Remember a couple of weeks ago I did a post about answering the doorbell at three in the morning? Well, this morning at our house started with similar excitement, although in much more real - and a bit more scary - terms. Fortunately, it wasn't three in the morning, it was a little after six, but just as a doorbell will awaken you with a start, so will the smoke detectors going off at full tilt.
Now, don't panic. Everything is fine at our house. No fire. Not even smoke. What set the detectors off? Dust.
Testimony to what a terrible housekeeper I am, it appears that a significant amount of dust had accumulated within the innards of our smoke detectors. Now, at the old house, which was much smaller than this one, we had three smoke detectors - one in the hallway outside the bedrooms, one in the living room, and one in the kitchen (which would invariably go off if we operated the toaster) - and one carbon monoxide detector in the utility room. And, we knew how to shut them off.
This house, being much larger, has smoke detectors all over the place, and they're hard-wired ... meaning if one goes off, they all go off. All over the house - the living room, the hallway outside the girls' rooms, upstairs, downstairs, both garages. No way to shut them off except to disconnect them - and this is not an easy task, especially considering we have eight-foot ceilings around most of the house. Fortunately (again), I have six-foot children. ;)
Again, don't panic. I did not immediately ask the children to disconnect the smoke detectors. First, I shoved all three of them out the front door - into the 12-degree weather, in nothing but their night clothes - and went all over the house, checking doors and peering in closets and so forth, making sure there wasn't actually a fire, before I went back to the front door to join the kids outside. In retrospect, it was kind of funny to find them huddled together right outside the door.
I told Little Bit we needed to brush up on our safety plan.
By this time we're into the comic relief stage. I'm trying to figure out whether to make the kids get dressed and go back out while I call the fire department, and the kids are trying to figure out how to shut off the ear-splitting, loud enough to wake the neighborhood smoke alarms. I called the WGH at work, and he told me to check the furnace room, which I'd forgotten on my first run through the house. No smoke. Pilot light still lit on the water heater, so no gas leak. After I got back upstairs, The Tall One and The Boy both got up on a chair and a ladder, respectively, and yanked the smoke detectors out of the ceiling. Well, no, they didn't really - you know, no plaster showering down around Little Bit's head or anything. They were quite adept at disconnecting the things in just the right spots. The WGH then tells me about the dust. He said I needed to blow the dust out of the detectors before we hook them all back up again.
Hmph.
I need a maid.
Although I'm not sure checking the smoke detectors for dust is probably something the Good Housekeeping folks think to tell you to check when you clean.
Is it?
I don't know. I don't read Good Housekeeping. Which is probably why I'm not good at housekeeping.
Now, where is that can of compressed air?
Read a book. And check your smoke detectors for dust.
=) JB
1.31.2007
1.27.2007
The Dreaded Relapse
I find myself once again in the position of having to apologize for a protracted absence from the blogosphere. [cough] Turns out the upper respiratory infection I had a few weeks ago decided to return with a vengeance. After three days of not being able to talk at all, I called my beloved doctor yesterday and bless the man's soul, he called me in an antibiotic prescription without my having to drag my sorry tail downtown to see him. I didn't have to drive any farther than a mile up the road to our local pharmacy, with a quick stop by the grocery for cold medicine (symptomatic relief) and Gatorade. [ahem]
So, to bring you up to speed on what I've been doing this week (besides rest and fluids) ... I managed to send out one query for the current manuscript and am continuing to work down the list. Drafted a cover letter to submit my short story to one of the mystery magazines. Two basketball nights. Finished reading Jan Burke's first book (Goodnight, Irene - added to the Reading Room list, as you can see) and am now reading Kidnapped. Sent the second of my two author interviews which will appear in the Spring issue of Spinetingler off to Sister Sandra, [cough] who seems to be a bit swamped lately, bless her heart. My dry erase boards are full, but I can't imagine that I have as much to do as she does. Talked to my wonder-twin JT, who is busy, busy after her trip to New York, getting the "final" edits done on her first book (due out November 2007) and the manuscript for the second one off to her editor at Mira. Hmmm. Can't wait until I can say something like that about myself. [cough]
Today is going to be a read and rest day. Monday I dive back into the submission process. Maybe by then I'll be a little more functional and a little less hacky [cough, cough].
