was starting to smell. Likewise, his nails were getting craggy, and his foot-fluff was just awful. It looked like he was wearing feather doilies on all fours.

But not anymore! We took him to the nice folks at the Chattanooga Holistic Animal Institute . I think it went well! It's a much smaller, calmer, more intimate operation than the last place, and when we arrived to pick him up, we didn't have to go cajole him out of a cage while he shook and whimpered. Instead, he was hanging out behind a baby gate at the front desk, playing happily with a puppy.

The operation uses all eco-friendly products and no cage-dryers. Greyson smells awesome and he's so soft, he almost feels fake.

Verdict: Two thumbs up for CHAI! My one wee regret is that I was a crappy tipper. I didn't mean to be; I just flaked and did bad, stupid math. But I'll make it up to them next time. Of COURSE there will be a next time. The price was right, the dog looks awesome, and he didn't come home to have a nervous breakdown.

Just look at them tidy feet!





In other news, the Scholastic online preview is live - and I Am Princess X is a Teen Feature! Click that link to see a whole collection of sneak-peaks, for picture books, grpahic novels, middle grade, and teen readers.

If you'd rather cut to the chase and to hear my editor Cheryl explain the sheer awesomeness of my YA debut next summer...the you can click this link instead and bop forward to the 4:48 mark.

Giggity :)

And finally, lest the kitty feel left out ... here's a shot of one fluffy cat who does not give a crap that she's blocking the warm air vent, and it was 25 degrees this morning. Because she is a tiny, adorable monster. That's why.

These words no longer have a hunger

I am a loser with no new word metrics to post, because the last couple of days kind of got away from me. Yesterday I ran a crap-ton of errands and then got stuck at a doctor's office for a couple of hours (long story, no big deal, referral to an allergist - in a nutshell) ... and by the time I got home, the whole afternoon was basically shot.

As for today, it's my husband's birthday.

I made a cake, and it turned out ugly but tasty, as is pretty typical for my culinary productions. We went to lunch at our favorite Mexican place and stuffed ourselves silly; then I had to make a few phone calls and conduct Important Business (kind of), and then my OCD sent me down a rabbit-hole.

Which is to say, I tried to put away something in the kitchen, and I was annoyed to discover that the cabinet I required was stuffed to the gills. So I started pulling things out in an effort to better Tetris the contents of that cabinet - whereupon I realized that we owned spices and sugar and stuff that expired years ago.

When I was finished, I had (a). shelf space freed up, (b). half a trash bag of expired dry goods but that's okay - tomorrow's trash day, and (c). a burning need to clean out the fridge. And then (d). my bathroom cabinet. (It's a built-in jobbie that's very deep and tall, and it collects things I don't need, and should probably throw away.)

Anyway, now it's about 5:00 and all I want is a drink some quality time with the TV.

BUT.

I didn't want to leave you hanging, and I wanted to share the following - a picture that one of my editors posted over on Twitter. Ladies, gents, and the otherwise affiliated ... I give you ... ARCs for my Young Adult debut, I Am Princess X.




[:: does a little jig ::]

In Cheryl's words, you're looking at a "YA-girl-friendship-w/-comics-cyberthriller out 5/26." That's a pretty good nutshell, and therefore I am happy to steal it. So next June, guys. Next June.

[:: happydances ::]

You wrote another line with a bloody, broken bottle

Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2480
Present total word count: 68,033



Things Accomplished in Fiction: Slept poorly; did some internet research via phone while everyone else slept nicely; went for breakfast; took a detour on the way back to the house.

Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went back to Walgreens because I forgot something yesterday; had to do a bunch of email business; got distracted by other things, and there are yet more distractions on deck this afternoon.

Other: This isn't last week's run of 4k+ metrics, but anything over 2k is a wild success in my book, so to hell with it. I have a bunch of things interfering with word counts this week, including a doctor's appointment tomorrow, the husband's birthday on Thursday, and a dog-grooming appointment on Friday. But I'll do the best I can.

Revisions on Other Project Other: Only got through another 15 pages last night. I'll try to do better this evening.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 219,414
Puppygram.

There is a light to all this darkness

Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2225
Present total word count: 65,553



Things Accomplished in Fiction: Got inside a locked room with ghostly help; received a strongly worded message; found someone's old medical records, which were very enlightening.

Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to Walgreens; went grocery shopping; went to liquor store; went to post office; did a couple loads of laundry.

Other: These are the first new metrics since Thursday, alas - and I wish they were fatter than this, but I got a late start this morning, and the day filled up with other stuff.

