Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 28
March 17, 2014
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light
It was a weekend. You know how these things go. Yardwork, housework, laundry - all that glamorous stuff; and then to cap it all off, this afternoon the husband and I met up with our new CPA to hand off all the stuff for our tax prep. Truly, we are grown-ups upon this day.
And in other adult task news, I have received my editorial letter for Princess X (the YA project I'm doing for Scholastic) ... and lo, it is epic in its scope. It is also attached to a May 19th deadline for a new draft, so that's going to eat my life for the next couple of months, you betcha.
But I'm still working on Chapelwood - onward and upward, right? - and I'm going to keep up the progress reports over here, though they may not be quite so fat and happy as before. Such is the nature of the business, when one is juggling two big projects at a time.
(Okay, three big projects - but I'm not even starting the third one until July 1. Which means I have to get these two out of the way before then. I'm on a schedule, see? Pace it out, don't cram it in. That's my motto.*)
Now we pause for cat-and-dog-related hilarity.
And let us resume with word metrics.
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: 2686
Present total word count: 47,028
Things accomplished in fiction: Met our axe murderer, and watched him evolve a bit.
Next up: Another axe murder. If it ain't broke, right...?
Things accomplished in real life: [today] Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to see about our taxes; chased down a few things via email/research; got back down to inbox zero; not much else, to be honest.
Other: At present, I'm writing these axe murderer segments and slotting them into my existing content...it took me awhile to figure the guy out, that's all - and now that I've done so, I'm tickled pink with him. He's not exactly a bad guy, really; his heart is in the right place, believe it or not. Heh.
Other, side note: Hey, check it out! [:: points to the next line ::] I cracked 80,000 words for the year! Meaningless milestones, hurrah!
Number of fiction words so far this year: 80,421
* I didn't used to have a motto. Now I've got that one, and life is exponentially more manageable. So long as I stick to it.
And in other adult task news, I have received my editorial letter for Princess X (the YA project I'm doing for Scholastic) ... and lo, it is epic in its scope. It is also attached to a May 19th deadline for a new draft, so that's going to eat my life for the next couple of months, you betcha.
But I'm still working on Chapelwood - onward and upward, right? - and I'm going to keep up the progress reports over here, though they may not be quite so fat and happy as before. Such is the nature of the business, when one is juggling two big projects at a time.
(Okay, three big projects - but I'm not even starting the third one until July 1. Which means I have to get these two out of the way before then. I'm on a schedule, see? Pace it out, don't cram it in. That's my motto.*)
Now we pause for cat-and-dog-related hilarity.
And let us resume with word metrics.
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: 2686
Present total word count: 47,028
Things accomplished in fiction: Met our axe murderer, and watched him evolve a bit.
Next up: Another axe murder. If it ain't broke, right...?
Things accomplished in real life: [today] Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to see about our taxes; chased down a few things via email/research; got back down to inbox zero; not much else, to be honest.
Other: At present, I'm writing these axe murderer segments and slotting them into my existing content...it took me awhile to figure the guy out, that's all - and now that I've done so, I'm tickled pink with him. He's not exactly a bad guy, really; his heart is in the right place, believe it or not. Heh.
Other, side note: Hey, check it out! [:: points to the next line ::] I cracked 80,000 words for the year! Meaningless milestones, hurrah!
Number of fiction words so far this year: 80,421
* I didn't used to have a motto. Now I've got that one, and life is exponentially more manageable. So long as I stick to it.
March 13, 2014
Rise with me forever across the silent sand
I'm not gonna lie - I didn't really get any writing done today; mostly I sat around and re-read a bunch of Chapelwood to remind myself where I left off. I'd spent a week or two working on Jacaranda and its rewrites, after all...and I'd kind of forgotten my trajectory on this longer project.
I got it figured out, though. And tomorrow, I'm moving forward again.
Or that's the plan.
As for the rest of what-happened-today - it mostly centered around errand-running and then Greyson-managing, because he was overdue for his grooming appointment. We take him out to the professionals because he has extra toes on his back feet, and it's just easier to let someone who knows what she's doing take a crack at them. While he's there, he also gets a bath and blowout, his ears cleaned, his teeth brushed, his butt shaved (to prevent cling-ons), and the fur between his toes trimmed down to a sane level.
(Seriously, when his foot-fur starts growing out, it looks like his paws are the size of dinner plates. It's ridiculous.)
For you locals who might be curious, we take him to The Ark over on the North Shore. They're very reasonable,* very sweet, and very patient with our giant drama queen of a dog. He hates riding in the car, remember? Yeah, well, he's no great fan of the bath-and-blowout either, I assure you - and by the time we get him to the dog-spa, he's usually got anxiety drool-cicles down to his knees.
