28 February 2006
Buying Mackenzie's Baby - the cover
And February's last present...
Isn't it so very nice???
And thanks to everyone who wished me well yesterday. I go so over excited I had a headache from 4 o'clock until the wee hours of this morning, LOL
I did manage to go over a few pages of The Bone Magician's Daughter. I think the problem I was having was reading the first chapter. I knew that so intimately that it was difficult to read with any depth or patience. But I started to enjoy Chapter 2 and I'm somewhere in Chapter 5 now. Fen, my h, is in a very precarious predicament, LOL
Anyway, off to sort html so my cover can live here too.
Oh, and not thinking about tonight... and the Amber Quill results.
See. Not thought about them. At all...
27 February 2006
OMG!!!!
Berkley requested the full for Bone Magician!!!
I'm still shaking, LOL
26 February 2006
Another new cover
I'm just waiting for the all clear on posting it. It's very nice
25 February 2006
Anyway, what I really wanted to say was...
Hunting through it in the shop, pre-buying, I hope I've found a possible publisher for The Bone Magician's Daughter. So I need to enter the edit cave and get that out asap.
I hate caves *sigh*
I gave in...
I wanted to be objective, I wanted to find something I liked about the new interpretation. I did. Honest.
But Matthew MacFadyen has a face like a potato and the charisma of Colin Firth post P&P. He was a plank. Were there supposed to be brooding depths to him? Or am I getting him confused with the plank again? Oh and don't get me started on the treatment of Mr Bingley. He had no charm at all. And they cut Mr Hurst, Bingley's brother-in-law. He's the highlight of the BBC version *grin*
And I know it can't compete with the... is it 10 hours?... BBC version. But it chopped and changed and for some reason felt more like a Bronte novel than an Austen. All filtered skies and Keira Knightly doing a Catherine Earnshaw on a large outcrop of rock.
Mostly what annoyed me was the sound quality. I had no idea what they were saying for most of the ball scenes. The first one... I missed nearly all of the dialogue.
Was there anything I liked...? Jane's acceptance of Mr Bingley. And of course the height of that man's hair!
Make Your Mind Up Sex Dice
The above was the best buy of the day, LOL
And my cover has probably dropped off the bottom of the screen now. Ah well... I'll just have to replace it with something else. Hopefully very soon *grin*
24 February 2006
100th Post
The more I read around what I should have written, the less I feel I will be one of the chosen few *sigh*. Nor even the ones who are going to get an offer to revise and submit. I don't think the story is hot enough. According to some, even the weather has to have an erotic twist to it.
I sooo haven't got erotic weather LOL
Ah well. I think the story stands on its own, so I should be able to punt it *grin*
So... No writing today either. We went to the seaside. In Britain. In February.
And yes, we should be tested for mental competence. As we were heading back to the car, it started to snow. I haven't been so cold in a long time. But the hobbits had fun dashing about and causing the usual mayhem.
But there's nothing quite so grim as an English seaside town in the winter.
With the biting cold and all that lovely sea air, The Ent and I crashed as soon as we got in. He's only just coming around now.
I still have the mother of all headaches so I'm off in search of tablets.
23 February 2006
I know I'm on a schedule but...
No, I cannot!
I had a Road to Damascus moment on the bus a few weeks ago. As you do.
I realised that time is moving on and if I want to achieve tonnes of novels, novellas and short stories in print and pixel I have to get off my behind and write them.
Not a very huge light bulb moment, I agree but it was the realisation of how short a time I have to do it before I'm old and decrepid... Anyone thinking that I am already had better stop that thought... Right. There. Right. Now. *glaring - hard*
I did do something that advances my world domination of the Word this afternoon. I found an agent who could be the right one for me. I'll send him a query letter in March, after I've found out about Amber Quill. I also found another who has representative in the UK. And there are three others on my list. So a total of five. It's a start *grin*
So... right at this minute I have to clear up the devastation of a day inside with the Hobbits and then force myself to continue with my plans for World Domination... *bwhahahaha*
22 February 2006
Really really tired
Yesterday I did have an excuse - tramping around with Frodo and Samwise and then Ancient Warfare in the afternoon. No interesting nude male facts, which is a shame ;-)
But today, after Frodo's physiotherapy this morning, I have been in a permanent state of veg.
