Jamie DeBree's Blog, page 53
September 18, 2011
Code Name: Succulent – On Vacations
Vacation is an interesting concept that
I'm often told I don't understand. And I don't, in the
traditional sense. Even when I was a kid, every vacation I ever went
on required that I get up at a decent time, run all over the place
doing or seeing "stuff", falling into bed dead tired at night,
and coming home just to jump right back into daily life. I stopped
wanting to travel on vacations a long time ago, because it's just
so much work...more work than just everyday living. Yes, I love to
see and do new things, but my idea of a true vacation would be
sleeping late, doing as little as possible for the rest of the day,
maybe seeing one or two attractions and enjoying some sort of
entertainment late into the night. Aside from my husband, I don't
know anyone else who is content with that sort of vacation and we
rarely have the money to travel...and it's far more difficult than
it should be for us to actually go on vacation by ourselves.
For some reason, we always have people wanting to tag along
(friends/family) and one of my dogs needs special care, so it's
easier to just not go for the most part. Occasionally we get away for
a weekend, but it's pretty rare.
Most people I know plan a big trip and
then spend the whole time trying to make the most of wherever they
went, wearing themselves out completely before dragging their butts
back to work. That's not a vacation to me, that's just working
hard at something else for a week.
So I generally prefer to take vacation
time from work at home, using the time to sleep in later than I
normally would and get caught up on household stuff that I normally
have to work on around work. Every year my husband and I both take
the week before our Halloween party off to finish up decorations and
preparations for the party. It's a working vacation, but fun
because we're doing something we enjoy (and we sleep in/stay up
late).
This year I'd planned to take a week
off in the summer to just read and write, but that wasn't in the
cards due to a lot of unplanned work stuff. When I finally got to
take a week off this past week, there was a whole bunch of things to
deal with, because it's fall, and fall is our busiest time of the
year (not to mention we have a ton of house projects going on right
now that need attending too – a fluke that would normally not be
the case). So rather than spending my vacation from the day job
writing, I spent most of it dealing with house stuff and doctor
appointments and a crazy schedule that didn't allow much time for
relaxing. Which is fine, I guess, but I do sort of wish now that I'd
just worked through fall, since all the stuff I did would have
eventually gotten taken care of anyways, and I could have taken a
week off in the winter when things aren't so hectic.
The two things I really wanted to do
was get ahead on my blog serials, and finish revising my next novel.
I didn't accomplish either of those, so I kind of feel like the
whole week was just wasted. Live and learn, I guess. Though I did
really enjoy being at home, and doing my daily writing time in the
afternoons in my own quiet office with no distractions. That part was
absolute bliss for an hour or so every day.
In any case, it's back to the day job
tomorrow, back to my comfortable routines, and back to the 6am alarm
clock that I hate with every fiber of my being.
All this to say, I may not understand
vacations, but neither does anyone who runs around like crazy trying
to fit a year's worth of sight seeing into one week. We just spend
them differently, is all...and most of us work way too hard at it, no
matter what we happen to have planned.
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September 16, 2011
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Chapter 18
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15|
Ch. 16| Ch. 17
Falling in Public
Chapter 18
"It's about time you showed up," Holly's kidnapper said as the doorman from The Afterglow carried her to the passenger side of his car. "I thought I was going to have to deliver her directly. Would have cost you more money."
The doorman finished putting her in the car and gave her a towel to press against her leg. "I had a lunch date," he said, wiping his bloody hands on his jeans. Holly tried not to think about the blood she was losing as the car door swung shut against her thigh. Reaching through the open window, the doorman pushed the lock shut.
"Stay there."
She nodded. It wasn't like she had a choice. The kidnapper's shot had gone straight through, and even if her leg could bear the weight, she doubted she'd get very far before the loss of blood took it's toll.
The doorman walked to the other side of the car, speaking in low tones to the kidnapper. Holly strained to hear what they were saying, but the pain made it hard to focus. The doorman gave her kidnapper a white envelope, and then finally joined her in the car.
"I need," she started, her dry throat making it hard to swallow. "I need a doctor. And some water." Her head started to spin as she laid it back against the headrest and closed her eyes. "Please."
The engine started, the low rumble of Italian luxury purring through the whole car. If she felt better, she might even enjoy the ride in a hot rod. As it was, she'd be lucky to stay conscious.
"There's a private doctor in residence where we're going," the doorman said as the car began to move. "You should rest. Sleep if you'd like."