I'm told that he's very well behaved, though; the groomer says his attitude is best described as "Let's just get this over with, lady."
That's always his attitude when the car's involved, these days. We no longer have to beg or wrestle or drag him into the vehicle; no, he'll go willingly, if mournfully. He doesn't like it, but he seems to trust that whatever's on the other side won't amount to dog-tormenting horrors or anything.
After all, he doesn't even go to the vet in the car. (She makes house calls.) The only places he goes in the car are fun! We go to the dog park! We go to Renaissance Park and hike over the bridge, where there's dog-ice-cream waiting at the end of the walk!** And okay, fine - once every 6-8 weeks we go to the groomer, which is less fun I'm sure - but it's hardly a trip through the wood-chipper, you know?
Anyway, here are two shots of him on the way home. The first is his typical, "God I hate riding in the car so much that I'm going to sit here and shake/drool pitifully," and the second is, "Wait a minute, did we just drive by that barbecue place?"
Right. So. That's all the canine drama that's fit to blog. As for the rest, by way of getting myself back on track - I give you word metrics, though they're none too impressive.
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: 1923
Present total word count: 44,342
Things accomplished in fiction: Backfill and rearranging.
Next up: The axe murderer speaks. No, not Lizzie. The other guy.
Things accomplished in real life: [today] Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to Walgreens; went to liquor store; emptied inbox.
Other: The dog is already filthy again, having rolled around in the yard as soon as he got home. When you roll around in the yard while your mouth and paws are wet from anxiety-drool, you collect a whole lot of dead grass and leaves and well, at least his feet look great and he smells better than he did.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 77,735
* We get all of the above for about sixty bucks - and keep in mind Greyson's about 90 pounds of pooch, with a thick, long, woolly coat.
** I believe it's sugar-free non-dairy frozen yogurt, with bananas, honey, and peanut butter - served in a waffle cone.
I got it figured out, though. And tomorrow, I'm moving forward again.
Or that's the plan.
As for the rest of what-happened-today - it mostly centered around errand-running and then Greyson-managing, because he was overdue for his grooming appointment. We take him out to the professionals because he has extra toes on his back feet, and it's just easier to let someone who knows what she's doing take a crack at them. While he's there, he also gets a bath and blowout, his ears cleaned, his teeth brushed, his butt shaved (to prevent cling-ons), and the fur between his toes trimmed down to a sane level.
(Seriously, when his foot-fur starts growing out, it looks like his paws are the size of dinner plates. It's ridiculous.)
For you locals who might be curious, we take him to The Ark over on the North Shore. They're very reasonable,* very sweet, and very patient with our giant drama queen of a dog. He hates riding in the car, remember? Yeah, well, he's no great fan of the bath-and-blowout either, I assure you - and by the time we get him to the dog-spa, he's usually got anxiety drool-cicles down to his knees.
I'm told that he's very well behaved, though; the groomer says his attitude is best described as "Let's just get this over with, lady."
That's always his attitude when the car's involved, these days. We no longer have to beg or wrestle or drag him into the vehicle; no, he'll go willingly, if mournfully. He doesn't like it, but he seems to trust that whatever's on the other side won't amount to dog-tormenting horrors or anything.
After all, he doesn't even go to the vet in the car. (She makes house calls.) The only places he goes in the car are fun! We go to the dog park! We go to Renaissance Park and hike over the bridge, where there's dog-ice-cream waiting at the end of the walk!** And okay, fine - once every 6-8 weeks we go to the groomer, which is less fun I'm sure - but it's hardly a trip through the wood-chipper, you know?
Anyway, here are two shots of him on the way home. The first is his typical, "God I hate riding in the car so much that I'm going to sit here and shake/drool pitifully," and the second is, "Wait a minute, did we just drive by that barbecue place?"
Right. So. That's all the canine drama that's fit to blog. As for the rest, by way of getting myself back on track - I give you word metrics, though they're none too impressive.
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: 1923
Present total word count: 44,342
Things accomplished in fiction: Backfill and rearranging.
Next up: The axe murderer speaks. No, not Lizzie. The other guy.
Things accomplished in real life: [today] Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to Walgreens; went to liquor store; emptied inbox.
Other: The dog is already filthy again, having rolled around in the yard as soon as he got home. When you roll around in the yard while your mouth and paws are wet from anxiety-drool, you collect a whole lot of dead grass and leaves and well, at least his feet look great and he smells better than he did.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 77,735
* We get all of the above for about sixty bucks - and keep in mind Greyson's about 90 pounds of pooch, with a thick, long, woolly coat.