There are lots of good books out there. Go find one! Here's a place to look:
Killer Year
January releases from the KY bunch include Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover, Suspicious Circumstances by Sandra Ruttan, and The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey.
Good stuff. [cough, cough]
Gotta go load up on the cold medicine now. When I'm functioning at full capacity again, I'll be back.
=) JB
So, to bring you up to speed on what I've been doing this week (besides rest and fluids) ... I managed to send out one query for the current manuscript and am continuing to work down the list. Drafted a cover letter to submit my short story to one of the mystery magazines. Two basketball nights. Finished reading Jan Burke's first book (Goodnight, Irene - added to the Reading Room list, as you can see) and am now reading Kidnapped. Sent the second of my two author interviews which will appear in the Spring issue of Spinetingler off to Sister Sandra, [cough] who seems to be a bit swamped lately, bless her heart. My dry erase boards are full, but I can't imagine that I have as much to do as she does. Talked to my wonder-twin JT, who is busy, busy after her trip to New York, getting the "final" edits done on her first book (due out November 2007) and the manuscript for the second one off to her editor at Mira. Hmmm. Can't wait until I can say something like that about myself. [cough]
Today is going to be a read and rest day. Monday I dive back into the submission process. Maybe by then I'll be a little more functional and a little less hacky [cough, cough].
There are lots of good books out there. Go find one! Here's a place to look:
Killer Year
January releases from the KY bunch include Big City, Bad Blood by Sean Chercover, Suspicious Circumstances by Sandra Ruttan, and The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey.
Good stuff. [cough, cough]
Gotta go load up on the cold medicine now. When I'm functioning at full capacity again, I'll be back.
=) JB
1.22.2007
Madness! It's madness, I tell you!
Okay, no, it's not, really. It's just Monday. I do have a bit of good news, though - a lovely and talented author to be named soon has agreed to be my guest for another of my long-overdue Let's Do Lunch interviews.
We're still in process with colleges looking at The Tall One. That's another I'll keep you posted kinda thing.
Sent my first query off today for the new manuscript. The goal is for at least one a day all week long - at least one, because that's about all I have the wherewithal for at the moment.
Still reading Goodnight Irene.
Now, was that really worth it? Tomorrow morning my brain might be functioning a little more up to speed. We'll see. At least you know I'm here.
Read a book. It's good for you!
=) JB
We're still in process with colleges looking at The Tall One. That's another I'll keep you posted kinda thing.
Sent my first query off today for the new manuscript. The goal is for at least one a day all week long - at least one, because that's about all I have the wherewithal for at the moment.
Still reading Goodnight Irene.
Now, was that really worth it? Tomorrow morning my brain might be functioning a little more up to speed. We'll see. At least you know I'm here.
Read a book. It's good for you!
=) JB
1.21.2007
The Sunday Slow-Down
Searching for inspiration. That was the original name for this post, when I started writing it three days ago. Needless to say, I didn't find any. So here I am on Sunday afternoon, watching as my work computer keeps telling me, "No Jobs Available". That's okay. I've been yutzing around in my study all afternoon while I babysit the monitor - reading some, cleaning off the desk, organizing. (Dad, you'll probably need to pick Mom up off the floor now.)
Feng shui. The WGH helped me hang some stuff on my study walls yesterday afternoon. I have some lovely framed pictures that needed to go up, plus my college diploma, paralegal certificate and Alpha Phi Sigma certificate. Yeah. Didn't know that about me, did you? The Boy came in and looked at the three documents and said, "Mom? You were in a sorority?"
Um, no. Alpha Phi Sigma is an academic fraternity, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. Basically, it's a piece of paper on my wall, like my B.A., that says I made decent grades in college. Whoopee. And what am I doing with this degree, you ask?
Actually, I asked myself that question a lot while I was still working full-time. In a medical office. Now I can say I have a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and I write crime fiction, which seems to make at least a little more sense than saying I have that same B.A. and work as an Administrative Assistant for a large specialty physician practice. One of my coworkers told me once I was wasting my education working there. But, as life tends to lead us all in many different directions, I value the time I worked, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that I have friends - people who mean more to me than I can say - who stuck by me through the very difficult times and support me in this relatively new venture upon which I have embarked.