Holly needed to stay awake. She needed to remember street signs, names and numbers, just in case there was an opportunity to get free. Later. When it didn't hurt just to breathe.
Forcing her eyes open, she looked at the man beside her. He was good looking in a brainless body-builder sort of way. "Do you do this a lot?" she asked, only realizing after the words were out how much they sounded like a cheesy pick-up line. "Kidnap women, I mean."
He stared straight ahead, giving no indication that he'd heard her. He wanted to play that game, did he?
"So how much does a woman go for these days? I'm assuming you have some sort of mark-up on the other end, right? Or is this one of those rings that kidnap women and sell them into sexual slavery?" Still no answer. She shrugged, sitting back in the seat. "On the bright side, this is going to make a great book someday. Kidnapping, a relationship doomed from the start, big bucks changing hands, the heroine shot trying to escape..." She thought he glanced her way, but the movement was so fleeting she couldn't be sure.
"You won't write about this."
The threat behind the words sent a shiver down her spine, but she refused to react with fear. "I wouldn't be surprised if it gets made into a movie. You live here - you should know how Hollywood producers eat this sort of thing up. A book like that could make my career. So I guess I should be thanking you."
The doorman pulled the car into a long, wide driveway that circled in front of a classic mansion with tall white columns gracing the front porch. He cut the engine right in front of the steps, and got out, opening her door just a few seconds later. His large hand closed tight around her upper arm and he drug her out of the car, forcing her to grab his shoulder as her leg gave out underneath. She stumbled beside him as he half-dragged, half carried her up the stairs and propped her up beside the door as he knocked three quick times in succession. As the locks turned from inside the house, he leaned closer, an ugly sneer on his face.
"You won't be alive long enough to write about this, Ms. Saunders."
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September 15, 2011
Quantum Physics and the Art of Departure by Craig Lancaster
In any case, for the next two weeks you can download the latest release from local (to me) literary author Craig Lancaster - and it's not even out yet! It will be released December 6th by Amazon Encore, but you can get it free and early at Smashwords using the code EY63S until September 30th. How groovy is that?
I can personally vouch for this collection - I've read it, and I love it. Craig is very talented at finding the deeper meaning in the mundane, and he captures the life of average Montanans in a way that will resonate wherever you live. Whether you're already a literary fiction reader, or if you've never really experienced the genre before, I'd urge you to give it a try. I mean, it's free, right?
Here's the trailer - watch, then download your copy. I just know you'll love it.
September 14, 2011
Writing Notes: Relationship Development
Relationship Development.
The thing is, you can't rush a relationship, even on paper. And while some develop pretty quickly all on their own, others are more complex, and need to be allowed to develop at their own pace. When you try to rush it, the inevitable comments will be along the lines of "the story was too short" or "the relationship was unbelievable" - and rightly so. I really think that when people say the story was too short, or felt rushed, what they're really saying is that the characters were pushed into acting in ways that just weren't plausible for them, due to length/time constraints.
As a writer, my first responsibility is to the characters I'm writing. Why? Because if I pay attention and write the characters in the way that their personality needs to be written, it's going to be more satisfying to the reader. While I don't hit it perfectly every time, I do really strive to make sure that relationships aren't forced, and aren't rushed just for the sake of a particular word count. The story is what matters, not how long or how short it is. And that's why a lot of my short stories run long. It's also why a lot of my novels run short - I won't stretch things out just to pad the story. But that's a topic for another post.
Do you give your characters more time when they need it? Or do you force them to meet the word count you need, regardless?
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September 12, 2011
Weekly News, Archive & Goals 9/12/11
To Carol, Anne & Ardee-ann who stopped by to commiserate with me after my root canal last week – thank you. I meant to get back and respond, but never quite made it. I'm really happy to know I'm in such good company regarding the Coke vs. Pepsi thing though! LOL And I did indeed have more cheesecake...
If you've managed to miss the news that I'm on vacation from the day job this week, then you've been hiding under a decent sized rock. Or you're not attached to me in some way on other social networks. Which is perfectly fine, I suppose...though we're both probably missing out in that case.
Needless to say, I will be posting all my regular blog posts (including the ones I've been missing for the last couple of weeks), but posting times may be sporadic since I'm juggling a whole bunch of abnormal things at the same time for the household, my publishing biz, and I've got a novel I want to finish revisions on. Heck, I think I may even finish a couple short stories this week.
Not that I expect anyone's hanging out at 6am (my time) waiting for my blog posts, but if you don't see 'em at the normal times, be patient. They'll turn up.
