Devon Ellington's Blog, page 291

Tues. April 16, 2013: Grief

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Waxing Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Sunny and pleasant

To think, yesterday started so well.

I mean, 3700 words on the new book. LOIs. Follow-up on the LOIs from January (and gaining some immediate positive responses. 10 pages on the next non-fiction book up in the queue (that will be traditionally published). I percolated on the play that’s due at the end of May, and started thinking about the appointments I need to set up in NY.

And then — the explosions at the Boston Marathon. We’ve had non-stop coverage, of course, on all the channels. Which would be great if there was actual news to report, and they didn’t just retread the same ground over and over and over again. There needs to be a limit to how often a piece of tape depicting a disaster can be rolled.

The latest numbers this morning are 3 dead, over 140 injured. It’s just appalling. It reminds me too much of incidents in NY. I’ve been crying off and on since it happened, then feeling guilty about being so upset, because I’m fine out here, and so far, everyone I’ve managed to track down (there are still a few outstanding) are safe, too. There are plenty who are worse off than I am. I alternate between the pain and the numbness of grief, yet I’m also aware that it’s more abstract for me than for people with direct experience, the same way that, when I was directly impacted by other events (losing people I knew and cared about), it was abstract for others. The rational and the emotional sides haven’t aligned yet.

Sat outside this morning, with Tessa and the first cup of coffee, just grateful for the sunshine and the bird song of the moment.

On a completely different topic, Penny Estelle is my guest today over on Biblio Paradise, talking about her latest release, Hike Up Devil’s Mountain. In spite of everything that’s going on, I hope you’ll stop by and drop her a comment — she’s also doing a giveaway.

Devon

Mon. April 15, 2013: Back in the Groove of the Book

Monday, April 15, 2013

Waxing Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Sunny and cold

Ugh. The day we mail our taxes. Hate it. There was an article in the Sunday paper how writing the checks for taxes should be a matter of pride. Honey, when Congress stops pandering to special interests and does the work for which I pay them, I’ll take pride in it. When Congress behaves the way they have lately, especially the GOP and Democrats too cowardly to stand up to anyone, no dice.

Don’t remember much about Friday, except I know I worked and ran errands and dealt with bills and all sorts of other things. I’m trying to wind up the paperwork from the play, but getting what I need from the people who still have stuff outstanding is like pulling teeth. And I’m still waiting on the sign-off for a press release that needs to go out TODAY. Hate that.

Saturday, I got back into the groove on the book, working on Chapter 8. Felt good. Yesterday was all about newspapers and taxes. And four loads of laundry, including show laundry. I’m trying to get stuff from the show sorted out, so I can return what needs to be returned, and properly pack and store the rest for October’s gig.

This morning, I finished Chapter 8 and wrote Chapter 9. Fifteen pages (approximately 3,750 words). The flow is going well, and that’s a huge relief. I have a lot of business and admin stuff to take care off, and to make sure I get the damn taxes mailed and date-stamped properly, but I’m glad to be back in the rhythm of the book, and into the rhythm of other articles I’m working on. Will finish up the contest entry paperwork today and get that off this week, along with some other errands. Time to make a clean sweep/fresh start on the desk, and to go after the next higher tier of client.

Happy start to a productive week, I hope!

Devon

Fri. April 12, 2013: Renewal and Writing

Friday, April 12, 2013

Waxing Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Sleet and cold

Drove to Providence and dropped off Costume Imp. We just missed the really bad traffic in, thank goodness. Lunch at Cooke’s on the way back, always fun.

Tried to get my new phone at Best Buy — y’know, because they advertise “all the phones and all the plans” — liars! They didn’t have the phone I want, only phones that cost 4X more. So I went online to get the whole bundle I wanted, and I can get the phone, but not the cards. Makes me re-think the new carrier I’d chosen.

Stopped at B&N to use the rest of my gift card, and stocked up on some fun books! Went to the various libraries to drop off/pick up books.

