Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 23

Yea we're the all time winners and here we go again

Here's today's progress on my witchy art-deco horror novel about Lizzie Borden thirty years after her parents' deaths - now featuring ghosts and non-ghosts alike, anti-Catholic conspiracy nuts, supernatural political shenanigans, the mafia, and a Bonus! space-worshiping murder cult hiding behind the KKK:
Project: Chapelwood
Deadline: October 1, 2014
New words written: 2571
Present total word count: 94,009



Things accomplished in fiction: Made a plan; drove out into the boonies; threw a seance by the light of a touring car's headlamps.

Next up: Probably ought to discontinue this section, right about now.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; Writer Business emails and whatnot, largely related to BuboniCon at the end of this month; did some yard work that's gonna make me hurt tomorrow.

Other: Tomorrow, Greyson's getting a playdate with wee adorable Fiona - and I'm hanging with my old friend friend Mikhaile. (There will be pictures, no doubt.) That'll go down in the morning, though. I'll still have time for work later in the afternoon.

Yardwork Other: So....things had gotten pretty out-of-hand at the old herb garden corner. It'd been entirely taken over by crabgrass, even across the pea gravel path. Given another few weeks, it all would've overtaken the roses, too, and eventually our cute little Saint Francis statue. So I grabbed my hoe and yanked all the grass out, mere moments before the bottom dropped out and the whole scene got soaked down good. Before that happened, I also did a bunch of weeding, pruned back the old rose tree (it was reaching toward the power lines again), pruned the beautyberry bush and the quinces, and transplanted some of the coleus to another container (it was getting crowded, and something else died - making room).

Bonus Other: Had a pretty great 30-minute thunderstorm - and as it petered out, we had sun + rain in the back yard, and dry-but-gray-skies in the front yard. And this.



Number of fiction words so far this year: 127,402

Been trying hard not to get into trouble

Here's today's progress on my witchy art-deco horror novel about Lizzie Borden thirty years after her parents' deaths - now featuring ghosts and non-ghosts alike, anti-Catholic conspiracy nuts, supernatural political shenanigans, the mafia, and a Bonus! space-worshiping murder cult hiding behind the KKK:
Project: Chapelwood
Deadline: October 1, 2014
New words written: 2212
Present total word count: 91,438



Things accomplished in fiction: Heard the villain out - and boy, he had some bitching to do; learned someone's secret, not that it proved much comfort; got ready to go storm the castle.

Next up: We arrive at the bad place, where bad things happen.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; more Writer Business emails and whatnot; sent off digital files for handbills; wrote a draft of a guest blog post that'll go up when Maplecroft comes out - because yes, you have to get these things done (and submitted) early, and I'm trying to stay ahead of things.

Other: I'm liking this 2k+ a day business, so let's see how long I can keep it rolling - at least until I have out-of-town company next week, I hope. Then maybe 1k/day. Regardless, I need a draft of this before I leave for New Mexico on the 29th.

Yardwork Other: It's hot outside, but overcast and windy - and I have no problem working in that environment. However, I have supper plans with a friend, and don't know if I'll want to take a shower and hose off all the bug spray/sunscreen first. Besides, I'm missing my pink pruners. (Not a euphemism.) No idea where they could've gotten off to, but at least they weren't expensive. Maybe I'll run to Ace and nab a new pair. I'm running low on sunflower seeds anyway, NO THANKS TO SQUEAK. Or the Squabbit. (Exactly what it sounds like: a squirrel the size of a rabbit.)

Number of fiction words so far this year: 124,831

I drink alone - with nobody else

It's been an adventuresome Monday over here, I tell you what. Long story short, our kitchen sink's garbage disposal exploded this morning. By "exploded" I mean "produced a lot of smoke, sparks, smells, and awful noises before going completely dead."

In case I haven't mentioned it here before, the guy we bought this house from fancied himself a "contractor." Without getting too hateful about it, let us simply note that he redid the kitchen in 2007 (give or take) and he left the garbage disposal without a bottom plate on it...and with all the unit's exposed wiring hanging free, not even capped off. So basically, a minor jam caused a minor short in the system that almost started a fire.

It's fixed now.