Sunday and the NFL. There is football on, but as I have another half-hour of scheduled computer-watching time I'm not downstairs with the WGH and Sir Barksalot just yet. I'm going to have a very hard time watching the Colts-Patriots game, anyway, so it's probably better (at least for the moment) that I'm up here and not down there. You see, I've been a Pats fan since I was in high school, for reasons that I've long forgotten, but I grew up near Indy, and actually remember when the Colts moved there from Baltimore. Plus, there's good old Peyton - you either love him or you hate him, and I happen to think he's a pretty neat kid. He's not the eye candy that Brady is, but they're both pretty darn good quarterbacks, and depending on which defense shows up for either team, it oughta be a pretty darn good game.
I just can't bear to watch it.
Book of the Week #4: Goodnight, Irene by Jan Burke
I have to review Kidnapped for RTE, so I thought it would be good for me to start with the first in the series, since I've not read any of Jan's books yet, shame on me. At any rate, I'm over halfway through it already so it'll be on the list to the right very soon.
Off to watch football. And read a book. May I suggest the same as a way to pass your slow-down Sunday?
=) JB
Feng shui. The WGH helped me hang some stuff on my study walls yesterday afternoon. I have some lovely framed pictures that needed to go up, plus my college diploma, paralegal certificate and Alpha Phi Sigma certificate. Yeah. Didn't know that about me, did you? The Boy came in and looked at the three documents and said, "Mom? You were in a sorority?"
Um, no. Alpha Phi Sigma is an academic fraternity, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. Basically, it's a piece of paper on my wall, like my B.A., that says I made decent grades in college. Whoopee. And what am I doing with this degree, you ask?
Actually, I asked myself that question a lot while I was still working full-time. In a medical office. Now I can say I have a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and I write crime fiction, which seems to make at least a little more sense than saying I have that same B.A. and work as an Administrative Assistant for a large specialty physician practice. One of my coworkers told me once I was wasting my education working there. But, as life tends to lead us all in many different directions, I value the time I worked, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that I have friends - people who mean more to me than I can say - who stuck by me through the very difficult times and support me in this relatively new venture upon which I have embarked.
Sunday and the NFL. There is football on, but as I have another half-hour of scheduled computer-watching time I'm not downstairs with the WGH and Sir Barksalot just yet. I'm going to have a very hard time watching the Colts-Patriots game, anyway, so it's probably better (at least for the moment) that I'm up here and not down there. You see, I've been a Pats fan since I was in high school, for reasons that I've long forgotten, but I grew up near Indy, and actually remember when the Colts moved there from Baltimore. Plus, there's good old Peyton - you either love him or you hate him, and I happen to think he's a pretty neat kid. He's not the eye candy that Brady is, but they're both pretty darn good quarterbacks, and depending on which defense shows up for either team, it oughta be a pretty darn good game.
I just can't bear to watch it.
Book of the Week #4: Goodnight, Irene by Jan Burke
I have to review Kidnapped for RTE, so I thought it would be good for me to start with the first in the series, since I've not read any of Jan's books yet, shame on me. At any rate, I'm over halfway through it already so it'll be on the list to the right very soon.
Off to watch football. And read a book. May I suggest the same as a way to pass your slow-down Sunday?
=) JB
1.16.2007
Dreaming Doorbells
I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. Since the weather's been a little off kilter, McCartney hasn't been "played with" as much, and if he doesn't get his play time and exercise in during the day, he gets restless at night. And he barks. It's not a panicked bark. It's not an I-want-something bark. It's an I'm-bored-and-just-like-the-sound-of-my-own-voice bark. Bark. Bark, bark. Bark, bark, bark-bark-bark. You get the idea. At three in the morning, this is not a sound I want to hear.
My usual remedy for this is to go to the top of the stairs (he sleeps in his kennel in the downstairs family room) and tell him to be quiet, or to go back to sleep, or something to the effect of there will be bodily harm done if he doesn't shut up. (No, really, I wouldn't. It's the tone of my voice that gets him to calm down.)
Night before last Sir Barksalot had awakened me with his vocal exercises for about the third time. I finally pushed the door to the basement partially closed - leaving it open a crack so the cats could get down to their little area - and went back to bed. It was somewhere around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. I had just gone back to sleep when I heard the doorbell ring. Now, this is a sound that will get you out of bed at three in the morning. What the heck? Or perhaps the more appropriate question - WHO the heck?
