Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 34
August 26, 2013
Bleak desolation in a beam of sun
Here’s today's progress on my modern pseudo-noir young-adult mystery with murder, medical blackmail, pop culture myth-making, missing persons, and a digital Hail Mary that's become an international sensation:
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 5561
Present total word count: 35,595 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Visited the troll; got chased around; met a new friend who might be a bird but then again, might not.
Next up: Open the weird red box. Get that much closer to Princess X.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; cleaned the whole house; went grocery shopping; went to the post office; went to the bank; met with a handyperson about getting those closet doors sorted out; put new rugs in the back room; in process of putting one rug under the bed, almost broke my damn leg because I have a special talent, okay?; also tore my favorite jeans up in same incident; went to mall with friend and bought new favorite jeans + many new underpants (helloooo Soma); did some yardwork, including a serious cut-back of the herb garden and an attempt to clean out the trough the dog dug in same; went to framers and picked up awesome new artwork for back room, installed it all; signed/scanned/sent off contracts for a convention I'm doing in Houston next year; oh, probably a bunch of other crap. It's been a week.
Other: That's not a great word count up there for a whole week, but I wrote almost 4k of it this afternoon, so, go me...?
Bonus Other: Not expecting a great huge deal of progress this week, as it is DRAGONCON WEEK. I'm headed down to Atlanta come Thursday, and by and large, you can find me at these times, in these places. I actually have another handful of things scheduled, but they're interviews and the like - so (a). it's not all public stuff, and (b). I'm even busier than it looks. That said, as you can see I do have an autograph session scheduled; and as always, if you can catch me between panels (or might be willing to run with me from one panel to the next), I'm always happy to sign anything you like.
Further Iterations of Other: Tomorrow: Hair appointment. Also probably laundry, and preliminary packing for the Atlanta trip. Not doing any costuming, per se, but will probably bring at least one dress-up outfit. We shall see.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 136,080
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 5561
Present total word count: 35,595 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Visited the troll; got chased around; met a new friend who might be a bird but then again, might not.
Next up: Open the weird red box. Get that much closer to Princess X.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; cleaned the whole house; went grocery shopping; went to the post office; went to the bank; met with a handyperson about getting those closet doors sorted out; put new rugs in the back room; in process of putting one rug under the bed, almost broke my damn leg because I have a special talent, okay?; also tore my favorite jeans up in same incident; went to mall with friend and bought new favorite jeans + many new underpants (helloooo Soma); did some yardwork, including a serious cut-back of the herb garden and an attempt to clean out the trough the dog dug in same; went to framers and picked up awesome new artwork for back room, installed it all; signed/scanned/sent off contracts for a convention I'm doing in Houston next year; oh, probably a bunch of other crap. It's been a week.
Other: That's not a great word count up there for a whole week, but I wrote almost 4k of it this afternoon, so, go me...?
Bonus Other: Not expecting a great huge deal of progress this week, as it is DRAGONCON WEEK. I'm headed down to Atlanta come Thursday, and by and large, you can find me at these times, in these places. I actually have another handful of things scheduled, but they're interviews and the like - so (a). it's not all public stuff, and (b). I'm even busier than it looks. That said, as you can see I do have an autograph session scheduled; and as always, if you can catch me between panels (or might be willing to run with me from one panel to the next), I'm always happy to sign anything you like.
Further Iterations of Other: Tomorrow: Hair appointment. Also probably laundry, and preliminary packing for the Atlanta trip. Not doing any costuming, per se, but will probably bring at least one dress-up outfit. We shall see.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 136,080
August 20, 2013
If you're going to get the summertime blues
Still trucking over here, though I admit I've let things get a little quiet online. It's not strictly by choice; it's more a case of exhaustion. We've had a lot going on, over here.