** I believe it's sugar-free non-dairy frozen yogurt, with bananas, honey, and peanut butter - served in a waffle cone.
March 12, 2014
Mountain cats will come to drag away your bones
Last night was no damn fun. For some reason, the cat decided around 3:00 a.m. that we needed to be serenaded with the songs of her people ... at length, intermittently, until dawn. Oh, there's nothing wrong with her; we checked, and checked, and checked. (And her vet says she's fine.) This is just a thing she does, once in awhile - ever since we first brought her home a dozen years ago.
I used to keep a little pyramid of rolled-up sock balls on the nightstand, to chuck at her when she got too mouthy in the middle of the night. Mind you, I am quite thoroughly blind without my glasses and I have never (a). intended to hit her, or (b). actually hit her with my makeshift projectiles. A shot that lands anywhere in her vicinity is usually enough to chase her off and shut her up.
Last night, I had no sock-ball pyramid. I had an empty tissue box, and it was...shall we say...insufficient.
Long story short, we finally fell back asleep - but we weren't out of bed before 10:30, and that was only because the dog let us know he had to pee. So it was a late start all around, dammit, but I still managed to accomplish much grown-up activity.
TO WIT: I made an appointment for the husband and I to get our taxes done; I confirmed the dog's grooming session tomorrow; I got my inbox down to zero; and YES - I sent off Jacaranda to the publisher, as promised! [:: insert flailing Kermit icon here ::]
Now I only have to write two books this year. And...well...three more to send through production, as likely as not, BUT STILL. One thing: checked off the to-do list.
Now I can get back to Chapelwood, which presently sits around 45,000 words. (I'll be more precise tomorrow.) So the way I figure it, I only have another 175,000 words or so to write this year. Progress, my friends - progress!
* * *
In other news, I just want the whole world to know that on June 17th THIS SHALL BE A THING and best of all I WILL BE IN IT. Yes, that's right...George R. R. Martin has another kickass cross-genre anthology in the pipeline, and yours truly is in the table of contents - now presenting a whole new story about my giant Tennessean monster hunter, "the Heavy."
And HOLY SHIT would you look at what wonderful company I'm keeping? Seriously, I am nothing short of humbled to be part of the lineup over there.
* * *
All right, kids - that's all I've got today. A whole lot of work, a few exclamation points, and some sleep deprivation. I'll try to come back with a word count tomorrow, I promise.
I used to keep a little pyramid of rolled-up sock balls on the nightstand, to chuck at her when she got too mouthy in the middle of the night. Mind you, I am quite thoroughly blind without my glasses and I have never (a). intended to hit her, or (b). actually hit her with my makeshift projectiles. A shot that lands anywhere in her vicinity is usually enough to chase her off and shut her up.
Last night, I had no sock-ball pyramid. I had an empty tissue box, and it was...shall we say...insufficient.
Long story short, we finally fell back asleep - but we weren't out of bed before 10:30, and that was only because the dog let us know he had to pee. So it was a late start all around, dammit, but I still managed to accomplish much grown-up activity.
TO WIT: I made an appointment for the husband and I to get our taxes done; I confirmed the dog's grooming session tomorrow; I got my inbox down to zero; and YES - I sent off Jacaranda to the publisher, as promised! [:: insert flailing Kermit icon here ::]
Now I only have to write two books this year. And...well...three more to send through production, as likely as not, BUT STILL. One thing: checked off the to-do list.
Now I can get back to Chapelwood, which presently sits around 45,000 words. (I'll be more precise tomorrow.) So the way I figure it, I only have another 175,000 words or so to write this year. Progress, my friends - progress!
* * *
In other news, I just want the whole world to know that on June 17th THIS SHALL BE A THING and best of all I WILL BE IN IT. Yes, that's right...George R. R. Martin has another kickass cross-genre anthology in the pipeline, and yours truly is in the table of contents - now presenting a whole new story about my giant Tennessean monster hunter, "the Heavy."
And HOLY SHIT would you look at what wonderful company I'm keeping? Seriously, I am nothing short of humbled to be part of the lineup over there.
* * *
All right, kids - that's all I've got today. A whole lot of work, a few exclamation points, and some sleep deprivation. I'll try to come back with a word count tomorrow, I promise.
March 11, 2014
She's got a halo 'round her finger
Not much new writing on Chapelwood as of late, despite my previous promise. As it turned out, it's just been easier to push through the Jacaranda draft in one big shove - and let the other projects sit, just for awhile. The best laid plans, etc. etc. etc.