This Week on The Variety Pages
Monday: Weekly News, Goals, & Archives 9/12/11
Wednesday: Writing Notes – Relationship Development
Thursday: Quantum Physics & The Art of Departure - Free ebook offer
Friday: Ch. 18 of Falling in Public
Sunday: Code Name: Succulent – Saying "No"
Elsewhere
Tuesday: Chapter 18 of The Minister's Maid at Fantasy Ranch Novels
Tuesday: New design at NailArt Tuesday
Tuesday: Tea post at Tea onTap
Thursday: Revisiting the Business Plan at Beyond the Words
Saturday: Planning to Fail at Routinely Yours
If you missed a post last week and want to catch up, here's the link list. Note that this includes *all* of my posts, including for my pen name genres and non-writing blogs, so click at your own risk.
Posts for September 5 – September 11
Fiction
Chapter 17 of The Minister's Maid (Romantic Suspense, FantasyRanchNovels.com)
Chapter 17 of Falling in Public(Romantic Suspense, The Variety Pages)
Chapter 15 of The Pile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter 16 of The Pile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Writing/Reading/Publishing
(No posts here last week due to root canal...check back this week!)
Personal/Hobbies
(The Variety Pages)
Here, Kitty Kitty (Nail Art Tuesday)
Infrastructure & Movement (Routinely Yours)
Goal Reports
Last week was kind of a bust – I didn't even get all of my serial chapters done (and I always feel horrible about that). I didn't start my Rattles story either, though I have the idea in my head, so I'm looking forward to writing that this week. Check out my call for submissions, & join in!
I did manage to complete our closet clean-out project, and I worked out three times as well – which I've been struggling with, so that was huge. Between work and that stupid root canal and being in and out of the office for a short week...it was just a hard one to stay on track with. This week is already a vast improvement, though it's going to be a busy one.
Goals for the Week
Writing
5 serial chapters
Finish revisions on The Wise Critique
Write flash story for the Rattles anthology
If there's any time left, get ahead on serial stories
Business
Catch up record keeping (finally)
Start promo on An Elemental Wind by Carol R. Ward (new release later this month!)
Submit books for review
Catch up/stay caught up on email
Personal
Get someone out to look at our "stuck on inclined" treadmill
Get an estimate for replacing our back fence
Design Halloween party invitations
Clean out and donate empty aquariums (used to be reptile homes)
Move goldfish and donate/sell larger aquarium
Get all laundry caught up
Read
Update my Goodreads account
It's gonna be a good week. 
I hope your week is off to a great start!
Enjoy
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September 11, 2011
Code Name Succulent: More on Balance
summer I vowed to take more "play time" for myself, and I did,
even though I really didn't have the time for it. I'm feeling the
effects now, and it's taken a toll on my self-discipline...it's
easier for me to brush aside responsibilities now than it used to be,
and I don't like that. Perhaps that makes me uptight or whatever,
but I've been slipping behind lately on the things that I genuinely
want to get done, and not only does that stress me out, it makes me
unhappy. More time to relax doesn't do any good if you spend it
thinking about all the things you wish you had done.
I've cut back my online games to just
a couple that I can play with a minimal amount of time and effort,
and that I enjoy but am not obligated to anyone in. Unfortunately,
I'm writing so much that I have less time to read than I really
need...and that will have to be remedied. I firmly believe that a
good writer must read widely and often, and I've been doing a lousy
job of that lately.
I've taken on some responsibilities
lately that I truly want to follow through with, but they do require
a considerable amount of extra time, and right at the part of the
year where we (my husband and I) are at our busiest. Plus hubby and I
are doing some things this fall that we don't normally do (home
improvement projects that should have been done this summer, but late
contractors have set us back a lot), so that's taking a toll as
well.
The nice thing is, I'm officially "on
vacation" from the day job this next week, which I think will allow
me to not only get caught up, but to re-prioritize all the things on
my schedule and hopefully even get ahead on some things. House
things, writing things, routines, blogging – everything is going to
be pulled out, examined, and slotted back into place so that when
it's all said and done, I'm ready to jump in again with both feet
(and still have time for the new TV season and FarmTown).
I'm at the point of saturation with
what I can handle, and I know that. But I don't want to give
anything up, because the things I could afford to give up are the
things that make my life what it is...and I like what my life is. So
a little re-organization is necessary to allow me to keep doing what
I love doing.
It should be a good week, I think. Now
I need to go clean out the fridge.