And I can hardly stay awake. I think it's lie on the couch and let the hobbits watch Peppa Pig.
I really don't see the attraction with that one!
21 February 2006
Frodo had a good day
Luckily, I'd found out about a local activities centre and booked him in on it a few weeks ago. It was a tester - as Frodo has significant communication and social delays. He might have hated it. They might have not been able to cope with him.
But picking him up at 4 o'clock, he starts crying because he doesn't want to go home, LOL. He was fortunate in the fact that they had extra staff from their head office so one of them spent a good deal of the day helping him. They said the local staff had helped with him too. They all said he had a really good day.
So looks like he's heading back there again in April. I've told him that's his present for Samwise's birthday.
Today has been a good day. *grin*
20 February 2006
Eek time
You'll probably hear the insane shrieking long before the blog is updated *grin*
Frodo's Half Term...
19 February 2006
Hack Slay Fest continued...
Then I have to change it for the target publisher and write the end.
Hack Slaying is so much easier *sigh*
18 February 2006
Hack Slay Fest
Unusual subject matter
Whether it will fit the target line, I don't know. But it has to be there.
Ho hum.
17 February 2006
7% and Rising
Buying Mackenzie's Baby
Contracts
Posted the first extract in the Samhain Cafe Yahoo Group... hmm... now having doubts about whether I could have put up a different piece. It's hard because Nimue's Price is only a novella. I only have 16000 words to play with. Well less than that. Extracts are usually from the first half of the story, I think.
It is about Sex and WMDs - but it's hard to illustrate that without giving the whole story away, LOL
16 February 2006
The next novella: 7%
It needs a bit of reworking, the ending - which will change slightly - and that's about it.
It's the distraction I need from writing Heiress, LOL
Just saw the date. Samwise is 22 months old today *grin*
15 February 2006
Abacus Dreams
Make Teebee some more money, go download it. It is a really cool story.
Plus you learn how to play the Elephant Game. *grin*
Picking Excerpts
It's hard! LOL
Erm... not that they're aren't intriguing... They are. Mack's Alpha all the way. And the sex...
All right. I'll shut up now.
Anyway, on a good note, a friend got a revision request not a rejection *grin* She is so close to selling. Fingers crossed for you, AF.
And I'm going to be in an e-cookbook.
I know. You're thinking. Kim... Cooking?? Someone's let her near food?
But a huge, massive and heartfelt thank you to Jennie Andrus for sorting out my recipe, LOL She's single handedly putting the thing together. By Friday!
Her non-cook book, Dragon's Birth, is out on 28 February... here
Buy it
14 February 2006
Valentine's Day
The first - The new Pride and Prejudice film... mainly so I can rant about how he is so not Mr Darcy, LOL
The second - I found out about when I came down stairs this morning to get Samwise his bottle of milk.
The Ent, caught in the doorway to the kitchen with matches, candles and a birthday cake.
There has been much bemoaning in the Shire about how I didn't get a birthday cake because The Ent was too busy arranging to get Grandma Saruman's piano.
So now I have one. Cool.
Off to sort out dull tax stuff.
Then I might trawl for images for Merlin. Hard job. But someone has to do it.
But first. Tax
13 February 2006
It was a Delmonte moment...
Samhain Publishing have offered me a contract for Nimue's Price - which may need a new title, LOL.
Still bouncing... and while doing that trying to think of an image for the art cover form... which is difficult to do when your bouncing, as you can imagine.
Now I just need Orbit to say:
See the rest of Exploding... nah. We'll buy it now. How many zeroes would you like on your cheque?
12 February 2006
Heiress needs an outline
Off to work that out.
Oh, and I've sent the first 1000 words of Merlin for my course tomorrow. Now that really should be fun *grin*
11 February 2006
Rename a Wip today
And I've just watched Divide and Conquer...
I love that episode.
