Libby Drew's Blog, page 2
November 1, 2013
NaNoWriMore
TAKE THAT, BOOK EDITS! I DEFY YOU! 
October 30, 2013
NaNo NaNo
I have a love/hate relationship with editing. Specifically in having my own work edited. On one hand, I’m convinced there’s nothing more exciting and fulfilling than a solid, thorough editing pass by a professional who knows her stuff. Also, there’s nothing more frustrating and humbling than a solid, thorough editing pass by said professional. It’s a full-circle kind of experience, not unlike—ironically—the Kubler-Ross stages of grief. Except for me, there’s a sixth stage that manifests after acceptance: love for the (clearly) better manuscript.
Even more difficult, however, is dealing with ongoing edits when there’s a shiny new project begging for attention. Because let’s face it, you can only resist that pull for so long before your “impressive restraint” becomes “bitter longing.” Which is a mature way of saying I WANT TO BE WORKING ON MY NANO NOVEL STARTING FRIDAY AND I CAN’T.
From me to you: Things NOT to do when faced with the above situation…
1. Open the NaNo file (already at 10K and begging for another 50) and read it beginning to end. Twice. Sob in frustration.
2. Procrastinate current editing pass on acquired novel by playing Candy Crush while thinking about NaNo project.
3. Troll Hulu for the newest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
4. Post to LJ.
5. Search Google for pictures of kittens. Just because.
Things to do instead.
1. Do the freaking edits.
2. Do the dishes.
3. Do the freaking edits.
To end this post of frustration and whininess… I present the scene out my front door this morning. I love autumn. It’s very pretty, but I do get distracted by all the leaves falling past the window. Not unlike my cat. I’m thinking I should be embarrassed about this, but can’t seem to muster the energy. ;-p
Even more difficult, however, is dealing with ongoing edits when there’s a shiny new project begging for attention. Because let’s face it, you can only resist that pull for so long before your “impressive restraint” becomes “bitter longing.” Which is a mature way of saying I WANT TO BE WORKING ON MY NANO NOVEL STARTING FRIDAY AND I CAN’T.
From me to you: Things NOT to do when faced with the above situation…
1. Open the NaNo file (already at 10K and begging for another 50) and read it beginning to end. Twice. Sob in frustration.
2. Procrastinate current editing pass on acquired novel by playing Candy Crush while thinking about NaNo project.
3. Troll Hulu for the newest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
4. Post to LJ.
5. Search Google for pictures of kittens. Just because.
Things to do instead.
1. Do the freaking edits.
2. Do the dishes.
3. Do the freaking edits.
To end this post of frustration and whininess… I present the scene out my front door this morning. I love autumn. It’s very pretty, but I do get distracted by all the leaves falling past the window. Not unlike my cat. I’m thinking I should be embarrassed about this, but can’t seem to muster the energy. ;-p
October 25, 2013
October 25th, 2013
I reblogged
gb_lindsey
's post about this a few days ago, but here's the firsthand account.
Exciting stuff! Carina Press has acquired a series of books written by Diana Copland ( diana_copland ), G.B. Lindsey ( gb_lindsey ) and myself. The small details, like titles (yes, it's a small detail, honestly) are still being ironed out, but we're on track for a June 2014 release as three separate novellas, with the possibility for a bundled anthology around Christmas next year. A June release is both flattering and nerve-wracking. That's like Ludicrous Speed for Harlequin, so there's a push for a lot of editing in a smaller time frame than usual. But it's kind of cool they want it out there so quickly.
I'll blog eventually about the journey of writing these books, because it was a unique experience. It had—it still has—that feeling of creating fan fiction in a universe I adore. Not only did I get to use Diana and Grete's amazing characters in my book, but I got to see my own characters brought to life through their stories. Waking up to snippets of their novellas in my inbox was always enough to brighten my day.