Enjoy
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September 9, 2011
Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 17
Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12|Ch.13|Ch. 14|Ch. 15|
Ch. 16
Falling in Public
Chapter 17
Her kidnapper pushed her forward, waiting until after a group of suits had passed to answer. "Why am I doing this?" He chuckled, an unpleasant sound as they turned the corner toward the back door of the studio. "Because you have no respect for the natural order of things. And someone has to help you learn it. Might as well be me."
Holly frowned, trying to keep her head still even as she looked everywhere for a path of escape. Unfortunately the area was dark, and the only things visible were outlines of metal stair pieces and technical equipment. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she replied, earning another poke in the back with the gun. "The natural order of things? You mean you're kidnapping me because I have a leather purse?"
"You really are just that stupid, aren't you. I'm trying to help you. It will all be clear soon."
They stopped in front of an emergency exit door, and he reached past her to push it open. The alarms she braced for never came on, so someone must have disabled them earlier. Squinting in the bright afternoon sun, she stepped out onto the hot asphalt and waited for her eyes to adjust.
"This way," the man said, pulling her arm ahead and to the left. Holly had no choice but to follow blindly, relieved when they finally stood in the shade of a small tree. "Get in."
She eyed the beige sedan as he held the door to the back seat open, then looked frantically around the parking lot. There wasn't anyone around, so calling for help didn't seem like a good plan, but she knew that once she got in the car, her chances of escape narrowed to nearly nothing.
An engine gunned behind her, and she swiveled to see a bright red sports car coming her way, determination sending her adrenaline soaring as her muscles tensed. Only one thought remained as she darted out in front of the oncoming vehicle.
I'm going to die.
Time seemed to slow down as everything happened at once. The car slowed, but didn't stop, and she instinctively jumped as the low hood approached. Just before landing sideways on the hot metal, a loud pop preceded an intense burning sensation in her left thigh, but the impact with the car insured that her entire body shared an equal amount of pain. As the car came to a halt, she kept going forward, powerless to keep from sliding off to crumple in a heap on the black top.
Dazed, she sat there trying to catch her breath even has her leg throbbed and the opposite shoulder felt like it was on fire. Her only hope now was the driver.
A door slammed, and heavy footsteps approached. Big black biker boots appeared on the ground beside her, and she forced herself to look up. The sun was in her eyes, so all she could see was a tall, dark shadow looming eerily above.
"Help me," she said, hope rising as he leaned down and slid one hand under her knees, and the other behind her back. Hoisting her up, he turned so he was blocking the sun, allowing her to see his face for the first time.
Damn.
Enjoy this installment? Try The Biker's Wench, available now at:
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September 7, 2011
The Excuses Post
- I forgot my tea this morning when I left for work. (We'll just call this the initial omen.)
- When I realized I forgot my tea, I grabbed .50 out of the car and decided to buy a Coke for caffeine. I'm a Coca-cola fan, always have been. When I got to the pop machines, the coke machine was broken. Had to drink Pepsi.
- At work, I tried incredibly hard to solve a problem for someone by the time I had to leave at noon, and couldn't solve it (most frustrating).
- 2pm - 4pm I was at the dentist for a root canal. About half-way in, a file that should "never break" broke while the dentist was filing out one of the canals. Which means he had to do the rest of the filing inside the canal by hand rather than with his power tools...which took forever, and gave him one heck of a hand cramp. He was able to finish the root canal, but had to stop there since there was still a couple hours left of filling/misc. work left to do and his hand was shot. So I have to go back next Tues. to get it finished.
- Went to pick up hubby from work (we share a car), was following the law by *waiting* for a person to make a left turn and almost had a collision with the impatient idiot who was on the shoulder trying to zip around those of us waiting when the first person finally turned.
- Went to dinner starving, but had to stick with easy-to-eat blintzes (which is only unfortunate because my jaw is sore, so it was hard to take bites.
Now my ibuprofen is finally working, I'm at home on my comfy couch, eating cheesecake and trying to decide whether to do something productive, or read a book.
Actually though, none of that is why you didn't get a Writing Notes post today. The reason for that is because Monday night I stayed up until 4am reading a book, and got about 2 hours worth of sleep, so I went to bed early last night, and got 6 hours of sleep. Which is apparently too much, given today's events. 4-5 is about perfect, and that's what I'm aiming for tonight.
So, honey's...how was your day?
September 5, 2011
Weekly News, Archive & Goals 9/5/11
Happy Labor Day to my US readers...I
hope you're enjoying the long holiday weekend (I know I am)!