First and foremost, we finally got the back third of the house redone - all the old subflooring removed (asbestos and everything), and lovely red-stained oak installed throughout to match the rest of the place. Then, while we had the area empty, we repainted the whole shebang - it looked awful back there, and we'd been meaning to do it for ages. Then it took another day or so for us to restore all the furniture to its rightful place and clear out the mess we'd made elsewhere, since we spent the week unable to come or go through the rear of the house - which meant it was difficult to do things like oh, say, take out the trash. And every damn surface was covered in a layer of sawdust from all the sanding, even though the flooring guys taped plastic'd everything up like crazy.
There's still more to do, of course. We need to touch up the trim, paint the door, and address a few other matters of detailing. We've also ordered a couple of rugs, and I'm having some new artwork framed, so that's yet to come ... and we still need to install our closet doors, and get the doors yanked off the ugly old built-in cabinets so I can convert them to less offensive book cases/shelving. And then paint them.
But yeah. We're done for now. By necessity, if not thoroughness.
(If you'd like to see some before/after shots, click here.)
Anyway, apart from that - the Fiddlehead pass proof revisions fell from the sky into my lap, and as usual with these things, they needed to take priority. Therefore I have (very) temporarily abandoned progress on the Princess X word count, despite the fact that yeah, I know, I said I really wanted a draft done before DragonCon.
I also want a Boneshaker movie and a moon base, but you know, well. We'll see.
Speaking of DragonCon, yes, I'll be there! I'll post my schedule before showtime, for those of you who are curious; and since someone always asks, yes, I'm scheduled for a signing. I'll be on-site from Thursday afternoon through Monday around lunchtime, and I'll do my best to make myself easy to find.
Right. Well. I think that just about covers it.
I'll skip the word count metrics, even though I managed to squeeze out a few pages before the proofs landed - and just save them for when I'm back on track. I need to have these proof revisions handed off by the end of the week, so it is to be hoped that back-on-trackness will resume this coming weekend.
Fingers crossed, right?
First and foremost, we finally got the back third of the house redone - all the old subflooring removed (asbestos and everything), and lovely red-stained oak installed throughout to match the rest of the place. Then, while we had the area empty, we repainted the whole shebang - it looked awful back there, and we'd been meaning to do it for ages. Then it took another day or so for us to restore all the furniture to its rightful place and clear out the mess we'd made elsewhere, since we spent the week unable to come or go through the rear of the house - which meant it was difficult to do things like oh, say, take out the trash. And every damn surface was covered in a layer of sawdust from all the sanding, even though the flooring guys taped plastic'd everything up like crazy.
There's still more to do, of course. We need to touch up the trim, paint the door, and address a few other matters of detailing. We've also ordered a couple of rugs, and I'm having some new artwork framed, so that's yet to come ... and we still need to install our closet doors, and get the doors yanked off the ugly old built-in cabinets so I can convert them to less offensive book cases/shelving. And then paint them.
But yeah. We're done for now. By necessity, if not thoroughness.
(If you'd like to see some before/after shots, click here.)
Anyway, apart from that - the Fiddlehead pass proof revisions fell from the sky into my lap, and as usual with these things, they needed to take priority. Therefore I have (very) temporarily abandoned progress on the Princess X word count, despite the fact that yeah, I know, I said I really wanted a draft done before DragonCon.
I also want a Boneshaker movie and a moon base, but you know, well. We'll see.
Speaking of DragonCon, yes, I'll be there! I'll post my schedule before showtime, for those of you who are curious; and since someone always asks, yes, I'm scheduled for a signing. I'll be on-site from Thursday afternoon through Monday around lunchtime, and I'll do my best to make myself easy to find.
Right. Well. I think that just about covers it.
I'll skip the word count metrics, even though I managed to squeeze out a few pages before the proofs landed - and just save them for when I'm back on track. I need to have these proof revisions handed off by the end of the week, so it is to be hoped that back-on-trackness will resume this coming weekend.
Fingers crossed, right?