These are the M/M novellas we wrote under the working title Neverwood, about a trio of foster brothers, their haunted house, and their quest to find and keep the men they love. More details as they come available, which should be soon. I'm very pleased to be working with Carina again. So… June.
But! Believe it or not, I'll have another book out before that. Look for Paradox Lost from Carina Press in January.
But! I'll have another book out before that. Look for Paradox Lost from Carina Press in January.
Time travel tour guide Reegan McNamara’s job—taking eager tourists whenever they want to go—is usually a breeze. A trip back to 2020 to watch a world-changing speech seems no different, until a woman runs away from his tour group before the jump home. Now her tycoon husband is demanding her safe return—or Reegan will lose more than just his job.
PI Saul Kildare’s business is running on borrowed time. Due to a messy break with the police, he can’t get a referral to save his life. When an enigmatic stranger bangs on his door one night and promises a windfall for a missing-person case, it seems too good to be true. But the two men have an immediate connection, and Saul can’t pass up the chance to spend more time with Reegan, even if he is clearly hiding something.
Saul knows he shouldn’t trust Reegan, and Reegan knows he can’t get involved with Saul. But as their attraction evolves into feelings neither can deny, will they have the strength to take a leap of faith – together?
Unbelievably, my nine-year LJ anniversary is coming up at the beginning of December. When I think of all the wonderful and talented people I've met here, it amazes me. You are the people who made this all happen, who encouraged me to write and keep writing. Thanks for everything. ♥
Exciting stuff! Carina Press has acquired a series of books written by Diana Copland ( diana_copland ), G.B. Lindsey ( gb_lindsey ) and myself. The small details, like titles (yes, it's a small detail, honestly) are still being ironed out, but we're on track for a June 2014 release as three separate novellas, with the possibility for a bundled anthology around Christmas next year. A June release is both flattering and nerve-wracking. That's like Ludicrous Speed for Harlequin, so there's a push for a lot of editing in a smaller time frame than usual. But it's kind of cool they want it out there so quickly.
I'll blog eventually about the journey of writing these books, because it was a unique experience. It had—it still has—that feeling of creating fan fiction in a universe I adore. Not only did I get to use Diana and Grete's amazing characters in my book, but I got to see my own characters brought to life through their stories. Waking up to snippets of their novellas in my inbox was always enough to brighten my day.
These are the M/M novellas we wrote under the working title Neverwood, about a trio of foster brothers, their haunted house, and their quest to find and keep the men they love. More details as they come available, which should be soon. I'm very pleased to be working with Carina again. So… June.
But! Believe it or not, I'll have another book out before that. Look for Paradox Lost from Carina Press in January.
But! I'll have another book out before that. Look for Paradox Lost from Carina Press in January. Time travel tour guide Reegan McNamara’s job—taking eager tourists whenever they want to go—is usually a breeze. A trip back to 2020 to watch a world-changing speech seems no different, until a woman runs away from his tour group before the jump home. Now her tycoon husband is demanding her safe return—or Reegan will lose more than just his job.
PI Saul Kildare’s business is running on borrowed time. Due to a messy break with the police, he can’t get a referral to save his life. When an enigmatic stranger bangs on his door one night and promises a windfall for a missing-person case, it seems too good to be true. But the two men have an immediate connection, and Saul can’t pass up the chance to spend more time with Reegan, even if he is clearly hiding something.
Saul knows he shouldn’t trust Reegan, and Reegan knows he can’t get involved with Saul. But as their attraction evolves into feelings neither can deny, will they have the strength to take a leap of faith – together?
Unbelievably, my nine-year LJ anniversary is coming up at the beginning of December. When I think of all the wonderful and talented people I've met here, it amazes me. You are the people who made this all happen, who encouraged me to write and keep writing. Thanks for everything. ♥
October 19, 2013
The ultimate Mary Sue
Apparently I'm quite ill. My kids were horribly sick this week with a stomach bug/fever/head cold combo... thing. Lucky for me, it was short-lived, since each child succumbed like clockwork. I was dragging by Friday but figured that if I hadn't caught it by playing nursemaid for four days, I was in the clear. Wrong. Which I should have realized after I woke up feeling kind of funky this morning. But I didn't feel like death, so I packed my sorry ass in the car to go to my daughter's softball tournament. Fast forward six hours later, during the drive home.