Revisions on Other Project Other: At my agent's request/suggestion, I'm revising Ninja Planet for future submission. I'm about halfway finished, which is partly why I didn't get any new words composed on The Family Plot this weekend.

Giveaway Other: The Maplecroft winner has been picked! The book was mailed off today! Thanks so much to everyone for entering, of course - and to those of you who've already read it/reviewed it/passed it around...a thousand thanks to you all.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 216,934
Kittygram.

Everybody knows the scene is dead

Good afternoon, everyone! Let's kick off this post with a Maplecroft roundup - because I've shown great self-restraint, and I haven't done one in like, a week. Ahem:

Maplecroft at Kirkus Reviews - I'm pretty chuffed by this one, since Kirkus tends not to be super impressed with anything of mine :) "Maplecroft is at its most basic level really fun. I love the imagery of its evil creatures, the idea of Lizzie Borden going around with an axe destroying soul-sucking things because she wants to protect her town and her sister. And I loved her romantic relationship with Nance....Maplecroft is also really good at depicting the slow, all-encompassing horror of the events surrounding and immediately following the Borden crimes in a cool mixture of horror, mystery and female characters’ badassery."

Maplecroft at the Fiction Reboot - "I’ve never been a devotee of the ‘true crime’ genre, so I’ll admit right now that I’m no expert on the Borden story; I’m probably more familiar with the jokes made about it in The Man Who Came to Dinner. But I’ll give you the bottom line on this post right now: if you’re a fan of horror, if you’re a fan of Mythos horror, and you haven’t gotten to Maplecroft yet, do so. Library, bookstore, friend’s copy, whatever."

Maplecroft at VampChix - "It feels so Lovecraftian, and yet, it is not just a re-hashing of his ideas. It pulls from his themes, and as you follow the characters in their own discoveries, the sense of horror builds and builds. It has such a familiar feel- the blending of science and myth, the ancient evil waiting to be re-awakened... this is stuff I know and love. And yet, this is also something entirely new and refreshing."

Maplecroft at The Road So Far - I'm not gonna lie - I have NO IDEA what this review says, as I don't read this particular language. But I am assured that it's quite good, and the 4.5/5.0 star rating suggests I have not been mislead.

Maplecroft giveaway at The Nocturnal Library - Don't forget this giveaway! You still have six days to enter!


And, of course - the obligatory shilling for ratings. So if any of these very kind readers/reviewers have piqued your interest, well then, allow me to make it that much easier for you to pick up a copy for yourself:


Maplecroft at Amazon
Maplecroft on Kindle
Maplecroft at iTunes
Maplecroft at B&N (Nook and trade paperback)
Maplecroft at your local bookseller via IndieBound
Maplecroft at Goodreads


Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 4222 (BAM)
Present total word count: 63,328



Things accomplished in fiction: Got everyone on board with the new plan, using threats and bribery and logic; discovered a new room with a ghost in it; drank a bunch; did not do anything stupid like a horror movie cliche; couldn't get a lick of sleep.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; important emails; paid some bills; made a doctor's appointment (no big deal); honestly, that's about it.

Other: Pulled out another 4k+ today, which is awesome - because I probably won't hit that number tomorrow. Tomorrow is Clean the Whole Damn House day. But I'll still do my best to produce something respectable.

Giveaway Other: All right you non-tweeters - you still have until noon on Friday to enter to win a signed copy of Maplecroft! Click here for details!

Number of fiction words so far this year: 214,709
Puppygram.

Blue eyes and jazz and attitude

Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 4313 (YAY)
Present total word count: 59,106



Things accomplished in fiction: Made up with an adversary; called and called and called but the lady won't answer her phone; got all the cards on the table; made new plans

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; loaded/ran/unloaded dishwasher; a couple loads of laundry; emails with important folks.

Other: The 4k+ streak continues! Today was tough, though. Didn't sleep well. Running on fumes, as they say. Still pulled it out anyway. [:: fist pumps ::]

Giveaway Other: 60 non-tweeters (as of this posting) have thrown their hats into the ring for the signed copy of Maplecroft. If you haven't left a comment yet, you have until noon on Friday! Click here to enter the drawing .

Number of fiction words so far this year: 210,487
Stop.
Puppytime.

I've no language left to sing

In case you missed it yesterday* - if you DO NOT have a Twitter account, you have until Friday at noon to post a comment on this entry ... for a chance to win a free signed copy of Maplecroft. Read the entry for details.