That said, all I need is one big read-through tomorrow ... and Jacaranda will be off to its publisher. It's in a good Draft One stage right now, but I want to give it a final polishing pass before I inflict it upon the editor; and then it's back to Chapelwood. At least until the Princess X edits land, heh.
(Although I really will be working on those two simultaneously. Deadlines say that I must, and they're different enough projects that I think it'll be okay.)
In other news, there's not much other news. I've just been working on the Jacaranda rewrites, and the new site design, and getting some Writer Business sorted - and that's about it. Well, that and the Kitty Business. She had her Little Old Lady Cat checkup yesterday, and she was approximately as thrilled about it as you'd expect.
She's fifteen years old now, so she goes every six months for a once-over - whether she likes it, or not. (Hint: she never likes it. Ever.)
Then today we took Greyson to the dog park, as a pre-arranged playdate with his buddy "Taco." His friend and nearby neighbor Kayak was also there - and after Taco left, they were joined by a small white sausage of a dog whose name I never caught. It was pretty cute, though: the two biggest pooches in the yard, wrestling and playing with the smallest.
Well, it gave me a smile, anyway.
Right! So, that's all the latest.
I'd half intended to come over here and put up a big thing about True Detective, which I loved from start to finish - but I'm still deciding what can or should be said about it. I feel like the whole series needs a re-watch before I could really put any good thoughts together, and I just don't have time for that.
Suffice it to say, yes - I loved it.
And tonight, there will be Justified - without any conflict of interest, because Person of Interest is a rerun. God, I hate having to choose which one to watch later. All these hours in the week, and two of my favorite hours have to overlap.
[:: swears wildly ::] [:: flips table ::] [:: throws a floor fit ::]
Anyway, have a good night, everyone! I'll try to be back tomorrow, posting cheerful news about having hit "send" on that Jacaranda draft. I'd ask you to wish me luck, but really, you should wish me greater self-discipline...
That said, all I need is one big read-through tomorrow ... and Jacaranda will be off to its publisher. It's in a good Draft One stage right now, but I want to give it a final polishing pass before I inflict it upon the editor; and then it's back to Chapelwood. At least until the Princess X edits land, heh.
(Although I really will be working on those two simultaneously. Deadlines say that I must, and they're different enough projects that I think it'll be okay.)
In other news, there's not much other news. I've just been working on the Jacaranda rewrites, and the new site design, and getting some Writer Business sorted - and that's about it. Well, that and the Kitty Business. She had her Little Old Lady Cat checkup yesterday, and she was approximately as thrilled about it as you'd expect.
She's fifteen years old now, so she goes every six months for a once-over - whether she likes it, or not. (Hint: she never likes it. Ever.)
Then today we took Greyson to the dog park, as a pre-arranged playdate with his buddy "Taco." His friend and nearby neighbor Kayak was also there - and after Taco left, they were joined by a small white sausage of a dog whose name I never caught. It was pretty cute, though: the two biggest pooches in the yard, wrestling and playing with the smallest.
Well, it gave me a smile, anyway.
Right! So, that's all the latest.
I'd half intended to come over here and put up a big thing about True Detective, which I loved from start to finish - but I'm still deciding what can or should be said about it. I feel like the whole series needs a re-watch before I could really put any good thoughts together, and I just don't have time for that.
Suffice it to say, yes - I loved it.
And tonight, there will be Justified - without any conflict of interest, because Person of Interest is a rerun. God, I hate having to choose which one to watch later. All these hours in the week, and two of my favorite hours have to overlap.
[:: swears wildly ::] [:: flips table ::] [:: throws a floor fit ::]
Anyway, have a good night, everyone! I'll try to be back tomorrow, posting cheerful news about having hit "send" on that Jacaranda draft. I'd ask you to wish me luck, but really, you should wish me greater self-discipline...
March 10, 2014
Finally: MAPLECROFT has a cover!
In case you missed my big Twitter/Facebook freakout over the weekend - BEHOLD. Maplecroft has a cover!
For bonus awesomeness, click over to this piece at Tor.com - where you can see some behind-the-scenes action, and read about how the marvelous artist/photographer/designer/model made it all happen!
I can scarcely articulate all the ways in which I adore this cover, but my favorite bit has got to be the color scheme: red! and blue! and purple! and gray! Those of you who've seen my house know precisely why this delights me so; throw in a pop of yellow/gold, and you've got my absolute favorite combo.
So that said, I was thinking to myself, "Self, I haven't really changed my website since 2009." Not except for the header banner and the link colors, anyway. It's been one part laziness, one part "if it ain't broke," and one part lack of inspiration. Well, now I have inspiration - and now I have a new look going on here at the digital homepage.