I got up, peeked out the blinds. Didn't see anything. Went to the front door, flipped on the corner flood and porch lights, put my mouth to the crack of the door and hissed, "Who is it?"
The WGH is awake by this point and calls out, "You're dreaming! Come back to bed."
Hmph. Perhaps I was. But I heard that stupid doorbell, clear as ... well, you know.
I apologize for my absence the past couple days. I've been working on book reviews - sent three to our editor Saturday, and as soon as they're uploaded I'll add the links to the right - as well as one of the two author interviews I'm doing for the Spring issue of Spinetingler. Also on the to-do list are to plug agent addresses into my query letter and get them in the mail, submit my short story, write two more book reviews, finish reading the current book of the week and write the review on it, then move on to the next book in the stack. Oh, and I have another movie coming from Netflix that I'll need to watch and review.
Hmmm ... that sounds like plenty to do for a few days, doesn't it?
As I've mentioned previously, Friday is my "free day", when I don't have to work the part-time job and can concentrate more on the writing side of my life. This past Friday afternoon, I made a total of four - FOUR - trips to the high school and back, running The Boy back and forth in preparation for Friday night's basketball game. His reasoning behind asking me to do this? To quote The Boy: "It's not like you have anything better to do."
Oh, son.
Wrong thing to say to Mom.
I asked him to step out of my office for a few minutes while I collected my wits, so as not to lash out and say something I would regret later. After I calmed down I asked him to step back in, and I showed him the better things I had to do.
There are two dry-erase boards in my study: one is plain, about 18 by 24 inches; the other is just a tiny bit smaller and has a calendar on the right two-thirds with the remaining space on the left blank for notes. Right now both boards are covered with writing - deadlines, lists of authors with whom I'm conducting or need to conduct interviews, lists of books I have to read and review.
In the car on the way back up to drop him off at school for pep band (the third trip), I figured it out. Little Bit had asked me once not long ago, "What do you do all day?" Little Bit and The Boy are in the box, just like their father. The Tall One, fortunately, understands what it is I "do all day" - she's more like me than she cares to admit, but will proudly tell anyone who will listen that "my Mom's a writer." The other two, like the WGH, don't quite get it. Yet. They're waiting for me to make a noticeable - if not substantial - sum of money for doing what I'm doing. They want results, something to show for my efforts. They have no idea how hard I'm working, simply because I'm not leaving the house every day any more, going to an office and a job I no longer love. I love my job now - especially the part where I get to shuttle my son back and forth to the school four times in the space of an hour, just because I can. I'm home because two and a half years ago I made a decision to pursue this business. All the kids know is that I'm home now, and they can call their chauffeur any time they need a ride.
It's okay. I love spending time with them, and the way I figure it, if they're in the car with me, they're a captive audience.
Heh-heh.
Excuse me. I have to go answer the doorbell.
Read a book. It's good for you!
=) JB
My usual remedy for this is to go to the top of the stairs (he sleeps in his kennel in the downstairs family room) and tell him to be quiet, or to go back to sleep, or something to the effect of there will be bodily harm done if he doesn't shut up. (No, really, I wouldn't. It's the tone of my voice that gets him to calm down.)
Night before last Sir Barksalot had awakened me with his vocal exercises for about the third time. I finally pushed the door to the basement partially closed - leaving it open a crack so the cats could get down to their little area - and went back to bed. It was somewhere around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. I had just gone back to sleep when I heard the doorbell ring. Now, this is a sound that will get you out of bed at three in the morning. What the heck? Or perhaps the more appropriate question - WHO the heck?
I got up, peeked out the blinds. Didn't see anything. Went to the front door, flipped on the corner flood and porch lights, put my mouth to the crack of the door and hissed, "Who is it?"
The WGH is awake by this point and calls out, "You're dreaming! Come back to bed."
Hmph. Perhaps I was. But I heard that stupid doorbell, clear as ... well, you know.
I apologize for my absence the past couple days. I've been working on book reviews - sent three to our editor Saturday, and as soon as they're uploaded I'll add the links to the right - as well as one of the two author interviews I'm doing for the Spring issue of Spinetingler. Also on the to-do list are to plug agent addresses into my query letter and get them in the mail, submit my short story, write two more book reviews, finish reading the current book of the week and write the review on it, then move on to the next book in the stack. Oh, and I have another movie coming from Netflix that I'll need to watch and review.