(In short, this is my "I'm sorry that Kevin's signed Maplecroft giveaway was only good for Twitter users" giveaway. As promised.)

* * *

In other news, here's recent progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 4474 (YAY)
Present total word count: 54,793



Things accomplished in fiction: Made a phone call; took a shower; met a ghost and something worse; conspired with a cousin because shit is getting real.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; VOTED, y'all; ran to the post office; fielded some last-minute changes on Jacaranda.

Other: Two big, fat word count days in a row - huzzah! Let's see how long the momentum holds. I'm actually quite happy with these words, too; often when I get on a streak, it's either (a). toward the end of a book, or (b). so slap-dash that I'm going to have to go back and fix it all later. But not this time. I'm just buckling down on a story I'm really feeling good about, that's all.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 206,174



* Because...um...I forgot to cross-post it to LiveJournal. Ahem.

The blackness would hit me and the void would be calling

Here's recent progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 4601 (HOT DAMN)
Present total word count: 50,319



Things accomplished in fiction: A photo album; a round of confessions; a few drinks; did some digging; decided that you can't rob a grave if there aren't any bodies to pillage - but what if you find one anyway?

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; ran to grocery store; did some minor housework; that's about it.

Other: Hot damn, that's a good one-day total; I'm not doing NanoWriMo per se, but if I can ride the wave of cosmic momentum, you can bet your sweet ass I'll do it. And hey, look out below - today's total means I've cracked 200,000 words for the year so far! [:: throws confetti ::]

Number of fiction words so far this year: 201,700

PSA

I have a notice posted in bold on my contact page, saying "Please don’t send me unpublished material to read or critique." There are reasons for this. And for the record, my policy extends well past the internet - and into Real Life. Which is to say: Don't try to hand me your unpublished/self-published material in person, and for heaven's sake don't leave a self-produced genre story wedged into my car's door handle at a Petsmart parking lot while I'm inside shopping. Don't be That Guy. That Guy is a creep.

I dress this way just to keep them at bay

What a weekend, you guys! Thursday night the husband and I did indeed catch the Rocky Horror Picture Show experience at Rhythm 'N Brews, and it was fantastic, of course! I attended all tarted up in a (largely improvised) Magenta costume.





I had to go buy the apron and wee little hat-let type thing, but cobbled the rest together from stuff around the house (and yes, that's all my own hair). I was pretty pleased with the end result, and so was Frank. I mean ... my friend Heather.





My husband declined to wear a gold Speedo, even though the band promised him he'd get in for free if he'd go for it. More's the pity. But Speedo or no ... WE DID THE TIME WARP...AGAIN!

This town needs a new RHPS event, and I hope to God that this becomes a tradition - not just because I adore the people who threw it.

:: jumps to the left ::
:: steps to the right ::
:: hands on hips ::
:: knees in tight ::

* * *

And about last night: Woo boy howdy, it was a hoot! We had half a dozen folks show up for hot butter rum and shenanigans, and then another set of friends arrived with kids in tow (partly to comb my 'hood for candy, partly to join the shindig). It was a bright, busy, warm, marvelous evening, and next year, we really DO have to throw a proper party.

Alas, the weather kept a few of the trick-or-treaters away. As dark fell, everything went all cold and windy - and it rained off and on; so we only burned through about 25 pounds of candy all night.

That said, we also ran through a bottle of gin (I think), half a bottle of Scotch, a whole tub of hot butter rum mix, and half a batch of theatrical makeup. That last one was probably just me, though.






At any rate, today was spent putting Halloween away. It actually took quite a while - unplugging and unfastening lights and equipment, doing dishes and taking out trash from last night, and generally sending all the holiday stuff back into storage.

I say "all the holiday stuff" but that's a fib. We always have a good portion of it hanging around, out in the open. Like the song says, every day is Halloween... at least, it is when you're a happy old goth with your own Victorian house, and a husband who is tolerant of pretty much anything you want to put in it.

* * *

So here comes Saturday night, and the end of Daylight Saving Time, and NaNoWriMo - for those of you who participate in it.

I've had a number of people ask if I'm doing NaNoWrimo this year and the answer is the same as always: Not really, but I'll try to write every day, all the same. In a perfect world, I'd love to finish a draft of The Family Plot before December, but I'm not holding my breath.

In short, I'm rather set in my writing ways, and I know my usual pace. While it works for some people to power-type through a draft, it doesn't really work for me. That said, there's no One True/Right way to write a book. Do whatever makes you happy, and gets you results.

That's my advice.