(If you're reading this via RSS or LiveJournal, click here to visit the main site and see for yourself.)
Anyway! If you're interested, I would just like to note that Maplecroft is officially available for preorder in all the usual places - so if you're interested, there's no time like the present to score a killer present for your future self.
Try your favorite local independent bookseller if possible, or hit up the usual suspects if needed.
Here! Let me help:
Preorder Maplecroft at an independent bookseller near you
Preorder Maplecroft at Amazon.com
Preorder Maplecroft on Kindle
Preorder Maplecroft via Barnes & Noble and on Nook
Click any of those links to read the official flap copy, and get an idea of what the story's about in better detail. Or, if you're the curious sort, keep scrolling - and read what I used in my proposal. (For a slightly different take on it, I mean.)
Ahem.
Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; and when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. It’s not as if she had much choice. Her parents were trying to eat her.
Now it is 1894.
In the wake of her trial, Lizzie has changed her name to “Lizbeth A. Borden,” and she’s bought a house on the other side of her oceanfront hometown—a sprawling Victorian mansion called Maplecroft. Her inherited fortune has been invested in a terrific library and laboratory, installed in Maplecroft’s basement; and from this center of operations she observes and researches the supernatural foe that so hideously transformed her parents.
Someone has to. And no one else even suspects what’s truly happening. No one knows that just offshore lurks an ancient god, starved for blood. Its agents are masked, and eager to kill. They are ready to invade.
But one woman stands guard on the shore between the ocean and Fall River. She has seen the dark forces of the Atlantic firsthand, and she has no illusions. Every night she hears the tide bring messages of madness, apocalypse, and monsters.
And she is ready to meet them all. With an axe.
For bonus awesomeness, click over to this piece at Tor.com - where you can see some behind-the-scenes action, and read about how the marvelous artist/photographer/designer/model made it all happen!
I can scarcely articulate all the ways in which I adore this cover, but my favorite bit has got to be the color scheme: red! and blue! and purple! and gray! Those of you who've seen my house know precisely why this delights me so; throw in a pop of yellow/gold, and you've got my absolute favorite combo.
So that said, I was thinking to myself, "Self, I haven't really changed my website since 2009." Not except for the header banner and the link colors, anyway. It's been one part laziness, one part "if it ain't broke," and one part lack of inspiration. Well, now I have inspiration - and now I have a new look going on here at the digital homepage.
(If you're reading this via RSS or LiveJournal, click here to visit the main site and see for yourself.)
Anyway! If you're interested, I would just like to note that Maplecroft is officially available for preorder in all the usual places - so if you're interested, there's no time like the present to score a killer present for your future self.
Try your favorite local independent bookseller if possible, or hit up the usual suspects if needed.
Here! Let me help:
Preorder Maplecroft at an independent bookseller near you
Preorder Maplecroft at Amazon.com
Preorder Maplecroft on Kindle
Preorder Maplecroft via Barnes & Noble and on Nook
Click any of those links to read the official flap copy, and get an idea of what the story's about in better detail. Or, if you're the curious sort, keep scrolling - and read what I used in my proposal. (For a slightly different take on it, I mean.)
Ahem.
Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; and when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. It’s not as if she had much choice. Her parents were trying to eat her.
Now it is 1894.
In the wake of her trial, Lizzie has changed her name to “Lizbeth A. Borden,” and she’s bought a house on the other side of her oceanfront hometown—a sprawling Victorian mansion called Maplecroft. Her inherited fortune has been invested in a terrific library and laboratory, installed in Maplecroft’s basement; and from this center of operations she observes and researches the supernatural foe that so hideously transformed her parents.
Someone has to. And no one else even suspects what’s truly happening. No one knows that just offshore lurks an ancient god, starved for blood. Its agents are masked, and eager to kill. They are ready to invade.
But one woman stands guard on the shore between the ocean and Fall River. She has seen the dark forces of the Atlantic firsthand, and she has no illusions. Every night she hears the tide bring messages of madness, apocalypse, and monsters.
And she is ready to meet them all. With an axe.
March 3, 2014
Didn't hear your wicked words every day
At the end of March, I owe a good, solid draft of Jacaranda to the very fine folks at Subterranean - and I intend to deliver. Oh, I've had CRAPPY draft hammered out since January, but I'm sure as hell not handing THAT in; and I've learned that it's best (for me, personally, YMMV) to let these things cool off for awhile before returning to them for editing purposes. So as you know Bob, I gave myself February "off" from that project, and got a running start on Chapelwood instead.
But now I'm back on the case.
