How nice to work on the deck in decent temps, and swim in water that doesn’t feel like soup.

Not much to say. I’m just feeling all zen! Hope you are, too!

Paperback on Sale!

Update!

I was so surprised at the sale on Kindle books, I didn’t realize there was also a sale on the mass market paperback editions. Only $1.30! What a great deal.

I just culled my books, too–some to goodwill, some to the library. Will the beloved notice when the evidence of my addiction begins to stream back through our door? Can I persuade the delivery guy to pretend he accidentally dropped books off at our house?

No? Oh, well!  :)

Kindle Edition!

And the cover to the left is the link to the Kindle edition. Hope you all find something you cannot live without reading!

Another post for today. I was cruising around Amazon and discovered they’re having a sale on Kindle books! Naturally, I’m putting up a link to my own book, but if you look at it, you’ll see lots of others–also on sale for $1.24.

I love my Kindle. Wherever I go, I have a selection of books to read. No more packing so many books I have to decide which clothes are staying home! See you at the sale!

I sound whiny–which is unfortunate. The point is, Monday, my time becomes my own again. I don’t feel guilty for staking a claim. I look forward to five wonderful days of discovering what comes next in my story. Mondays mean freedom and opportunity and possibility. I have a plan, but often the characters seem to take over–or my subconscious does it–or whatever. Those unexpected moments when the story delivers up emotion and character choices I never expected are pure magic. (Well, unless they’re  a veer into Tangentland!)

This job is like that. I won’t say the bad moments aren’t bad, but they’re the moments you take in stride, because the good ones are truly–magical!

So, I’m off to see what my “people” are up to. We often call our relatives our people in this part of the world. I know these characters even better than I know my relatives. Although they can be just as unpredictable and quirky. I like quirky, but do you know how hard quirky is to motivate? You have to dig deep for that shen your protagonists go around acting as if they’re alive–as if they’re the ones doing the choosing.

But that’s why this is a pretty good job! Always something to learn, and some way to grow.

Or I could fold my laundry and vacuum and then bolt to the side of the pool and not have to worry about doing anything else all day.

And–as a special welcome to the weekend treat, the beloved is making a healthy dinner! Yay–fish and broccoli. Brain food–according to Jeeves and Wooster! (Who can equal the wisdom of P.G. Wodehouse?*)

*Am not punch drunk on scratch cover.

Hmmm. Morning storms have popped up out of nowhere (unless you consider they might have found fuel in our humidity). Must take advantage of the lovely-to-write-by rain sounds. I hope Thursday brings you wonderful moments!

For several years, some serious things went on in my personal life that required me to shut off real life to make fictional lives feel real–even to me. I’m here to tell you–that doesn’t work. You may think you’ve installed compartments, but they’re like those fabled Titanic watertight ones. The walls don’t go all the way to the ceiling, and flooding occurs.

So–I’m distracted and embracing my distraction. And also embracing the book I’m editing. Listening to ocean waves as I write, so I posted this beautiful photo my friend Elayne took.

Hope you’re having an amazing Wednesday, and your focus is clear. Or that you relish your distraction because it means your work is going well.

First, I’d love to update my counter over there, but I’m editing, and I can’t be sure how many words I have. Marrying two files is about as tricky as you’d expect.

Here’s a weird thing. While I’m not sleeping in the middle of the night, I sometimes watch crrrazzy stuff on TV. (I’m a literal cesspool o’ trivia. Call on me for your trivia needs.) But here’s a strange one. I sometimes park on the Soaps channel. I used to watch one with my mom a million years ago. One is often kind of funny, and they all run at about the same sound level.

There’s a guy named Eric Braeden, who used to be on a show I watched in Iceland (stationed there with the Navy) where AFRTS replayed twenty-year-old TV programs. It was called Rat Patrol, and he was supposed to be the bad guy, but he was so much more interesting than the good guy (whom I don’t even remember).  He was torn by occasional bouts of morality, and I may have been torn by his ohmygosh-beauty! So–he’s playing a bad guy/good guy on a soap. And for some reason, in two weeks, this older man, still torn by good and bad, has taken a sock at two people. And I don’t park there every night. I don’t think he socked two people in two weeks on RP. A good time to turn away would be when he shows up in their faux gym sporting boxing gloves. It’s an odd writing choice, isn’t it? The thing is–he’s still rather beautiful!

Time for a kitty pic. I have two. One is the girl and the kitty. As you’ll see, she likes to enforce affection to foster his fine emotional health!  The other is the kitty giving in to his addiction. Maine Coon Cats clutch a deep dark secret close to their feline chests. They cannot resist hard plastic. (Wrappers for things like pens.) Rattle some hard plastic and our maturing kittle kattle springs forth from wherever he’s napping. To gnaw the plastic to bits. Well, since we’re not sure digested plastic is a good diet, we just let him chew. And then we whisk it away. Here he is.

Then there’s the enforced affection. I have one bit of advice. Don’t force that girl to be affectionate with you! She will hug!