But that ate up more of my day than I would have preferred - and hey, now I know a lot more about garbage disposal units and how to fiddle with them, because the guys who came out were happy to educate me on the minor maintenance thereof. (I ask a lot of questions, okay?)

Also, they were happy to play with Greyson - who was delighted to have visitors. I mean, I don't know if you knew this or not, but EVERYONE who comes to this house, comes here to play with him.

As far as he's concerned.

* * *

In other news, I burned some calories on the handbills for Maplecroft - so those handbills can be available in time for BuboniCon at the end of this month. I know it sounds like a trivial task, but believe me: Whittling down flap copy and/or blurbs to fit on a post-card-sized thingy is harder than it sounds, and takes more time than you'd think. See also: starting a few guest posts, for a few awesome bloggers who are game to have me in September. And likewise a few business-type emails, getting Writer Business sorted out.

Wait a minute. SPEAKING OF BUBONICON . Or rather, something I'll be taking part in, near BuboniCon. Did you know that my birthday is July 30? Did you know I'll be in Santa Fe, July 30?

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT I'LL BE UP TO?

I don't think I've mentioned this yet, since I wasn't sure when all was Official And Ready To Announce...but once it's on the theater's website, I figure it's fair game to link around. So. YEAH. There will be AWESOMENESS. ON MY BIRTHDAY. IN NEW MEXICO.

* * *

Ahem.

So, yes. It's been one of those Mondays. Not all good, not all bad.
But definitely full.

That said, here's today's progress on my witchy art-deco horror novel about Lizzie Borden thirty years after her parents' deaths - now featuring ghosts and non-ghosts alike, anti-Catholic conspiracy nuts, supernatural political shenanigans, the mafia, and a Bonus! space-worshiping murder cult hiding behind the KKK:
Project: Chapelwood
Deadline: October 1, 2014
New words written: 2091
Present total word count: 89,226



Things accomplished in fiction: Begged for help; second-guessed some earlier decisions that seemed rock-solid at the time.

Next up: The villain gets his say after all, and part of that "say" is him wondering whether or not he is, in fact, the villain. Or if he just has shitty henchmen.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; lots of business emails; drew up copy for the Maplecroft schwag; chased down/managed the nice plumber dudes who fixed the garbage disposal; started guest blog posts.

Other: Not for nothing, I'm kind of in love with Penguin's page for Maplecroft - where you can hover your cursor over the "preorder" button and it gives you about a zillion options. Check it out . And feel free to preorder that bad-boy, if you're so inclined.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 122,619

Where is the string that Theseus laid

Here's today's progress on my witchy art-deco horror novel about Lizzie Borden thirty years after her parents' deaths - now featuring ghosts and non-ghosts alike, anti-Catholic conspiracy nuts, supernatural political shenanigans, the mafia, and a Bonus! space-worshiping murder cult hiding behind the KKK:
Project: Chapelwood
Deadline: October 1, 2014
New words written: 2110
Present total word count: 87,135



Things accomplished in fiction: Took a detour, and got kidnapped for the trouble; answered an appeal for help; made a sane suggestion.

Next up: It was in fact too late to make a run for it. Send in the rescue party! Or...let the villain talk for a little bit.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; grocery shopping; phone call with mom; not much else.

Other: That's about 6k+ for the long holiday weekend. I'll take it.

Cat Other: She likes to "help" while I'm working from the couch. And by "help" I mean, "Demand that I hold my arm real still, so she can use it for a pillow."



Number of fiction words so far this year: 120,528

All work and no play never made me lose it

Because writers don't get holidays, we get deadlines: Here's weekend progress so far on my witchy art-deco horror novel about Lizzie Borden thirty years after her parents' deaths - now featuring ghosts and non-ghosts alike, anti-Catholic conspiracy nuts, supernatural political shenanigans, the mafia, and a Bonus! space-worshiping murder cult hiding behind the KKK:
Project: Chapelwood
Deadline: October 1, 2014
New words written: 2818 (today and yesterday)
Present total word count: 85,025



Things accomplished in fiction: Made a morbid bargain; got a visit from a ghost with a very strange confession and an awful warning.