10 February 2006
I couldn't resist any longer...
09 February 2006
OMG I've got an ISBN
And it has my ISBN. I've never had an ISBN before... always wanted one.
This is sooo cool.
Can you tell I'm excited? A cover for one book and an ISBN for another.
Today has been a good day.
A little renaming ceremony
So from henceforth and with due ceremony, Reluctant is now known as Heiress. I've just written about 500 words, so there must be something in it. Thanks, Mark *grin*
Book Cover
It's cool, LOL
I just waiting to find out whether this is the finished article or not.
But it should be appearing here soon... *big cheesy grin*
08 February 2006
Reluctant
My head is splitting... I move away from the laptop, the headache eases. I come back, sit down and look at the open Word document and pain flares. I think I have a phobia developing LOL
But I've realised I can move past the scene that was stalling me with the old classic.
All together now:
*Insert sex scene here*
Works every time *grin*
I also have to think about a new fantasy novella 10k to 40k for a new epub someone told me about.
But that's not right now.
Now is paracetamol, convince Samwise that he does need to sleep and crack on with Reluctant. I might even get another 60 words out before I have to go and pick Frodo up from school. Two and a half hours.
Could be pushing it a bit there...
07 February 2006
Another interesting fact...
Ancient greeks fought in the nude.
Mainly to stop wounds being infected by their clothes.
Nobody told this to the people making Troy. Or Alexander...
Erm... Colin Farrell?
...actually clothes are just fine. Infact... Essential.
Out
I'm now in a state of extreme EEP.
06 February 2006
Post Story Twinges
Something bizarre happened to my finger on Sunday - the bottom of my ring finger ballooned and went black with bruising. I have no idea how it happened.
Anyway, Teebee has given me some things to think about (thanks, Teebee :-) ) and I'll try and sort them tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm going to inflict Oren's Blade on my course tonight. They'll be wishing they never signed up. *grin*
05 February 2006
Done
Now I have to focus on Reluctant.
Eep
04 February 2006
Yip Yip Yip
Sex scenes
I've just completed the original one. Now I have to write another one. For the great outdoors.
Clothes on, I think, LOL
Home Stretch
I just have to be careful that it does end, because I can envision strands that would drag it on and on. Going to Arthur's camp... Going back to Camelot... But that's not going to happen. They've sorted their last problem, are in the middle of a fight and then Merlin... well... not giving away the ending. *grin*
I saw The Bourne Identity last week and realised that Merlin is the Professor - Clive Owen. Without the glasses and maybe without the high powered rifle...
Anyway have to start writing. The Ent has taken the Hobbits to the shops. And I've just finished putting away 12 tonnes of washing and stuffing the 3 tonnes of dirty washing into the machine. I probably have about 2 minutes. Max.
03 February 2006
Mack
This is part of the image that I sent as cover... inspiration... for Buying Mackenzie's Baby, Stephen Dorff being Mack.
I think it's just his jacket, now LOL
02 February 2006
Interesting fact...
At least I got something written
I just joined two more Yahoo groups. I swear, they're breeding... but I'm only in about 15 - which, apparently, is nothing. A 'proper' author should be in about 100/200+, LOL. I seriously don't know where others find the time. *grin*
I go through the posts on the web now. It makes reading them easier. Emails? No way. Eek! And I'm caught up after about half an hour.
Oh, btw my Yahoo Group is shared by a bunch of us. It's Author Box.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/authorbox/
Must put that in my links.
Off to check my email again - I know the cover won't be there, but I can dream - and then maybe write something... Maybe.
01 February 2006
Another dish rag day
It's only 7pm and I'm completely knackered again. At this rate Merlin is never going to be finished and I'm not even thinking about Reluctant!
I webbed about for info on guidance systems for solid fuel missiles - see, I said it wasn't the normal Arthurian tale - and have a fair idea how this scene is going to end. I just have to write the bloody thing. I want it over by the weekend. Mainly because I have to start decorating Samwise's room and I need to write a bit of Alchemy for my Monday course.
And it's February. Already.
Bugger.