Hmmm ... that sounds like plenty to do for a few days, doesn't it?
As I've mentioned previously, Friday is my "free day", when I don't have to work the part-time job and can concentrate more on the writing side of my life. This past Friday afternoon, I made a total of four - FOUR - trips to the high school and back, running The Boy back and forth in preparation for Friday night's basketball game. His reasoning behind asking me to do this? To quote The Boy: "It's not like you have anything better to do."
Oh, son.
Wrong thing to say to Mom.
I asked him to step out of my office for a few minutes while I collected my wits, so as not to lash out and say something I would regret later. After I calmed down I asked him to step back in, and I showed him the better things I had to do.
There are two dry-erase boards in my study: one is plain, about 18 by 24 inches; the other is just a tiny bit smaller and has a calendar on the right two-thirds with the remaining space on the left blank for notes. Right now both boards are covered with writing - deadlines, lists of authors with whom I'm conducting or need to conduct interviews, lists of books I have to read and review.
In the car on the way back up to drop him off at school for pep band (the third trip), I figured it out. Little Bit had asked me once not long ago, "What do you do all day?" Little Bit and The Boy are in the box, just like their father. The Tall One, fortunately, understands what it is I "do all day" - she's more like me than she cares to admit, but will proudly tell anyone who will listen that "my Mom's a writer." The other two, like the WGH, don't quite get it. Yet. They're waiting for me to make a noticeable - if not substantial - sum of money for doing what I'm doing. They want results, something to show for my efforts. They have no idea how hard I'm working, simply because I'm not leaving the house every day any more, going to an office and a job I no longer love. I love my job now - especially the part where I get to shuttle my son back and forth to the school four times in the space of an hour, just because I can. I'm home because two and a half years ago I made a decision to pursue this business. All the kids know is that I'm home now, and they can call their chauffeur any time they need a ride.
It's okay. I love spending time with them, and the way I figure it, if they're in the car with me, they're a captive audience.
Heh-heh.
Excuse me. I have to go answer the doorbell.
Read a book. It's good for you!
=) JB
1.11.2007
Working with a real deadline ...
Few things in life will either motivate or panic you (depending on the situation) more than a deadline. For the past several days I have been scrambling to get some things done as a writer. JT gave me a deadline - saying, as I mentioned previously, that I needed to know what it felt like to have someone else set one for me - and I met it. By the time we got together yesterday evening, I had summary, synopsis and query letter, drafted, done and ready for her to review. Best of all, I got a big grin and a high-five from my invaluable critique partner.
"You nailed it!" she said.
I, with sheepish grimace, answered, "You think so?"
She does. But I had to hear that from her. I don't know if you've ever heard of Gary Chapman's series on The Five Love Languages (check Amazon), but each of us has two - one of mine is Affirmation. Every once in a while it does me good to have someone say, "Nice job!" That's what really keeps me motivated.
I've been reading as well, and am ahead of schedule as far as the New Year's resolution but a little behind on writing the reviews I'm supposed to be doing. This is today's project. I finally got all the Christmas decorations put away (gasp, and it's not even Spring Break yet!), and for the next couple hours I'm glued to my desk chair in the study and am going to try to crank these puppies out.
Book(s) of the Week: Baby Shark and Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate.
I finished the first one yesterday morning and have moved on to the second. I'm going to review both and will let you know when those are ready for your perusal. In the meantime, you should probably run - not walk, run - to your nearest bookstore and getcha summadat!
=) JB
"You nailed it!" she said.
I, with sheepish grimace, answered, "You think so?"
She does. But I had to hear that from her. I don't know if you've ever heard of Gary Chapman's series on The Five Love Languages (check Amazon), but each of us has two - one of mine is Affirmation. Every once in a while it does me good to have someone say, "Nice job!" That's what really keeps me motivated.
I've been reading as well, and am ahead of schedule as far as the New Year's resolution but a little behind on writing the reviews I'm supposed to be doing. This is today's project. I finally got all the Christmas decorations put away (gasp, and it's not even Spring Break yet!), and for the next couple hours I'm glued to my desk chair in the study and am going to try to crank these puppies out.
Book(s) of the Week: Baby Shark and Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate.
I finished the first one yesterday morning and have moved on to the second. I'm going to review both and will let you know when those are ready for your perusal. In the meantime, you should probably run - not walk, run - to your nearest bookstore and getcha summadat!