Husband: Hey, are you okay?
Me: Not sure. Feel kind of weird. Like I went to another dimension.
Daughter: Cool!
Husband: Not cool. *pulls thermometer out of car's first-aid kit* Take your temperature.
Me: 103? That can't be right.
Daughter: *snaps her fingers* Mom, you're on fire!
Me: No wonder I kept seeing Elvis in left field.
Husband: You're an idiot.
Here's the Mary Sue tidbit. After I got tucked into bed, I started reviewing my daughter's social media accounts (which are all cloned to my phone, because that's the kind of parent I am *shrug*). While usually my daily checks produce nothing of serious interest (except for Roku--Here he is, in a fish costume riding a Roomba), today I discovered that one of the teen celebrities she follows posted fan fiction. To be more specific, she wrote a fan fiction story about herself, made an accompanying banner with selfies plastered all over it, and wrote a story about herself sitting on a park bench waiting for a boy. Then she demanded it get 5,000 likes or she wasn't posting the next chapter. (The first chapter was about 300 words long.)
Now... my poll. Cause you knew there was one coming.
Poll #1939468
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 66
Writing fan fiction about myself, then demanding people like it is...
1. Just fine.
2. Self serving and kind of sad.
3. Elvis in the Outfield
Getting sleepy. Will check back for prevailing opinion a bit later.
Husband: Hey, are you okay?
Me: Not sure. Feel kind of weird. Like I went to another dimension.
Daughter: Cool!
Husband: Not cool. *pulls thermometer out of car's first-aid kit* Take your temperature.
Me: 103? That can't be right.
Daughter: *snaps her fingers* Mom, you're on fire!
Me: No wonder I kept seeing Elvis in left field.
Husband: You're an idiot.
Here's the Mary Sue tidbit. After I got tucked into bed, I started reviewing my daughter's social media accounts (which are all cloned to my phone, because that's the kind of parent I am *shrug*). While usually my daily checks produce nothing of serious interest (except for Roku--Here he is, in a fish costume riding a Roomba), today I discovered that one of the teen celebrities she follows posted fan fiction. To be more specific, she wrote a fan fiction story about herself, made an accompanying banner with selfies plastered all over it, and wrote a story about herself sitting on a park bench waiting for a boy. Then she demanded it get 5,000 likes or she wasn't posting the next chapter. (The first chapter was about 300 words long.)
Now... my poll. Cause you knew there was one coming.
Poll #1939468
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 66
Writing fan fiction about myself, then demanding people like it is...
1. Just fine.
2. Self serving and kind of sad.
3. Elvis in the Outfield
Getting sleepy. Will check back for prevailing opinion a bit later.
October 13, 2013
October 10, 2013
Russian parliament debates taking kids from gay parents
Moscow (AFP) - Russian lawmakers will in February debate a bill that could see homosexual couples lose custody of their children, parliamentary documents showed Wednesday. The debate will likely coincide with the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi which have already been marred by boycott calls over Russia's controversial new anti-gay legislation. The bill, published on the website of Russia's Duma lower house of parliament, says the state can strip parents of custody if they practise "non-traditional sexual relations," the term used in Russian laws to describe homosexual relations.Full article HERE.
Here's another terrifying bit: In an interview with Slon.Ru last month, Zhuravlyov said that "exposing" homosexuals would be easy enough once their children were in school.
The madness never ends. It keeps escalating, in fact. How is it that the Olympics were given to a country with such ignorant, hateful politics. It boggles.