August 14, 2013
By the side of the ocean, headed for sunset
Here’s today's progress on my modern pseudo-noir young-adult mystery with murder, medical blackmail, pop culture myth-making, missing persons, and a digital Hail Mary that's become an international sensation:
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 2029 (ok)
Present total word count: 30,034 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Learned a bit about Trick's iffy motives, but he wouldn't divulge the whole sordid tale; caught a bus for Fremont, chasing the next macguffin.
Next up: The troll knows. But mostly, the troll is another red herring. Look for the swimming ladies instead.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; cleaned out drawers; cleaned out jewelry boxes and whatnot; laundered bedding; went to Walgreens; went to bank to deposit a couple of checks; went to post office; mostly did all kinds of things that didn't involve me being in the house listening to pneumatic hammers and whatnot.
Other: Really, it's nothing short of a miracle that I got 2k done today in the word count department.
Bonus Other: Don't forget - Fiddlehead galleys now available ; all you reviewers go read that post. And kindly don't skip the part about including your snail mail address. Can't ship you anything without it.
Yet More Varieties of Other: The flooring guys seem to be making good progress. The dog remains positively bereft, for he is not allowed underfoot. Here is my new favorite picture of him . Yes, that is a very small baby gate. Yes, he could knock it over with a sneeze. But he is entirely too much of a gentleman, I assure you.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 130,519
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 2029 (ok)
Present total word count: 30,034 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Learned a bit about Trick's iffy motives, but he wouldn't divulge the whole sordid tale; caught a bus for Fremont, chasing the next macguffin.
Next up: The troll knows. But mostly, the troll is another red herring. Look for the swimming ladies instead.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; cleaned out drawers; cleaned out jewelry boxes and whatnot; laundered bedding; went to Walgreens; went to bank to deposit a couple of checks; went to post office; mostly did all kinds of things that didn't involve me being in the house listening to pneumatic hammers and whatnot.
Other: Really, it's nothing short of a miracle that I got 2k done today in the word count department.
Bonus Other: Don't forget - Fiddlehead galleys now available ; all you reviewers go read that post. And kindly don't skip the part about including your snail mail address. Can't ship you anything without it.
Yet More Varieties of Other: The flooring guys seem to be making good progress. The dog remains positively bereft, for he is not allowed underfoot. Here is my new favorite picture of him . Yes, that is a very small baby gate. Yes, he could knock it over with a sneeze. But he is entirely too much of a gentleman, I assure you.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 130,519
Fiddlehead Galleys
Sorry about the dearth of word metrics and whatnot over here; the back third of my house is having its floors ripped out this week, in order to remove all kinds of nasty crap that lies beneath them. Nice oak floors (to match the rest of the place) are going in today and tomorrow, and then the sanding/staining/etc. ... so things will be a bit of a mess here through the end of the week.
THAT SAID. I wanted to post this here in case it's relevant to your interests: Fiddlehead galleys are about to hit the streets. If you are a book reviewer for a print magazine, or a book reviewing website, or anything of the sort - send me an email with your snail mail contact information, and I'll pass it along to my publicist. This won't guarantee you a galley, mind you - that's not up to me - but it'll get your name on the list.*
So drop me a line a cherie.priest@gmail.com if you're interested in a 19th century DC spy caper about two presidents with more in common than they think, two disgraced spies with less in common than it appears, and one not-at-all mad scientist who can save the world - if someone will just give him the chance.
Did I mention that this book will effectively wrap up the Clockwork Century? No? Well, if you're curious about some of your friends from the previous books - say, if you want to know what, precisely, the mysterious Kirby Troost has been hiding all this time, what becomes of Croggon Hainey and his crew, what Mercy Lynch has been up to, or how the Civil War ends ... (among other things!) ... here's your chance!
And as always - thanks for reading!
* Further disclaimers: US only, please - and if you just want a galley to put on eBay, well, WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. And we don't like you very much. Furthermore, I suspect that the publicist will be reluctant to dole out galleys to individual bloggers, unless they are affiliated with a formal site/publication/whatnot. But like I said, that's not up to me.