It'd be nice to assume I had a whole freaking month to do rewrites on this novella, but that might not be the real-life situation over here - depending on what else comes down the pipeline in the next few weeks. Copyedits for Maplecroft and revisions on Princess X are the two big Damoclean ceiling-swords at the moment, and either one of them could drop at any time - essentially taking a rocket-launcher to my carefully laid plans for productivity.
Therefore, all I can do is try to stay ahead of everything, all the time, all at once. No biggie, right? [:: cue maniacal laughter and tears ::]
For the moment, I'm divvying up my days like this: Mornings go to Chapelwood, afternoons go to Jacaranda rewrites. But this means Chapelwood is getting the short end of the production stick, because I'm not usually ready to get rolling until 10:00 a.m. or so (if I'm lucky).*
Therefore, I expect word count totals to be down significantly over the next few weeks, but I WILL try to tackle Chapelwood daily. Even if it's only a few hundred words at a time.
Since revisions are much more difficult to quantify (for me, personally, YMMV), I won't bother with a meter for Jacaranda. All you'll get with these sorts of posts are the same stat stylings you've seen for the last month.
Like 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: 3174 (meh)
Present total word count: 42,401
Things accomplished in fiction: Caught up, compared notes; visited a very interesting man in a very weird hospital.
Next up: Finish the hospital visit and go to church.
Things accomplished in real life: [today] Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to the bank; went to Walgreens; cleared out my inbox; paid some bills.
Other: The daily/semi-daily posts may or may not continue, depending on what else lands on my plate this month. I'll try to keep up with it - and of course, the very MOMENT I can share the Maplecroft cover, I'll splash that bad-boy all over the place. Or if there's, you know. Any other awesome news to share. I'll post that too, rest assured.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 75,812 (can't complain.)
* I'm almost always up around 8:00-8:30 a.m., but Greyson gets a 45-minute morning walk and I have to, like, put some pants on and stuff. Sometimes. Also, mornings are my errand-running time because the husband and I share a car - and his errand-running time is in the afternoons.
But now I'm back on the case.
It'd be nice to assume I had a whole freaking month to do rewrites on this novella, but that might not be the real-life situation over here - depending on what else comes down the pipeline in the next few weeks. Copyedits for Maplecroft and revisions on Princess X are the two big Damoclean ceiling-swords at the moment, and either one of them could drop at any time - essentially taking a rocket-launcher to my carefully laid plans for productivity.
Therefore, all I can do is try to stay ahead of everything, all the time, all at once. No biggie, right? [:: cue maniacal laughter and tears ::]
For the moment, I'm divvying up my days like this: Mornings go to Chapelwood, afternoons go to Jacaranda rewrites. But this means Chapelwood is getting the short end of the production stick, because I'm not usually ready to get rolling until 10:00 a.m. or so (if I'm lucky).*
Therefore, I expect word count totals to be down significantly over the next few weeks, but I WILL try to tackle Chapelwood daily. Even if it's only a few hundred words at a time.
Since revisions are much more difficult to quantify (for me, personally, YMMV), I won't bother with a meter for Jacaranda. All you'll get with these sorts of posts are the same stat stylings you've seen for the last month.
Like 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: 3174 (meh)
Present total word count: 42,401
Things accomplished in fiction: Caught up, compared notes; visited a very interesting man in a very weird hospital.
Next up: Finish the hospital visit and go to church.
Things accomplished in real life: [today] Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to the bank; went to Walgreens; cleared out my inbox; paid some bills.
Other: The daily/semi-daily posts may or may not continue, depending on what else lands on my plate this month. I'll try to keep up with it - and of course, the very MOMENT I can share the Maplecroft cover, I'll splash that bad-boy all over the place. Or if there's, you know. Any other awesome news to share. I'll post that too, rest assured.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 75,812 (can't complain.)
* I'm almost always up around 8:00-8:30 a.m., but Greyson gets a 45-minute morning walk and I have to, like, put some pants on and stuff. Sometimes. Also, mornings are my errand-running time because the husband and I share a car - and his errand-running time is in the afternoons.
February 26, 2014
Full moon in the city and the night was young
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: 4158 (2-day total)
Present total word count: 39,227
Things accomplished in fiction: The spell got weird; the ghost started talking; the witch took a train, and settled in for lunch.
Next up: Catching up and comparing notes.
Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; holy crap an epic ton of yardwork because the weather was briefly nice; likewise an epic batch of laundry; caught up on True Detective because GIGGITY; missed last night's Justified (long story) but will catch up on that soon; caught up on emails and phone calls for a bit; paid some bills.