Came home and did some work, but also relaxed a bit, refilling the well from the past few draining weeks. Read Sharon Shinn’s latest Shifting Circle novel, STILL LIFE WITH SHAPE-SHIFTER. It’s sad, and I sobbed my way through the second half of it!

Went to bed early, slept in this morning. The weather is nasty, but I have to take care of a few things and get some planting done, then focus on taxes and the book.

Worked with students this morning. Will also polish my presentation for the NECRWA conference this weekend, work on the materials I need to bring with me, and wrap up the paperwork for the play. I’ve been invited to pitch a proposal for another big project internationally, and I’ve also been invited to submit a play for an award, so I have to think about those over the weekend, to see if I can fit them in and what to do for them.

Onward! Have a great weekend.

Devon

Wed. April 11, 2013: The Ability to Breathe

Wednesday, April 11, 2013

Waxing Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Rainy and cool

I’m trying to remember yesterday — I know it was busy and I worked hard!

It was lovely out, though, so I got to spend some time putting the yard. The vegetable bed mulched nicely over the winter. Some of the lettuces reseeded and are coming up already. I have to figure out what I want to plant in there this year.

In the evening, we went over to a friend’s house for dinner. She’d been the lead in the play, is a good friend, and is moving to Amsterdam soon, so it was nice to just have some time to kick back and hang out.

We drove back in a bad storm — even though it wasn’t that far, it seemed it!

Costume Imp is leaving today to head back to New York — I will miss him! And I think I’ll get my new phone today — goodbye, Verizon! Let the appropriate authorities deal with your crap from now on, because I don’t have to!

And then, back to the book. The book is going to be my central focus for the next few weeks.

Devon

Wed. April 10, 2013: Time to get back to work

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

New Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Sunny and cooler

I’m over on Babette James’s site today, interviewed about OLD-FASHIONED DETECTIVE WORK, the play, and the topic workbooks.

I’ve released another Topic Workbook by the way, called THE COMPLEX ANTAGONIST. It deals with creating interesting, complex antagonists in your pieces, instead of cardboard cut-out ciphers. This one is only $1.99 (because it’s shorter than the others), but also contains a mix of exercises and lectures. It’s available on Smashwords.

Yesterday, we went to Salem. It was a gorgeous day. We had a nice drive up there, walked around, checked out the stores. Some of the stores seem to open randomly, which was a shame, because those were the ones in which we would have spent money! We were looking for stuff that’s unique, and that we can’t get anywhere else– because that’s the point of going to Salem! We had a nice walk on the common, meeting a very cute Yorkie puppy named Teddy who was just the friendliest thing, and a cat sitting in the window of one of the houses we passed just wanted attention!

We had a lovely lunch at one of the restaurants, Victoria Station — our waitress had a great sense of humor.

Traffic coming back was awful. We were stuck in the Big Dig and it was crawling all the way down to Braintree — for pretty much no reason, except that the cars at the beginning of the line were being stupid and not moving along. A rock hit our windshield and nicked it, which upset me. The temperature also dropped again as soon as we hit Plymouth — it had been in the 70s up around the North Shore.

Didn’t do much but watch TV last night — was very tired.

Now, have to get back into the swing of work! There’s plenty of writing to get done! And I have to polish the presentation for the conference at the end of the month.

Devon

Tues. April 9, 2013: Post-Show

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Waning Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Thunderstorms

Hop on over to A Biblio Paradise today to see the review of Shiloh Walker’s new release, Wrecked. The book is a lot of fun, and I’m glad I had the chance to participate in the blog tour.

Yesterday wound up being a lot of unnecessary drama, with a show-related emergency that wound up working out. The show went really well last night, with another enthusiastic house. It was interesting to see how differently the laughs landed. Sunday night’s audience was very Marine-life oriented, and Monday’s was more of the general public, so they responded to different things.

I’m very pleased with the production, and delighted that I got to work with this group of people.