THAT SAID. I wanted to post this here in case it's relevant to your interests: Fiddlehead galleys are about to hit the streets. If you are a book reviewer for a print magazine, or a book reviewing website, or anything of the sort - send me an email with your snail mail contact information, and I'll pass it along to my publicist. This won't guarantee you a galley, mind you - that's not up to me - but it'll get your name on the list.*
So drop me a line a cherie.priest@gmail.com if you're interested in a 19th century DC spy caper about two presidents with more in common than they think, two disgraced spies with less in common than it appears, and one not-at-all mad scientist who can save the world - if someone will just give him the chance.
Did I mention that this book will effectively wrap up the Clockwork Century? No? Well, if you're curious about some of your friends from the previous books - say, if you want to know what, precisely, the mysterious Kirby Troost has been hiding all this time, what becomes of Croggon Hainey and his crew, what Mercy Lynch has been up to, or how the Civil War ends ... (among other things!) ... here's your chance!
And as always - thanks for reading!
* Further disclaimers: US only, please - and if you just want a galley to put on eBay, well, WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. And we don't like you very much. Furthermore, I suspect that the publicist will be reluctant to dole out galleys to individual bloggers, unless they are affiliated with a formal site/publication/whatnot. But like I said, that's not up to me.
August 12, 2013
Line my eyes and call me pretty
Here’s today's progress on my modern pseudo-noir young-adult mystery with murder, medical blackmail, pop culture myth-making, missing persons, and a digital Hail Mary that's become an international sensation:
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 4123 (2-day total but not bad)
Present total word count: 28,005 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Found the first Macguffin. Thought we were getting somewhere. RED HERRING MWOOHAHAHAHA. But not that red. More like a pink, really. It's the right direction, but the wrong particulars. The kids'll figure it out.
Next up: Macguffin #2, plus some weirdness with the phone lines. Someone's listening, or someone's looking, at any rate. Our heroes are being tracked and soon, they'll be followed.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; cleaned kitchen; went to lunch; spent some time on the phone; paid some bills; ran into our landscaping lady and hung out for a bit with her/Greyson; got good news that will be a pain in the ass...but ultimately yes, good.
Other: I think this bad-boy's finally getting off the ground! I did about a thousand of those words yesterday, but the rest was done today - and some of it's the webcomic scripting, so it takes up a lot of space plotwise, but doesn't burn up the word meter. Regardless, I'm pretty happy with it.
Bonus Other: Attempted a little bit of yardwork this morning and managed to cover my arms - wrists to past my elbows - in stinging nettles. Spent much of the day covered in hydrocortisone cream and Gold Bond Medicated Lotion (God's own elixir, right there), trying not to touch anything. It was not super-conducive to typing, but I'm okay now. The swelling's gone down and only a small portion of the original rash remains.
Other - The Sequel: To be clear - I'm not looking for medical advice. I'm fine.
Son of Other: Got a phone call from the flooring guys - they've had a break in their schedule, and want to start tomorrow. This is excellent news! They're removing a bunch of vintage asbestos under the subflooring and replacing the ugly carpet and/or unfortunate disco parquet with oak to match (more or less) the rest of the house. Huzzah! Except...it means we have to drag all the furniture out of the back 1/3 of the house tonight. And this'll be 3-5 days of demo/construction we're living with for the rest of this week. So. Yeah. I can't wait for the result, but I'm none too keen on the execution. Ah, well.
Revenge of Other: The husband is trimming the hedges. Now that the godawful burning has subsided on my arms, I will now go take another stab at my own yard responsibilities. Oof. Wish me luck!
Number of fiction words so far this year: 128,490
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 4123 (2-day total but not bad)
Present total word count: 28,005 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Found the first Macguffin. Thought we were getting somewhere. RED HERRING MWOOHAHAHAHA. But not that red. More like a pink, really. It's the right direction, but the wrong particulars. The kids'll figure it out.