Next up: Find out whether or not it's too late to make a run for it.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; lunch with husband; plans with friends for later this week and next; epic ton of yardwork.

Yardwork Other: Tackled HedgeHenge in earnest; finished trimming All The Things; went on vine patrol all around the front yard and side yards; cleared out the small bed beside the gate (main entrance, really) - including a massive cut-back of a holly that had problems with spider mites, cleared out a zillion weeds, pared back the Japanese anemones because they were trying to take over the world; weeded all the rest of the roses; went pruning/weeding around the front yard hedges and the side yard hydrangeas/rhododendron, which took forever.

The Rest of the Other: The weather was good again yesterday - as good as it's likely to get for quite some time, so I figured I should go ahead and dive in before the heat/humidity came back. The husband mowed the yard and trimmed most of the hedges, but he's a bigger puss about the warmth than I am - so I did all the rest (as outlined above). Not gonna lie: It was too much. I'm dragging and aching today, and although the weather is almost as nice today as yesterday - and there's more work to do - I just can't do it right now. Oh well. I got about 2k words done instead, so that's fine, too.

Dog Other: Have a Bonus! Greyson picture, whereupon he has tried to bury a toy beneath a rug in the living room...but got stuck. I'd like to call this shot, "Um...this isn't what it looks like." (Though it is, in fact, exactly what it looks like.)



Number of fiction words so far this year: 118,418

We can escape to the great sunshine

Did my 1k+ yesterday in the word count department, but was pretty wiped out and didn't get around to posting it. Oops!

So here's recent progress on my witchy art-deco horror novel about Lizzie Borden thirty years after her parents' deaths - now featuring ghosts and non-ghosts alike, anti-Catholic conspiracy nuts, supernatural political shenanigans, the mafia, and a Bonus! space-worshiping murder cult hiding behind the KKK:
Project: Chapelwood
Deadline: October 1, 2014
New words written: 2924 (some from yesterday)
Present total word count: 82,207



Things accomplished in fiction: Luck ran out; went to a dead man's home to poke around; found (among other things) some creepy photographs that will only get creepier upon examination.

Next up: Make a play for Chapelwood itself, perhaps. Still deciding. I need to sit down and do a rough outline of this last 1/4 of the book - maybe tonight, I don't know.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; a great deal of business-type email, including convos with the agent and one of my editors, and requests to do some blog touring-type stuff in September; got started on the yardwork, though it appears positively overwhelming right now.

Yardwork Other: Began the task of trimming/edging All The Things, but ran out of battery life (and batteries) so everything is recharging, and I'll finish up tomorrow; got the ancient white roses weeded and yanked an epic shit-ton of vines out from over there; refilled all the bird feeders and washed out the bird baths; began some of the weeding, but I don't even know, man. There's just so MUCH that needs to be done.

Furthermore Other: The weather was a bit cooler today, and much drier. I sat outside on the patio, under the grand umbrella, and did my writing out there. It was delightful.



Number of fiction words so far this year: 115,600

The moon we love like a brother

I took yesterday to do a marathon read-through of Chapelwood, in order to get my head back into that particular project; and I'm relieved to report that I'm still quite happy with it, and I think it'll be a fitting follow-up to Maplecroft next year.

Today, I dove back in.

So here's recent progress on my witchy art-deco horror novel about Lizzie Borden thirty years after her parents' deaths - now featuring ghosts and non-ghosts alike, anti-Catholic conspiracy nuts, supernatural political shenanigans, the mafia, and a Bonus! space-worshiping murder cult hiding behind the KKK:
Project: Chapelwood
Deadline: October 1, 2014
New words written: 2442 (some added in the read-through)
Present total word count: 79,283



Things accomplished in fiction: Weird confessions; bad memories; an almost-argument; a grim realization.

Next up: I'm still trying to decide.

Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; trip to Walgreens for odds and ends; brief nap as I'm still trying to catch up on sleep lost over the weekend.

Other: Had a couple of old friends over last night, and there was much rejoicing. And silliness. And scotch. Ahem.

Bonus Other: Penny Dreadful, you guys. PENNY DREADFUL. Holy shit, I have QUESTIONS. I have CONCERNS. I have VERY LITTLE PATIENCE when it comes to waiting for the next season. DAMMIT.