Goodbye Biscuit
We lost one of our kitties last night. Although my kids have been raised around their grandparents' farm and have witnessed plenty of loss, calves, pigs, chickens and the like aren't the same as a beloved pet who's been with us for sixteen years. She was hit by a car (which didn't even bother to slow down afterwards—a post for another time), and the end came instantly—a broken neck. I'm comforted she didn’t suffer and was relieved that, physically, she looked peaceful. It helped that the kids were able to hold her while they said goodbye. She was a delightful creature, a paragon of health her whole life, affectionate and playful even in her advanced age. She will be missed.
Biscuit 1997-2013
September 24, 2013
Exciting News
That thing I was working on? With those other two people? Got great news about it last night. *\o/*
It was Curriculum Night at our high school yesterday evening. That guy I married came with me. I followed one son's schedule, he followed the other's. I'm convinced teachers love curriculum night. I seriously believe they practice for it all year. Because then they can have conversations like this, which make you feel proud and stupid all at once.
Teacher: Your son has a great grasp of this material. He must get a lot of support at home.
Me: We're very involved in our kids' education.
Teacher: His strategy for solving probability density functions is particularly impressive. He told me he gets his math skills from you.
Me: That's a complete lie.
Teacher: *laughs* We're going to be covering Algebraic Graph Theory next. Remember that?
Me: Not remotely. He really was lying. I never got past Calculus.
Teacher: Well, Discrete Math is related to Calculus.
Me: Except it's circumspect and inoffensive, right?
Teacher: *laughslaughslaughs* You're funny.
Me: Thanks. I'm also totally serious.
Also, guess what? Today, September 24th, is National Punctuation Day! Founded by Jeff Rubin in 2004, National Punctuation Day simply promotes the correct usage of punctuation. Rubin encourages appreciators of correct punctuation and spelling to send in pictures of errors spotted in every day life. Here's mine:
It was Curriculum Night at our high school yesterday evening. That guy I married came with me. I followed one son's schedule, he followed the other's. I'm convinced teachers love curriculum night. I seriously believe they practice for it all year. Because then they can have conversations like this, which make you feel proud and stupid all at once.
Teacher: Your son has a great grasp of this material. He must get a lot of support at home.
Me: We're very involved in our kids' education.
Teacher: His strategy for solving probability density functions is particularly impressive. He told me he gets his math skills from you.
Me: That's a complete lie.
Teacher: *laughs* We're going to be covering Algebraic Graph Theory next. Remember that?
Me: Not remotely. He really was lying. I never got past Calculus.
Teacher: Well, Discrete Math is related to Calculus.
Me: Except it's circumspect and inoffensive, right?
Teacher: *laughslaughslaughs* You're funny.
Me: Thanks. I'm also totally serious.
Also, guess what? Today, September 24th, is National Punctuation Day! Founded by Jeff Rubin in 2004, National Punctuation Day simply promotes the correct usage of punctuation. Rubin encourages appreciators of correct punctuation and spelling to send in pictures of errors spotted in every day life. Here's mine:
September 12, 2013
Warner Bros. Announces New Harry Potter Movies
Two posts in one day. Yeah, baby! Picked up an Easy button at Staples this morning. Look out world!
Warner Bros. has announced a new Harry Potter-related film series based in the world of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie will be an “original story and will mark Rowling’s screenwriting debut. It is planned as the first picture in a new film series.”
What’s more, the series will focus on the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Newt Scamander.
Full article HERE.
September 3, 2013
Some Thoughts on Writing
You know how the start of a story can take an eternity to get right, yet the subsequent 10,000 words can flow like overpriced bottled water? There’s just so much weight—weight and expectation—in that first scene. There’s no room for error. Lazy writing that might pass the reader’s notice in later passages won’t fly for The Beginning.
There has to be connection. A hook. Action. Dialogue. Motivation. A question. A quest. And it must be seemless. Clever. It must have movement.
I have a hard time pressing forward if the beginning doesn’t feel right. But no pressure, right? I’ve only rearranged these ~350 words a thousand times today. What’s another hundred or so?