Next up: Macguffin #2, plus some weirdness with the phone lines. Someone's listening, or someone's looking, at any rate. Our heroes are being tracked and soon, they'll be followed.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; cleaned kitchen; went to lunch; spent some time on the phone; paid some bills; ran into our landscaping lady and hung out for a bit with her/Greyson; got good news that will be a pain in the ass...but ultimately yes, good.
Other: I think this bad-boy's finally getting off the ground! I did about a thousand of those words yesterday, but the rest was done today - and some of it's the webcomic scripting, so it takes up a lot of space plotwise, but doesn't burn up the word meter. Regardless, I'm pretty happy with it.
Bonus Other: Attempted a little bit of yardwork this morning and managed to cover my arms - wrists to past my elbows - in stinging nettles. Spent much of the day covered in hydrocortisone cream and Gold Bond Medicated Lotion (God's own elixir, right there), trying not to touch anything. It was not super-conducive to typing, but I'm okay now. The swelling's gone down and only a small portion of the original rash remains.
Other - The Sequel: To be clear - I'm not looking for medical advice. I'm fine.
Son of Other: Got a phone call from the flooring guys - they've had a break in their schedule, and want to start tomorrow. This is excellent news! They're removing a bunch of vintage asbestos under the subflooring and replacing the ugly carpet and/or unfortunate disco parquet with oak to match (more or less) the rest of the house. Huzzah! Except...it means we have to drag all the furniture out of the back 1/3 of the house tonight. And this'll be 3-5 days of demo/construction we're living with for the rest of this week. So. Yeah. I can't wait for the result, but I'm none too keen on the execution. Ah, well.
Revenge of Other: The husband is trimming the hedges. Now that the godawful burning has subsided on my arms, I will now go take another stab at my own yard responsibilities. Oof. Wish me luck!
Number of fiction words so far this year: 128,490
August 8, 2013
She's flying in the face of fashion now
Here’s today's progress on my modern pseudo-noir young-adult mystery with murder, medical blackmail, pop culture myth-making, missing persons, and a digital Hail Mary that's become an international sensation:
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 2602 (better!)
Present total word count: 23,882 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Hung out with a boy in a single-seater bathroom in a condemned building with only a key-chain flashlight for illumination. It was exactly as romantic as it sounds.
Next up: What's in the bag? Not much of a prize, but it solves a riddle. Sort of.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; a few important emails; helped supervise a dog play-date. Click the link to watch Greyson frolic with "Taco." We had to move the fun inside, because it was hot and buggy and it started raining. (In case you're wondering why we would host a play-date with two dogs of this size in our living room. Ahem.)
Other: Didn't quite finish the scene like I meant to. That's okay; it'll make getting started tomorrow that much easier. Of course, now I have to figure out what the next scene is. Oof.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 124,367
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 2602 (better!)
Present total word count: 23,882 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Hung out with a boy in a single-seater bathroom in a condemned building with only a key-chain flashlight for illumination. It was exactly as romantic as it sounds.
Next up: What's in the bag? Not much of a prize, but it solves a riddle. Sort of.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; a few important emails; helped supervise a dog play-date. Click the link to watch Greyson frolic with "Taco." We had to move the fun inside, because it was hot and buggy and it started raining. (In case you're wondering why we would host a play-date with two dogs of this size in our living room. Ahem.)
Other: Didn't quite finish the scene like I meant to. That's okay; it'll make getting started tomorrow that much easier. Of course, now I have to figure out what the next scene is. Oof.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 124,367
August 7, 2013
And all through my coffee break-time
Here’s today's progress on my modern pseudo-noir young-adult mystery with murder, medical blackmail, pop culture myth-making, missing persons, and a digital Hail Mary that's become an international sensation:
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 1192 (urgh)
Present total word count: 21,280 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Urban exploration. Okay, okay. Trespassing.
Next up: Answer one question, only to spawn a bunch more.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; paid a bill or two; got an estimate on the flooring, and will sign contract for the work tomorrow; laundry; not much else.