=) JB
1.07.2007
Happy Anniversary, Honey!
The WGH and I have been married 18 years today.
We met through a friend from our college marching band. I remember that night and the three days that followed as clearly as if they weren't 21 years and roughly six weeks ago. After we'd been dating a while he told me he actually noticed me about a month before we met, thought I was dating the guy who introduced us (we were best friends) and that I was older than he. Heh-heh-heh. Long story short, we met on a Thursday night, hung out together at the band dance on Friday night, had a football game on Saturday afternoon and left for Thanksgiving break on Sunday morning - the Sunday night we came back to school, we had our "first date" (at Noble Roman's Pizza) and here we are, 21 years and three kids later.
We both had to work today, so our "celebration" was dinner after work at our favorite steak place. We don't really make a big deal out of it any more. It's nice just to hang out, just the two of us, enjoy each other's company ... watch the Eagles' kicker nail the game-winning field goal on the big screen over the bar in the restaurant just as we were sitting down ... fun stuff.
Tomorrow I plan to really get my rear in gear - all the guests are gone, the kids will be at school and the WGH at work, so I'm looking forward to making some serious strides on the to-do list.
On the way home tonight I balanced something in my head - I can either do the housework or I can get writing stuff done. I can't do both on the same day. [It's a dream of mine that when I start earning some extra cash with this writing business, I'll be able to hire someone to come in and clean my house once a week. ;)] At any rate, tomorrow I can almost guarantee you that no housecleaning will be done. They'll be lucky if I get dinner on.
Book of the Week: Baby Shark by Robert Fate
Add this one to your list.
=) JB
We met through a friend from our college marching band. I remember that night and the three days that followed as clearly as if they weren't 21 years and roughly six weeks ago. After we'd been dating a while he told me he actually noticed me about a month before we met, thought I was dating the guy who introduced us (we were best friends) and that I was older than he. Heh-heh-heh. Long story short, we met on a Thursday night, hung out together at the band dance on Friday night, had a football game on Saturday afternoon and left for Thanksgiving break on Sunday morning - the Sunday night we came back to school, we had our "first date" (at Noble Roman's Pizza) and here we are, 21 years and three kids later.
We both had to work today, so our "celebration" was dinner after work at our favorite steak place. We don't really make a big deal out of it any more. It's nice just to hang out, just the two of us, enjoy each other's company ... watch the Eagles' kicker nail the game-winning field goal on the big screen over the bar in the restaurant just as we were sitting down ... fun stuff.
Tomorrow I plan to really get my rear in gear - all the guests are gone, the kids will be at school and the WGH at work, so I'm looking forward to making some serious strides on the to-do list.
On the way home tonight I balanced something in my head - I can either do the housework or I can get writing stuff done. I can't do both on the same day. [It's a dream of mine that when I start earning some extra cash with this writing business, I'll be able to hire someone to come in and clean my house once a week. ;)] At any rate, tomorrow I can almost guarantee you that no housecleaning will be done. They'll be lucky if I get dinner on.
Book of the Week: Baby Shark by Robert Fate
Add this one to your list.
=) JB
1.06.2007
Back to Business
One of the benefits of having a critique partner who knows the business as well as mine does is that she's very good about keeping me on the right track. She told me the other day she wanted me to know what it felt like to have someone else set a deadline for me. I'm living up to my end of the bargain - at least, I'm trying.
Today is going to be my day to devote some serious time to working in the study. There's a bit of housecleaning that needs to be done, plus a whole lot of writing - three book reviews, a synopsis, and three interviews, to be exact. And, I have Week One's book to finish reading and write a review on it as well. There are five more lined up in the TBR pile, four of which I have to review. Ah, this is the life.
Little Bit is off helping her aunt put away Christmas decorations (I did manage to get all the ornaments off the tree and the stockings un-hung from the chimney with care), The Boy and I are about to make a quick trip to Lowe's for a floor lamp for his room, and The Tall One is doing laundry and relaxing a bit after last night's ugly win over one of our district opponents. (And do I mean ugly. Fortunately, what the parents and players thought was abominable, the coach was happy with - a win's a win, after all, and we'll take them any way we can get them - and as long as he's happy, everything is copacetic.)
When I return, there will be much in the way of business accomplished in my little 10 by 12 private haven.
At least, that's the plan.