A last bit of random–I wandered past the husband’s fave blah-blah-faux talk show earlier, and Blagojevich was apparently defending his claim that he was Churchillian. Is that guy even aware of the stuff that spews from his mouth? In the interests of honesty (do you hear the irony?), he actually seemed to be claiming he hadn’t said it.

I’m fascinated by Winston Churchill. An amazing man who may have made mistakes, but sleaziness, sloth, and fraud were not among them. I’m searching Amazon for a Churchill biography I haven’t yet read.

And this randomness has turned into a ramble. Instead of watching Rat Patrol man take a whack at someone else, I’m gonna watch a DVR of House. I’ve missed about a billion of this season’s episodes. Is this season over already? Did I DVR a rerun?

Wishing you lots of random loveliness on a Tuesday!

And yet, I just received an ad for a spooktacular bootique!  :-)  I love seeing Halloween stuff already. In my head, I see orange and red and gold leaves flying around in the light of candles and car headlights and lanterns hanging on spooky (decorated) houses. Too much candy to ever eat. Disappointment when it was too cold to trick or treat without a coat–cause you want the world to see your costume. And here I am, frothing over it in August, because I am the only person I know who does not mind when the stores precipitate the turn of seasons–except for summer.  :-)

Had a busy weekend.

I’ve done characterization sheets for a new idea. I’m really excited, but I know I still need to dig a bit deeper for these characters. I definitely have a beginning conflict, but I need a turn in the middle of the story. Anyway–work-wise, that was fun!  You know–new love, new beginnings, all the possibilities, none of the uh-oh–what comes next? (And the doubt piranhas have evidently fed elsewhere so they’re sated and silent!) I tell ya–I get a little zing of excitement when I see the character names on the file title!  That’s loving your work!

Bought a new bed. I’m very excited about that. The beloved chose our last mattress, and I’m not whining when I say I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in ten years. It’s a fact. Who loves their own bed when it’s uncomfortable? Anyway, I hope we both love the new one. And the bed is beautiful, too. In all the years, we’ve never had matching nightstands. I’m not sure why we only bought one when we first married, except maybe there wasn’t room in our tiny first bedroom in our tiny first house for two, but since then, he’s had the nightstand and I’ve had a skirted table, which I never minded. I’m not that into symmetry. Apparently, I’ve been alone in that feeling, because he wanted matching nightstands. (Well–I got the mattress I wanted–so–okay.)  Can’t wait for delivery day!

And the other thing I’ve done this weekend? Reading! I have to stop reading and get back to writing, but I’ve been enjoying myself and my Kindle!  :-) Wonder if maybe one more quick read this morning would be beyond the pale!

I hope Monday is being kind to you!

It’s painful. But I guess it happens, and I’m not going to add that to my list of angst-worthy stuff.

Although I am thinking I might switch to a Peter Robinson because I’m pretty sure I won’t be coming across romantic scenes in his books. At least not right now. I’m at the point where Alan Banks is on the outs with all the women in his life.

Gotta run. I’ve just heard the rustle of the kitty kibble bag and the pantry door is open. Kitty has no doubt burrowed up to his shoulders into his food bag. I need a stapler for that bag!

However, I met a friend for lunch near an office supply store. (What writer can resist writing implements?) I found a lovely notebook and then, somehow an excellent pen also jumped into my hand. Afterward, I had to use my new purchases.

I love writing longhand. The first book I wrote, I wrote on paper with a series of pens that made that notebook a rainbow of color. But I wrote the story in three months, and then it took me three months to type it in. Some of that is to do with a first book and a learning curve, and massive editing as I typed, but some of it is just the sheer monotony of typing from a handwritten ms. (And possibly not being able to read my own penmanship–no doubt also the bane of Sister Mary Ellen’s teaching career.)

However, I still like to plan on paper or index cards. Index cards force me to stay off the enticing tangent! No space to wander.

So, I’m thinking of a new idea, and I’m planning in my lovely notebook with my excellent pen. Except now, I need to turn to the laptop to work on character worksheets.

So, no break. Which is a good thing. Writing every day keeps the writing muscles in shape. And, yay–a good habit! (I’m a magnet for the bad ones!)

Today, I’m looking at the melding I mentioned yesterday–moving the half a book I’d written pre-revision of the latest version of my proposal into the new version. After a few hours of that work, I’ll start on the characterization worksheets for a new idea.

The brainstorming is for just in case lovely editor is sick to death of current proposal story. See how easily I said that–as if the suggestion isn’t a body blow? That’s because writing is a job, and I have to walk the craziest tightrope–living inside my characters so much that I know what they’ll do if offered a sandwich or blackmail evidence. And yet, I also have to leave them behind if I’m just not writing them well enough to sell.

That’s not necessarily true. The thing about writing is that each new story is a learning experience. If I haven’t done my proposal well, I’ll just keep writing and some day, I’ll find a solution. Maybe knowing that keeps me balanced on the tightrope.