Other: Well, I thought I could go ahead and move forward, even though a bunch of my previous material was broken ... and it turns out, I'm entirely too OCD for that. I spent most of the day pulling the text apart and putting it back together so it made more sense. And oh yeah, I cut over a thousand words and a couple of short scenes and URGH it feels like a big fat step backward - except that I still managed to produce a net positive today, and I'm desperate enough that I'll take it. Brain is fried. Will try again tomorrow.
Bonus! other: I think I can try again tomorrow. It feels like I've done sufficient restructuring that I can go ahead and proceed. I don't know. So far, this has not been the world's easiest project ever. To understate the matter.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 121,765
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 1192 (urgh)
Present total word count: 21,280 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Urban exploration. Okay, okay. Trespassing.
Next up: Answer one question, only to spawn a bunch more.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; paid a bill or two; got an estimate on the flooring, and will sign contract for the work tomorrow; laundry; not much else.
Other: Well, I thought I could go ahead and move forward, even though a bunch of my previous material was broken ... and it turns out, I'm entirely too OCD for that. I spent most of the day pulling the text apart and putting it back together so it made more sense. And oh yeah, I cut over a thousand words and a couple of short scenes and URGH it feels like a big fat step backward - except that I still managed to produce a net positive today, and I'm desperate enough that I'll take it. Brain is fried. Will try again tomorrow.
Bonus! other: I think I can try again tomorrow. It feels like I've done sufficient restructuring that I can go ahead and proceed. I don't know. So far, this has not been the world's easiest project ever. To understate the matter.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 121,765
August 6, 2013
That's the way the road dogs do it – ride 'til dark
Here’s today's progress on my modern pseudo-noir young-adult mystery with murder, medical blackmail, pop culture myth-making, missing persons, and a digital Hail Mary that's become an international sensation:
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 1923 (better!)
Present total word count: 20,088 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Picked a direction and ran with it. Finally.
Next up: Track down the first of the big macguffins.
Darling du jour: "I wanted to throw my hands in the air. Or at his face. One or the other."
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog (which by the way, is about 2 miles - since someone asked the other day); sat with dog while the vet checked him out and gave him his booster shots (she does housecalls, thank God); consulted with the flooring guy, who came to take measurements for the back room; learned some new and truly infuriating things about how stupid people can be when they renovate old houses; not unrelated, I figured out why exactly the house's previous owners lived with that ugly-ass carpet so long; paid some bills; did a surprise! load of laundry because the cat barfed all over the guest bedroom last night.
Other: Yesterday's plotting was actually kind of helpful. More tonight, as I figure out how the next scene goes; I've been doing too much thumb-twiddling - it's time to send the characters into action, for heaven's sake. I suspect I'm going to have to edit out/clean up/seriously tighten the last few chapters before I hand in this draft. Got a lot of dragging bits to excise. Boo.
Bonus! other: the husband is LOVING the new HVAC system. I am having second thoughts, because I am freezing to death and sitting around in a sweater - even though it's only set to 75 degrees in here.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 120,573
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 1923 (better!)
Present total word count: 20,088 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Picked a direction and ran with it. Finally.
Next up: Track down the first of the big macguffins.
Darling du jour: "I wanted to throw my hands in the air. Or at his face. One or the other."
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog (which by the way, is about 2 miles - since someone asked the other day); sat with dog while the vet checked him out and gave him his booster shots (she does housecalls, thank God); consulted with the flooring guy, who came to take measurements for the back room; learned some new and truly infuriating things about how stupid people can be when they renovate old houses; not unrelated, I figured out why exactly the house's previous owners lived with that ugly-ass carpet so long; paid some bills; did a surprise! load of laundry because the cat barfed all over the guest bedroom last night.
Other: Yesterday's plotting was actually kind of helpful. More tonight, as I figure out how the next scene goes; I've been doing too much thumb-twiddling - it's time to send the characters into action, for heaven's sake. I suspect I'm going to have to edit out/clean up/seriously tighten the last few chapters before I hand in this draft. Got a lot of dragging bits to excise. Boo.
