C.E. Murphy's Blog, page 86

time travel

The way I think about time travel scenarios you’d think I was likely to be caught up in one AT ANY MOMENT. My current mental scenario obsession: I awaken on Jan 1 of the year I turn 13, with as much knowledge about the future as I can, y’know, remember. What do I do?

(Answer: the 1st fucking thing I do is find a way to stop the Challenger launch. Call in a bomb threat to NASA, I don’t know, but *something*.

2nd thing I do: start acquiring fake IDs. Dunno how you do that in Kenai. “Excuse me, si...

wordcount triumph

I set myself a small, realistic wordcount goal this year, because last year was so phenomenally bad. 200K, that was my goal.

I had over 100K by the end of March, so it was something of a letdown to take until yesterday to reach the 200K mark, but I have triumphed and heck, there are still 3 months left in the year! (And I, uh, want to finish at least 2 more books in that time. And write 3 or more short stories…) Still, I reached goal, so that’s nice.

I’m also at 25K on the epic proposal, and ha...

Roadhouse

So I just got done working and went downstairs and glanced into the living room as I walked by, and a shirtless Patrick Swayze was on TV, and I said to Ted, “Roadhouse?”

And then I thought, and said to Ted, “Why have I seen Roadhouse often enough that I can identify it by those particular two seconds of half-naked Patrick Swayze?” and concluded (also aloud) that the answer was probably “Well, Patrick Swayze.”

A few minutes later there’s a sex scene and it’s up against a rough stone wall and Ted...

committing epic

I’m working on my epic fantasy proposal. The other day I was whining to Michelle Sagara that epic was hard and I was rambling and meandering and babbling and boring all the readers to tears, I could just tell…

…and she said, “So: in other words, you’re writing.”

*laughs* Yeah, well. I’m writing. And I’m used to writing urban fantasy, which is quite fast-paced, so I went into this kinda thinking “yeah okay first major beat will probably be around 5K words” and now I’m 16.3K in and, er, still sev...

“I’ve always wanted to write a book!”

At the cafe this morning, people were talking w/site manager about market space. I was listening in & they noticed. Manager says “She’s writing a book!”

One immediately says “I have a great first line for a book: ‘I’ve a terrible secret.’ Isn’t that great? You could get a whole book deal off that!”

I thought, “Uh, no you couldn’t,” and I *said* “So what’s the secret?”

She said “You don’t find out at the end! Keep them for the second book!”

…right then.

Then they asked for my name in case I made it...

Kickstarter comes to Ireland

First, before I start nattering about my own nebulous projects, lemme point you at three (3!) excellent Kickstarters that are currently running:

1. Lawrence Watt-Evans offers up delicious steampunky pulp! with illustrations! in TOM DERRINGER AND THE ALUMINUM AIRSHIP!

2. Ellen Million is running a second fantasy coloring books for so-called grown-ups, with a wide variety of artists pitching in books this time!

3. Patricia Bray & Joshua Palmatier have launched TEMPORALLY OUT OF ORDER, an anthology...

Kitsnaps: Old Man Orangutan

I love both of these pictures individually, but I think together they’re just about perfect. :)

The post Kitsnaps: Old Man Orangutan appeared first on The Essential Kit.

& that’s a wrap

I’ve just finished up the copy edits on STONE’S THROE, my Spirit of the Century pulp fiction novel for Evil Hat Productions. I believe it’ll be out to the backers in quite short order, and available for general purchase not *too* long after that.

I kinda love this book, guys. I think you will too. It’s full of ridiculous good swoopy pulpy fun, and I’m really glad I got a chance to write it.

And now I am going to go do the Ice Cream Dance of Celebration! :)

The post & that’s a wrap appeared firs...

so this week.

So preschool started last week and inevitably Young Indiana got a cold by day 3 and I had a cold by day 5 and very excitingly Ted did not get a cold, he got a twisted appendix (he’s on antibiotics for it and they’ll decide in another week if they should take it out or not), so this past week has been…somewhat exhausting. By which I mean we are all dragging ass and staring thousand-mile stares.

I’ve been re-reading the Continuing Time books while sitting around being on media blackout/sick/wait...

a week of work

With the arrival of September and the start of (pre)school, I have gotten more work done in the past week than in the past three months combined. There’s a cafe in the same building as my son’s preschool, so I’ve been dropping him off, walking thirty meters to order a cup of berry tea, and sitting down to write for close to 3 hours. It’s a godsend.

On the second morning, the barista said, dubiously, “Do you *like* the berry tea?” and I cheerfully admitted it was about the only kind of tea I *d...