Bride of Other: We desperately need to do some yard work, but Jesus H. Christ it's hot today. (Supposedly, the hottest day of the year thus far.) As a note to self, I need to tackle such diverse elements as: the hollies/hostas next to the gate, HedgeHenge, mow and trim the lawn, weed all the roses and/or all the back beds because they are a WRECK, trim the front hedges and pull vines out of them - and seriously do SOMETHING about the former herb garden, but at this point hell, I don't know.

Number of fiction words so far this year: 112,676

Get a little bit of bourbon in ya

PlayOnCon has come to a close, and I'm safely back home. It was a hell of a weekend; it's a great idea, throwing a games-oriented convention at a summer camp, though I admit I had some trouble with the venue at times. But I got to catch up with old friends, greet some readers, and sample a variety of unexpected adult beverages around a bonfire while listening to ghost stories.

And now I am very, very tired.
So this will be brief.

* * *

Back at home, I went to refill the bird feeders and found that in my absence ... something [I didn't look very hard] had climbed/fallen into a small trash can and, um, fatally failed to get out again. The smell was unreal, and the attendant flies chased me out. I've begged the husband to take care of it. He says he will.

We already know it wasn't Squeak. We've seen him today. At this point, he's practically yard art - and when he's gone, I'll almost miss him.

* * *

The Maplecroft ARC giveaway has closed, so don't worry - I'll quit harping on it now. I believe the winners have been notified, as I'm starting to see people mention it on Twitter and Facebook; so thanks a million to all of you for entering, and for spreading the word. The final tally of entrants was 2654 - so with your help, we blew that 2k goal out of the water!

* * *

I sent off Draft Three of Princess X right before I left for Alabama, so that's off my plate for now. Tomorrow I'll finish re-reading my progress on Chapelwood - a necessary minor delay, as it's been a few weeks since I've touched it, and I need to get familiar with it again. If I'm really lucky, I might even get a tiny bit of writing done on it. You never know.

At any rate, I need a full draft by the end of July, so it's time to get cracking.

* * *

Bonus drooly dog.
Because.

whispers from the murderlodge

All's well at PlayOnCon - though I have almost no cell reception and limited internet; but an old friend brought me a bottle of rum, and I spent yesterday evening hanging around a bonfire listening to people tell campfire stories, so it's all working out.

Anyway! I just wanted to pop up for air to give you One! Final! Reminder! that you have but One! Day! Left! in the Maplecroft ARC giveaway at Goodreads. I wouldn't be such a pain in the ass about it, except that we're SO CLOSE to 2000 entries that my superstitious OCD buttons are going off like CRAZY and I'd love to see the final tally cross that line.

So...thanks for reading! And if you're here at the convention, come see me in the "theater" at 6:00 today (Central time) and I'll show you one of my own ARCs, so you can see that they actually exist...

The river goes where the current flows

A little more than three days left in the Maplecroft ARC giveaway, over at Goodreads . Fifty copies, up for grabs! Hold up your grabbing hands! Or...make with your clicking fingers, as appropriate.

* * *

Speaking of Maplecroft, at the risk of appearing immodest I must note that today I updated my Reviews Page - for Maplecroft now boasts two early-reader blurbs from the wonderful Christopher Golden and Brian Keene, respectively.

Like many authors, I am not super-keen on the whole self-promotion thing; it's awkward, horn-tooting like a one-woman band, you know? But at the same time, it's part of the job - and when you're fortunate enough to have the support of writers you respect and adore, it's hard to keep it to yourself anyway.

So it is with a smidge of bashfulness - but also great gratitude and no small degree of squee - that I add them to that page.

* * *

Tomorrow I'm heading out to PlayOnCon , and I'm very much looking forward to it! As part of my preparation, I dug out my bikini for the first time in a decade. I bought the thing back in grad school, for reasons that elude me now; and I don't think I've worn it more than half a dozen times, so it's still in great shape.

And I'm still in good enough shape to rock that bad-boy, so that's going to happen this weekend - alongside what I am promised is one big-ass pool, on a big-ass campground/4H-convention center.

Summergoth is on.
And I'll catch up to you on Monday, I expect...