Bonus! other: the husband is LOVING the new HVAC system. I am having second thoughts, because I am freezing to death and sitting around in a sweater - even though it's only set to 75 degrees in here.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 120,573
August 5, 2013
Anyone who's ever had a heart
Here’s today's progress on my modern pseudo-noir young-adult mystery with murder, medical blackmail, pop culture myth-making, missing persons, and a digital Hail Mary that's become an international sensation:
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 2083 (multi-day total. meh.)
Present total word count: 18,165 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Got a leg up courtesy of Dad, who's joined in the search on his down time. Sort of. But it's a nice gesture all the same. Reconvened with Trick to discuss what they've each managed to scare up.
Next up: We learn why he's called "Trick"... and what prize in particular he's chasing. His motives aren't awful, but they're less than pure.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; paid some bills; got the inbox down to zero; agreed to tentatively participate in an anthology, which may come back to haunt me; wrote a thank you card or two; spoke to the flooring guy and scheduled an in-house visit for tomorrow after lunch - that we may one day banish the ugly carpet and disco parquet from this otherwise fine and upstanding house; met with the gas hook-up guy (who came along behind the HVAC installers to sort out the heat/gas connections); tried repeatedly to reach my salon to move a hair appointment due to DragonCon - must try again when I'm finished here.
Other: I need to sit down with my notebooks tonight and actually plot out what happens for the next few seconds. I'm spinning my wheels a bit, and it ain't pretty. I thought I had this sorted - I thought I knew what it looked like, and how it'd play out - but I was at least somewhat wrong. So. Not "back to the drawing board" per se, but definitely back to the planning stage for a bit.
Bonus! other: I am LOVING having cable TV. That is all.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 118,650
Project: Princess X
Deadline: January 1, 2014
New words written: 2083 (multi-day total. meh.)
Present total word count: 18,165 words
Things accomplished in fiction: Got a leg up courtesy of Dad, who's joined in the search on his down time. Sort of. But it's a nice gesture all the same. Reconvened with Trick to discuss what they've each managed to scare up.
Next up: We learn why he's called "Trick"... and what prize in particular he's chasing. His motives aren't awful, but they're less than pure.
Things accomplished in real life: Daily jaunt around the neighborhood with the dog; paid some bills; got the inbox down to zero; agreed to tentatively participate in an anthology, which may come back to haunt me; wrote a thank you card or two; spoke to the flooring guy and scheduled an in-house visit for tomorrow after lunch - that we may one day banish the ugly carpet and disco parquet from this otherwise fine and upstanding house; met with the gas hook-up guy (who came along behind the HVAC installers to sort out the heat/gas connections); tried repeatedly to reach my salon to move a hair appointment due to DragonCon - must try again when I'm finished here.
Other: I need to sit down with my notebooks tonight and actually plot out what happens for the next few seconds. I'm spinning my wheels a bit, and it ain't pretty. I thought I had this sorted - I thought I knew what it looked like, and how it'd play out - but I was at least somewhat wrong. So. Not "back to the drawing board" per se, but definitely back to the planning stage for a bit.
Bonus! other: I am LOVING having cable TV. That is all.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 118,650
August 2, 2013
Kill the lights in the middle of the road
No word metrics today, mostly because they're too shameful to mention. Yes, even when combined with yesterday's tally. We've had a lot going on over here at Chez Rosebury, and I just haven't been able to sit down and be productive like I want to; but come Monday, things should settle back down. Temporarily, at least.
* * *
The other night, we had some friends over - and a whole lot of scotch, rum, and everything else went straight down the merry old hatch. Jesus, we just about cleaned out the cabinet, I swear; but a wonderful time was had by all. I'm always happy to see those hooligans, even though yesterday was a lost cause and I had to take a Mulligan.
Seriously, it was the first time I've been truly hungover in ages, and I spent half the day napping, and the other half wishing I was napping. I also spent it hungry, but unable to consider eating anything. At my age, you'd think I'd know better.