Other: The 2013 Nebula Award nominees have been announced! A million congrats to everyone who made the cut; I'm proud and delighted to see so many friends on the list.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 72,638
Project: Chapelwood
Deadline: October 1, 2014
New words written: 4158 (2-day total)
Present total word count: 39,227
Things accomplished in fiction: The spell got weird; the ghost started talking; the witch took a train, and settled in for lunch.
Next up: Catching up and comparing notes.
Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; holy crap an epic ton of yardwork because the weather was briefly nice; likewise an epic batch of laundry; caught up on True Detective because GIGGITY; missed last night's Justified (long story) but will catch up on that soon; caught up on emails and phone calls for a bit; paid some bills.
Other: The 2013 Nebula Award nominees have been announced! A million congrats to everyone who made the cut; I'm proud and delighted to see so many friends on the list.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 72,638
February 24, 2014
If there's something strange in your neighborhood
ConNooga
has come and gone, and a good time was had by all. It was nice to see a few folks I don't bump in to very often, as well as make some new friends... and it all went down right here in my hometown. Thanks so much to everyone - those who made it possible, those who invited me to participate, and those who came out to play!
* * *
[:: psst ::] Maplecroft pre-ordering: still a thing you can do. It's good for you! And me! And everyone! [:: /psst ::]
* * *
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: 2835 (not good)
Present total word count: 35,069
Things accomplished in fiction: Sat in on the opening remarks of a trial; had a little "spell."
Next up: Things get weird in the courtroom; a visitor arrives from New England.
Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; housework; laundry; went to Walgreens; did a convention; yardwork.
Other: That's a crappy total for four days, but look, there was this convention in the middle of it all, okay? But I'm back on the pony, now.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 68,480
* * *
[:: psst ::] Maplecroft pre-ordering: still a thing you can do. It's good for you! And me! And everyone! [:: /psst ::]
* * *
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: 2835 (not good)
Present total word count: 35,069
Things accomplished in fiction: Sat in on the opening remarks of a trial; had a little "spell."
Next up: Things get weird in the courtroom; a visitor arrives from New England.
Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; housework; laundry; went to Walgreens; did a convention; yardwork.
Other: That's a crappy total for four days, but look, there was this convention in the middle of it all, okay? But I'm back on the pony, now.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 68,480
February 20, 2014
ConNooga and Whatnot
I did do some writing today, but word metrics were cut a off around 1200 words by fabulous weather ... which prompted some long-overdue yard work. We've been really awful about keeping the place together over the fall/winter thus far, and things had gotten well beyond out of hand; but today it was in the sixties and comfortably breezy, so really, there was no time like the present to get out there and make some progress.
Progress occurred. And now I'm stiff all over, but I feel like I scarcely made a dent in all the things out there that need attending to.
Ah, well. I'd resolve to finish up over the weekend, except that my time will be merrily gobbled up by ConNooga! For lo, I am a guest - and I will be Working It.
ConNooga happens right here in Chatty - split between the Choo Choo and the convention center - and you can find me there, at the following panels:
4:00 PM Fri - (Con Center #15) Writing Believable Dialogue
7:00 PM Fri - (Choo Choo Roosevelt) Writing for a Series
5:00 PM Sat - (Con Center #15) The Writing Life and What it Takes
8:00 PM Sat - (Choo Choo Gallery B) Plot or Die! It's a no-holds-barred Plot Off!
You can probably find me before, after, and between these panels too - but as far as I know, I won't have a table or anything.
The usual rules apply: I'm happy to sign anything you bring, no limit on how many books or whatever. Don't apologize for bothering me - you're not bothering me! You are the reason I'm there. All I ask is that you wait until I'm not (a). eating, or (b). in the bathroom.
Oh! And one more thing - if you really want to put a smile on my face, mention that you pre-ordered MAPLECROFT . High-fives and eternal gratitude shall be yours!
As always, thanks for reading, everyone...and I'll either see you at the convention, or catch up to you Monday in a digital fashion.
Progress occurred. And now I'm stiff all over, but I feel like I scarcely made a dent in all the things out there that need attending to.
Ah, well. I'd resolve to finish up over the weekend, except that my time will be merrily gobbled up by ConNooga! For lo, I am a guest - and I will be Working It.
ConNooga happens right here in Chatty - split between the Choo Choo and the convention center - and you can find me there, at the following panels:
4:00 PM Fri - (Con Center #15) Writing Believable Dialogue
7:00 PM Fri - (Choo Choo Roosevelt) Writing for a Series
5:00 PM Sat - (Con Center #15) The Writing Life and What it Takes
8:00 PM Sat - (Choo Choo Gallery B) Plot or Die! It's a no-holds-barred Plot Off!
You can probably find me before, after, and between these panels too - but as far as I know, I won't have a table or anything.