Short & sweet (more or less) this week, due to the
holiday and my own desire to get caught up on some other things
(gonna clean out my closets today...):
Rattles Flash Fiction is now accepting
submissions – so head on over that way if you're interested in
writing a short story to submit to the monthly anthology, mosey on
over there to get the prompt/image.
Routinely Yours is up and running as
well – join me there for a crash course in making your routines and
organization work for your individual needs.
This Week on The Variety Pages
Monday: Weekly News, Goals, &
Archives 9/6/11
Wednesday:
Writing Notes – Trying New Things
Friday:
Ch. 17 of Falling in Public
Sunday:
Code Name: Succulent – Balancing Work & Play
Elsewhere
Tuesday: Chapter 17 of The
Minister's Maid at Fantasy
Ranch Novels
Tuesday: New
design at NailArt
Tuesday
Tuesday: Tea post at Tea
onTap
Thursday:
Revisiting the Business Plan at Beyond
the Words
Saturday:
Routine Manipulation at Routinely
Yours
If you missed a post last week and want
to catch up, here's the link list. Note that this includes *all* of
my posts, including for my pen name genres and non-writing blogs, so
click at your own risk.
Posts for August 29 – September 4
Fiction
Chapter 16 of The Minister's Maid (Romantic
Suspense, FantasyRanchNovels.com)
Chapter 16 of Falling in Public(Romantic Suspense, The Variety Pages)
Chapter 13 of The PileDriver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter 57 of Angel Eyes (AlexWesthaven.com, Thriller)
Writing/Reading/Publishing
Writing Notes: Working in the Dark
(The Variety Pages)
Personal/Hobbies
(The Variety
Pages)
Jammin' Iris Dust (Nail Art Tuesday)
Know Thyself: Identify Your Routines
(Routinely Yours)
Goal Reports
Last week started out productive, but
when I got to the end, I hadn't accomplished nearly as much as I'd
wanted to. Part of this I'll blame on The Closer – we got seasons
1-5 for Christmas last year, and have been trying to finish them all
before our normal shows come back for the fall season in two weeks.
We're half-way through the 5th season...so if we can
finish this week, I'll probably be a lot more productive watching
TV with commercial breaks again.
Next week (Sept. 12 – 16), I'll be
on vacation from the day job. That will be very helpful in terms of
catching up...
Goals for the Week
Writing
5 serial
chapters (finish the short story in progress?)
Start my flash
fiction for Rattles
Business
Email catch-up
Submit TBW for
review
Catch up
bookkeeping (this really is going to happen one of these days...)
Personal
Clean out
closets and donate all extra clothing to Goodwill (today)
Get the new
morning routine hashed out
Workout three
times
Root canal on
Weds (fun, eh?)
A
relatively small list this week, but that's okay – it's a short
week. Here's to long holiday weekends!
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September 4, 2011
Code Name: Succulent – But How Are Your Plants?
It's been a little over two months
since I started this series, and a lot has happened since then. That
includes a lot of things that would have been impossible to plan for
and predict when I was so glibly planning to add a little fun and
balance back into my life. Even with all of that going on though, I
still managed to broaden my horizon sufficiently enough that I no
longer feel like the day job and writing are all I do – or all that
I am. Due to that, I'm declaring the whole project a rousing
success.
But all of this started with a
houseplant crisis, and a bunch of new succulents to replace the
tropical plants that were lost to the cause. They became my
inspiration, and I vowed to make them a priority in my new regime.
Well, that fell by the wayside pretty
much as soon as other things started falling apart this summer. And
yet, being succulents, they all managed to survive the drought
(though some in better condition than others). And now that things
are sort of calming down to the normal dull roar of fall, I'll be
able to make them a priority, and hopefully allow them to grow strong
and healthy before the next drought hits.
Incidentally, the spider plant my mom
gave me is also still hanging on (I have no idea how), and the
orchids and two carnivorous plants I bought around the same time are
also still with us. At this rate, I may be able to grow some
tropicals again (shh! Don't tell hubby...he may not actually
appreciate that).
And I have a pencil plant cutting
drying for Carol as we speak (sorry it's taken so long!). Perhaps
once I finally get it sent out the door, I'll write up the story of
the fascinating woman I got it from. Ironically, I have no photo of said pencil cactus today...hmm. Next time.
Do you have houseplants? How are they
doing at the moment?
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The Biker's Wench
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