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
Today is going to be my day to devote some serious time to working in the study. There's a bit of housecleaning that needs to be done, plus a whole lot of writing - three book reviews, a synopsis, and three interviews, to be exact. And, I have Week One's book to finish reading and write a review on it as well. There are five more lined up in the TBR pile, four of which I have to review. Ah, this is the life.
Little Bit is off helping her aunt put away Christmas decorations (I did manage to get all the ornaments off the tree and the stockings un-hung from the chimney with care), The Boy and I are about to make a quick trip to Lowe's for a floor lamp for his room, and The Tall One is doing laundry and relaxing a bit after last night's ugly win over one of our district opponents. (And do I mean ugly. Fortunately, what the parents and players thought was abominable, the coach was happy with - a win's a win, after all, and we'll take them any way we can get them - and as long as he's happy, everything is copacetic.)
When I return, there will be much in the way of business accomplished in my little 10 by 12 private haven.
At least, that's the plan.
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
1.05.2007
The 200th Post: Progress Report #3
We're five days into the new year and five days from my deadline, which means, if my math skills serve me well, that I'm at the halfway point and should have at least half of my work done.
I'm actually more like 6/7 of the way there. The edits are done, the query letter is drafted, and the synopsis just needs a little tweaking.
I worked a little bit on the short story today, too, and have just informed JT that I want to have it ready to submit by the 15th. Tomorrow is actually going to be a better day for writing work. The folks and I had a lovely day in town - shopping, as you know, is not my favorite thing to do, but take me to a bookstore and lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and I'll put up with whatever else you want to drag me to do. At least for a while. But now I'm in desperate need of a cat nap and we still have to take the Christmas decorations down. That might have to be my project for first thing in the morning. We'll see how I feel once I make it back downstairs.
The Tall One has her first post-holiday basketball game tonight, so we'll see how the two days of run-till-your-legs-fall-off practices the girls had this week help their game. Go team.
Tomorrow I'll try to muster up something profound and eloquent. For now, it's time to read. Or sleep.
Do something good for you!
=) JB
I'm actually more like 6/7 of the way there. The edits are done, the query letter is drafted, and the synopsis just needs a little tweaking.
I worked a little bit on the short story today, too, and have just informed JT that I want to have it ready to submit by the 15th. Tomorrow is actually going to be a better day for writing work. The folks and I had a lovely day in town - shopping, as you know, is not my favorite thing to do, but take me to a bookstore and lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and I'll put up with whatever else you want to drag me to do. At least for a while. But now I'm in desperate need of a cat nap and we still have to take the Christmas decorations down. That might have to be my project for first thing in the morning. We'll see how I feel once I make it back downstairs.
The Tall One has her first post-holiday basketball game tonight, so we'll see how the two days of run-till-your-legs-fall-off practices the girls had this week help their game. Go team.
Tomorrow I'll try to muster up something profound and eloquent. For now, it's time to read. Or sleep.
Do something good for you!
=) JB
1.04.2007
Re-Establishing the Routine
Such as it is.
The kids are going back to school this morning after their two-week Christmas break. Had a lovely day with our little nephew yesterday. Spanish was spoken. Un poquito. Fortunately, to make up for my paltry skills en español, he does speak English quite well, although I'm pretty sure that sometimes he nodded in answer to a question just because he thought he should. Every once in a while, once the translation caught up to his quick mind, he'd re-think his response. He's very cute, and we were very glad to have the opportunity to see him again. And yes, my mother was here, so pictures were taken.
I have a long list of things I shall strive to accomplish today, not the least of which is to finish the final edits on the new book. Drafted the query letter yesterday, so it's ready for the tough scrutiny of my critique partner. The synopsis gets tweaked a little every day - but not too much - so it's about ready, too.
Two more books arrived yesterday to add to the RTE stack. Getting books in the mail are the only "surprises" I can handle - all other such vermin are evil and must be destroyed! Ahem. Sorry, lost my composure there for a minute.
So today I'm trying to get myself back into the daily routine I had worked so hard to establish before this stretch of utter laziness we called Christmas break. The cup of coffee is ready to be poured, the blog post is written, and my writing career awaits.
Read a book. It's good for you!