Oh well. Today, everything's all right again.
* * *
Actually, everything's better than all right: we got our new HVAC installed! The guys have been gone less than an hour, and it feels amazing in here; the new unit is vastly more efficient (and significantly more powerful) than our old one, which was installed in 1987 with none too much precision or grace.
I wasn't kidding about the old unit shooting rusty panels and squirrel nests all over the yard; and besides that, I should've mentioned that it ran almost 24/7, but we still struggled to keep the place under 80 degrees ... with a power bill closing in on $300 a month. The poor thing performed with all the noise and efficiency of a birdcage shagging a lawn mower. It needed to go.
So it's gone.
When the HVAC guys came inside to check the new system, I was dumbfounded. I had no idea they'd gotten it running, because I couldn't hear a thing. The old unit started up like a hammer in a blender; this one hums like a hybrid car.
In just this last hour, the temperature has sunk a few blessed degrees - and the humidity level has dropped fully 20%. I know this, for our spiffy new thermostat tells me so. And it is very spiffy. Like, control it with your iPhone spiffy. Not that I will ever successfully figure out how to do that, mind you.
* * *
Anyway. It's been a day full of pet-wrangling and trying to stay out from underfoot as the guys came and went - sealing things, replacing things, cleaning things, sorting things out, turning breakers off and on, etc. etc. etc. They were all very dog-friendly, much to Greyson's glee, but the gaping holes in the wall and floor where the registers had been removed ... were not particularly cat-friendly. All the disruption (plus the soaring temperatures in here before they got the new unit installed) hasn't been very work-friendly, either.
So instead of metrics, you get a rambling post that's mostly about my new HVAC, because it's the only exciting thing in my life right now.
Holy shit, you guys. I think I need a sweater!
* * *
The other night, we had some friends over - and a whole lot of scotch, rum, and everything else went straight down the merry old hatch. Jesus, we just about cleaned out the cabinet, I swear; but a wonderful time was had by all. I'm always happy to see those hooligans, even though yesterday was a lost cause and I had to take a Mulligan.
Seriously, it was the first time I've been truly hungover in ages, and I spent half the day napping, and the other half wishing I was napping. I also spent it hungry, but unable to consider eating anything. At my age, you'd think I'd know better.
Oh well. Today, everything's all right again.
* * *
Actually, everything's better than all right: we got our new HVAC installed! The guys have been gone less than an hour, and it feels amazing in here; the new unit is vastly more efficient (and significantly more powerful) than our old one, which was installed in 1987 with none too much precision or grace.
I wasn't kidding about the old unit shooting rusty panels and squirrel nests all over the yard; and besides that, I should've mentioned that it ran almost 24/7, but we still struggled to keep the place under 80 degrees ... with a power bill closing in on $300 a month. The poor thing performed with all the noise and efficiency of a birdcage shagging a lawn mower. It needed to go.
So it's gone.
When the HVAC guys came inside to check the new system, I was dumbfounded. I had no idea they'd gotten it running, because I couldn't hear a thing. The old unit started up like a hammer in a blender; this one hums like a hybrid car.
In just this last hour, the temperature has sunk a few blessed degrees - and the humidity level has dropped fully 20%. I know this, for our spiffy new thermostat tells me so. And it is very spiffy. Like, control it with your iPhone spiffy. Not that I will ever successfully figure out how to do that, mind you.
* * *
Anyway. It's been a day full of pet-wrangling and trying to stay out from underfoot as the guys came and went - sealing things, replacing things, cleaning things, sorting things out, turning breakers off and on, etc. etc. etc. They were all very dog-friendly, much to Greyson's glee, but the gaping holes in the wall and floor where the registers had been removed ... were not particularly cat-friendly. All the disruption (plus the soaring temperatures in here before they got the new unit installed) hasn't been very work-friendly, either.
So instead of metrics, you get a rambling post that's mostly about my new HVAC, because it's the only exciting thing in my life right now.
Holy shit, you guys. I think I need a sweater!
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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