The usual rules apply: I'm happy to sign anything you bring, no limit on how many books or whatever. Don't apologize for bothering me - you're not bothering me! You are the reason I'm there. All I ask is that you wait until I'm not (a). eating, or (b). in the bathroom.
Oh! And one more thing - if you really want to put a smile on my face, mention that you pre-ordered MAPLECROFT . High-fives and eternal gratitude shall be yours!
As always, thanks for reading, everyone...and I'll either see you at the convention, or catch up to you Monday in a digital fashion.
February 19, 2014
Promise not to stare too long, for this is not a miracle
Today it's been brought to my attention that you can
OFFICIALLY START PREORDERING MAPLECROFT over at Amazon.com!
Seriously. Go click. Even though the book doesn't drop until September 2, yes. READ YE THE FLAP COPY and do a little dance with me, eh?
[:: does a little twirlie ::]
No, the cover isn't up there yet - but I'm told it's coming soon and yes, I've seen it. IT IS SO COOL. I can't WAIT to make it public...I mean, I'm fidgeting apart at the SEAMS over here. So you may rest assured that the very MOMENT I'm given the all-clear, you shall feast your eyes upon it as well.
Right. So there's that.
Now why, you may be asking yourself, would I want to preorder a book so far ahead of its publication date?
Well, it's like this: Preorders help publishers and booksellers alike get an idea of what the demand for a book is shaping up to be, and thereby preorders convince them to order more, promote it more, and recommend it more - since they're confident that people are already interested in it.
In short, preorders are very, very good for authors. If you like authors - and if you wish to support them - this is one big way for you to CARRY THAT TORCH and LEAD THE WAY FOR OTHERS.
Or okay, how about a more mercenary reason?
Here you go: Preorders are usually cheaper.
Right now, via that handy-dandy link above [or this one, if you prefer ], you can get Maplecroft for eleven bucks, and have it delivered as soon as it's released. September 2 is still far enough away that you might even totally forget you ordered it! Think what a pleasant surprise that will be! A gift for you, from you!
Anyway, I'm just saying - if Maplecroft is up your alley (or the alley of someone you love enough to buy books for)...you are more than welcome to snag one right now, at a discount, and it would put a big ol' smile of gratitude on my face.
* * *
Now with the shilling out of the way...onward and upward (or downward, as you're scrolling) to the daily word metrics. Ahem.
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: 2066 (okay)
Present total word count: 32,234
Things accomplished in fiction: Found something in storage room six that was so weird, it prompted a telephone call thirty years in the making.
Next up: An invitation, a train trip, and an arrival.
Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; laundry and housework; trip to the bank.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 65,645
[:: does a little twirlie ::]
No, the cover isn't up there yet - but I'm told it's coming soon and yes, I've seen it. IT IS SO COOL. I can't WAIT to make it public...I mean, I'm fidgeting apart at the SEAMS over here. So you may rest assured that the very MOMENT I'm given the all-clear, you shall feast your eyes upon it as well.
Right. So there's that.
Now why, you may be asking yourself, would I want to preorder a book so far ahead of its publication date?
Well, it's like this: Preorders help publishers and booksellers alike get an idea of what the demand for a book is shaping up to be, and thereby preorders convince them to order more, promote it more, and recommend it more - since they're confident that people are already interested in it.
In short, preorders are very, very good for authors. If you like authors - and if you wish to support them - this is one big way for you to CARRY THAT TORCH and LEAD THE WAY FOR OTHERS.
Or okay, how about a more mercenary reason?
Here you go: Preorders are usually cheaper.
Right now, via that handy-dandy link above [or this one, if you prefer ], you can get Maplecroft for eleven bucks, and have it delivered as soon as it's released. September 2 is still far enough away that you might even totally forget you ordered it! Think what a pleasant surprise that will be! A gift for you, from you!
Anyway, I'm just saying - if Maplecroft is up your alley (or the alley of someone you love enough to buy books for)...you are more than welcome to snag one right now, at a discount, and it would put a big ol' smile of gratitude on my face.
* * *
Now with the shilling out of the way...onward and upward (or downward, as you're scrolling) to the daily word metrics. Ahem.
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: 2066 (okay)
Present total word count: 32,234
Things accomplished in fiction: Found something in storage room six that was so weird, it prompted a telephone call thirty years in the making.
Next up: An invitation, a train trip, and an arrival.
Things accomplished in real life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; laundry and housework; trip to the bank.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 65,645
It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion
Hello everyone! It's awards season and this is my job, so please click through and take a peek if you are so inclined. Don't worry - it's short! I only published a couple of things this year, and I in
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