=) JB
The kids are going back to school this morning after their two-week Christmas break. Had a lovely day with our little nephew yesterday. Spanish was spoken. Un poquito. Fortunately, to make up for my paltry skills en español, he does speak English quite well, although I'm pretty sure that sometimes he nodded in answer to a question just because he thought he should. Every once in a while, once the translation caught up to his quick mind, he'd re-think his response. He's very cute, and we were very glad to have the opportunity to see him again. And yes, my mother was here, so pictures were taken.
I have a long list of things I shall strive to accomplish today, not the least of which is to finish the final edits on the new book. Drafted the query letter yesterday, so it's ready for the tough scrutiny of my critique partner. The synopsis gets tweaked a little every day - but not too much - so it's about ready, too.
Two more books arrived yesterday to add to the RTE stack. Getting books in the mail are the only "surprises" I can handle - all other such vermin are evil and must be destroyed! Ahem. Sorry, lost my composure there for a minute.
So today I'm trying to get myself back into the daily routine I had worked so hard to establish before this stretch of utter laziness we called Christmas break. The cup of coffee is ready to be poured, the blog post is written, and my writing career awaits.
Read a book. It's good for you!=) JB
1.02.2007
I work better under pressure ...
There is a green star on my dry-erase calendar for next Wednesday, January 10th.
That's our next BMWs meeting, and the next time I will see JT face-to-face. She has given me until then to have the edits finished, the synopsis nailed down, and the query letter ready to proof and mail. We are so, so, so very close - we have the hook, the title, and the plot summary. The book is written. All we're lacking as of this moment is a bit of spit and polish.
It's the beginning of a new year, with new goals and new motivation.
Fasten your seatbelts, folks, 'cause we're about to snag a seat on the roller coaster!
Book of the Week: A Real Basket Case by Beth Groundwater (due for release in March 2007) - review and author profile (by yours truly) to appear in the Spring issue of Spinetingler Magazine
=) JB
That's our next BMWs meeting, and the next time I will see JT face-to-face. She has given me until then to have the edits finished, the synopsis nailed down, and the query letter ready to proof and mail. We are so, so, so very close - we have the hook, the title, and the plot summary. The book is written. All we're lacking as of this moment is a bit of spit and polish.
It's the beginning of a new year, with new goals and new motivation.
Fasten your seatbelts, folks, 'cause we're about to snag a seat on the roller coaster!
Book of the Week: A Real Basket Case by Beth Groundwater (due for release in March 2007) - review and author profile (by yours truly) to appear in the Spring issue of Spinetingler Magazine
=) JB
1.01.2007
2007
I am in that state of mind in which I rarely find myself, but when the occasion does arise it throws me for a loop. I'm at a loss for words.
When I think about all the things that happened in the year we've just closed, and then think ahead to what's in store for the year we've just opened, it boggles my mind and renders me speechless. Most of it has to do with the family, but some with my career. At the moment there are two major items which stand out:
(1) In 2006, my oldest daughter began her senior year of high school.
In 2007, she will graduate from high school and subsequently depart for college.
(2) In 2006, I started and/or finished three novels.
In 2007, I intend to use one of those novels to acquire an agent and, in turn, a book deal.
Not quite as earth-shattering as I make it sound on the front end, but still ... for me, these are major milestones.
We're settling into a quiet New Year's Day of food and football. Watched The Coach win his record-breaking game this morning. Ah, the memories ... but that goes further back (way further back) than 2006, so we'll save those for another time, another post.
Relax today. I'm reading the next book on the list, and have begun the quest for 2007's goal.
Happy New Year!
=) JB
When I think about all the things that happened in the year we've just closed, and then think ahead to what's in store for the year we've just opened, it boggles my mind and renders me speechless. Most of it has to do with the family, but some with my career. At the moment there are two major items which stand out:
(1) In 2006, my oldest daughter began her senior year of high school.
In 2007, she will graduate from high school and subsequently depart for college.
(2) In 2006, I started and/or finished three novels.
In 2007, I intend to use one of those novels to acquire an agent and, in turn, a book deal.
Not quite as earth-shattering as I make it sound on the front end, but still ... for me, these are major milestones.
We're settling into a quiet New Year's Day of food and football. Watched The Coach win his record-breaking game this morning. Ah, the memories ... but that goes further back (way further back) than 2006, so we'll save those for another time, another post.
Relax today. I'm reading the next book on the list, and have begun the quest for 2007's goal.
Happy New Year!
=) JB
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