Today, it’s off to Salem, for a bit of R&R. There’s plenty to do the rest of the week, but I’m looking forward to this. And then, it’s back to the page, as of tomorrow morning!

Devon

Mon. April 8, 2013: MURDER “SEALS” THE DEAL is a hit!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Waning Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Sunny and cold

We have a hit on our hands! MURDER “SEALS” THE DEAL was sold out last night AND people loved it. The actors did a great job, the staff at Mezza Luna was amazing, and people had a really fun night out. We’ve got a really good company for this. I’m so happy that we have the actors we have for it, and delighted how committed they are to breathing life into the characters.

The weekend was all about prepping for the show. Didn’t do much other than that, and yesterday, we let her rip.

I’ve also gotten some really interesting offers from organizations who followed the progress of the show on social media and are now making overtures to creating some integrated work for them. Very exciting!

Lots to do today, in preparation for tonight’s performance. But I’m excited, and relieved, and delighted that so many people turned out for a good laugh for a good cause!

If you’re in the Cape Cod/South Shore area, you can still get tickets for tonight!

Devon

Fri. April 5, 2013: Almost showtime!

Friday, April 5, 2013

Waning Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Rainy and cold

Worked yesterday morning, got some stuff done for the Writers Center, some pitches out, some PR for Monday’s show, worked with students, etc. We took the leaves to the dump, visited several libraries, and took a rather brisk walk on the chilly beach.

Worked on some prop stuff for the show, indulged in KFC for dinner.

Mentally, pretty much everything is about the show for the next few days, but there’s still a lot to deal with. Looking forward to maybe, next weekend, having a bit of rest. Depends on what kind of work comes in during the week, though, and how I can balance that with work on the book.

Wish us well for the show! I think it will be a lot of fun. We have some cleaning up to do in tonight’s rehearsal of a few moments, but then we’re ready to rip!

Have a great weekend.

Devon

Thurs. April 4, 2013: Company!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Waning Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Sunny and cold

Yesterday, I did as much work as I could, which included doing another direct mail for our second performance, before I had to get in the car and drive to Providence. There was an issue in the morning, where I had to put my foot down. Just because I haven’t thrown any screaming tantrums during this process doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that haven’t angered and frustrated me, or that I am going to allow sabotage. I didn’t get to Broadway by being agreeable; I got there via hard work, good work, and the ability to get the job done.

Didn’t get enough writing done, but am thrilled that an article I pitched and wrote about a week ago was accepted. Let’s hope it’s just the beginning of a string of acceptances from the past couple of weeks’ work.

The drive to Providence was smooth, although Providence itself had a lot of traffic. I even got there before the bus — a first! The drive back was a breeze, too.

We had a pork roast for dinner, and then headed to Sandwich, where Costume Imp hung out in the library while I had the Writers Center Board Meeting. It went well.

Home, and great chatting/catching up.

Up early this morning, lots to do. It’s a nice day, even though it’s cold, so maybe we’ll get a chance to work in the yard and walk on the beach! I also have some prop stuff to handle.

Devon

Don’t forget our additional show on April 8!

Wed. April 3, 2013: Final Dress & Arrivals

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Waning Moon

Saturn Retrograde

Sunny and cold

Absolutely exhausted. Worked like crazy yesterday, trying to get a lot of stuff sorted out.

One of my articles is up, about writing a series, over on Writer’s Fun Zone. Check it out!

Did a targeted mailing and pitched for a couple more jobs.

Yesterday was our final dress rehearsal for the play, which had its challenges, although the actors are doing a great job. I feel like we’re in good shape to bring in an audience and go for it. Sunday’s the big day! And then Monday!

An article of mine that I wrote last week was accepted and will go up in a couple of weeks in a new-to-me venue. Very exciting.

Working on a proposal for a big project out of state, which would be tons of fun.

Not doing enough work on the book, so that has to adjust once the show is over.

Costume Imp arrives today AND I have a Writers Center Board meeting.

Best get going!

Devon