Bionic Perry's Hideout

Rejection #1

2009-02-26T21:26:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been a while blogging, but it's also (sad to say) been a while for writing.

Sigh.

Short: My time off from the Festival this winter season has not really been used for writing, as it has for relaxing. I seemed to have really burned out after this last festival, and my batteries usually need a bit of charging after such a big under taking (not to mention the fact that right after the festival I have to submit three grant applications in October).

Anyhoos...as I've said before, It's Not What You Haven't Done But What You're Doing!

And so it goes.

At the end of January I submitted no less than 10 queries of the Ghostcatcher Club to publishers. I've meant to send it to more, but that's a good start.

And the first rejection was today! Yay! Annick Press (big surprise). Typical form letter. Ah well. It shall have place of prominence on my wall of shame (heh).

In other Writing News:

(1) Review for Rubarb: I was approached by Sarah Klassen the other day, and she asked if I would be interested in reviewing a graphic novel for Rubarb magazine. As Anita Daher says (and I paraphrase): "being a poor Canadian writer, I said YES!" It's due on Monday, and it's all Christian-super-hero-like. Interesting...

(2) New Writing Group in the Formative Stages:
Yup. You heard it right here first. I'm going to be joining a new writing group!
And since I know that at least two of my former WWGers read this blog, I'll tread carefully over what I'll say next, and be careful not to bash my former group! (heh-heh-heh!) I wouldn't do that anyways, cuz I learned lots from those peeps!

Okay, the basic info.
Who: Me, my good friend Mr. Jason Booth, and one or two women from his crea-comm class.
What: Writing. Specifically fiction. More specifically sci fi/fantasy. Even more specifically novels.
When: First meeting soon. Maybe in a week or so. Then we'll meet over the summer between their classes. That's the initial plan. It might change if they want to meet more frequently or sooner.
Where: TBA
Why: Because my good friend Mr. Jason Booth asked me!

So, it sounds pretty good. I've suggested we all meet very soon to discuss why we want to meet, what we want to get out of a writing group, and to share some of our work with each other (i.e. read it out loud!). What I think will be really great is that we're all working on the same type of project: fiction, novel, sci-fi/fantasy. Coolness.

I've got a few projects to share: A 4th draft of The Flute of the NorthWind. The beginnings of a pretty awesome story (if I do say so myself) that looks at a reworking of the three classic monsters of our age (the Frankenstein monster/golem, werewolves and vampires).
And of course, I have my collection of short stories based on the world that the FotNW takes place in.

In any case, I've got stuff to work on, and maybe this writing group is what I need to kick myself in the pants!
I just haven't had the "bug" to write, which sounds stupid, but there it is.
Sigh.

Soon though...soon.

Northern Town Girl Really Knows How To Write Poetry

2008-10-23T22:19:00.002-05:00

I was at Rosanna Deerchild's launch tonight for her brand new poetry book "this is a small northern town." It was fabo (as I thought it would be).

Rosanna is such a great person. Very energetic and exciting and...crazy. Yeah, a little bit nuts. ;-)

Her poetry is really, really good. Very visual. It can be hard or sweet. I love hearing poetry read aloud - I get a lot more out of it than just reading it myself. Maybe that's just me.

Jane Munro, a visiting poet at THIN AIR 2008, said that she doesn't feel like her poetry is "finished" until it's been read out loud - truly delivered, to the audience. That's how I feel about poetry. I love hearing it.

Rosanna and I met through the Writers Festival, THIN AIR 2005 to be precise. My first festival, when I was a lowly Advertising Assistant (with lots of production lacky thrown in). I was volunteered to drive Rosanna and Marty Chan up on the Rural Tour that year - heading out to Portage la Prairie and Minnedosa.

Basically, the short of the long is, a few weeks before the festival Rosanna was unsure if she would be able to make the tour at all. I emailed her a few times, and to my recollection (I'm sure she would disagree here - heh!), I was sure she said she wasn't coming.

Well, the early early morning of the tour comes, and I meet Marty at the hotel, and we load into the car, and take off. We're like 10 minutes past the perimeter when my cell phone rings and Tavia is shouting "You forgot Rosanna!"

WTF?!? What do you mean I forgot her?!

Well, I felt kinda bad, obviously! Luckily it all worked out - Charlene jumped in her car and drove Rosanna out to meet us at Portage la Prairie, and we took it from there.

It was a great drive, and great to hang out with her, and hear her poetry for the first time. It's cool to hear some of those poems now, again, in their "final" form, in her new book.

Congratulations Rosanna!!

Rejection stings even when you're kinda expecting it

2008-10-23T22:14:00.002-05:00

Sigh.

Well, my query letter came back from Orca books the other day - rejected.

The editor wrote a really nice personal letter, which I really appreciate. I was really hoping this would be the one! But alas, it was not.

BUT! One can not give up hope on one rejection! Stephen King had hundreds, thousands, millions (okay, maybe not MILLIONS, but lots) of rejections before he became famous! I can't give up! I won't give up!

As the Orca editor said, this story wasn't for her, but maybe it will be for some other editor at another publishing house. We can only hope! I plan on sending out about 10-15 query letters in the next two weeks (probably in two weeks after my PBN articles and my editing for Steve's second D&D module for RITE Publishing is finished by November 3).

And then the waiting begins anew...

Navels and Birds

2008-10-01T22:31:00.003-05:00

Well, Ariel Gordon, alumnist of the WWG (that's Wolseley Writers Group) had her book launch tonight at Aqua Books.
Yay Ariel!

I was the only member able to make it out to support her. Frank and David were busy at work, Polly had some pathetic excuse about living in a different city ;-) so it was up to me to carry the WWG flag! Heh!

It was a nice event. It was not only the launch of the chapbook (Navel Gazing) but also the start of the Western Canadian tour for Kerry Ryan and Ariel (four cities in 7 days! Woo-hoo! Or something like that). It should be cool.

Bucking the traditional reading trend, Ariel forced members of her family and a friend to read her poems instead of herself (heh!). Well, I guess "forced" is a little strong. And it was kinda cool. Ariel herself read first and last.

And then, there was a draw to buy her book! Really! She only had 10 available for sale, so people had to put their names in a hat to buy one. And I got one! Yay! Nine were drawn, and the tenth was auctioned off to support the AquaBooksLandsdowne Poetry prize. Cool.

And I'm still waiting to hear back from Orca books in regards to my query letter - hopefully they'll ask to see the manuscript! Hopefully!!

THIN AIR 2008 Over!

2008-10-01T22:25:00.003-05:00

Well, it was a week of hard work (well, a year's worth of hard work, culminating into a week of deadly, hard work), but THIN AIR 2008 is over, and it was a rousing success! AGAIN!

It seemed to go a bit smoother this year (although we were super uber understaffed AGAIN!). All of the problems seemed smaller, and more manageable, although we were all very busy.

The writers were great, the audiences were great (and increased I think) and everything was great! Yahoo!

Highlights:
- getting to hang out with Arthur Slade
- telling Art that he was my biggest fan (yes, I really said this after only a minute after meeting him...my brain was getting tired, what can I say. Although it makes for a great story now)
- hanging out a bit with Kenneth Oppel
- listening to Paul Quarrington sing at the AfterWords series
- finding out that Aqua Books is a really good venue for our AfterWords and Pint of Bitter Murder and our Volunteer Appreciation party
- finding out that the Big Ideas series is a big hit!
- meeting Judith Keenan from Bookshorts
- having a movie Matinee at MTYP on Sunday (and selling popcorn!)
- Tanya taking vacation during Festival week so she could keep the house in order and hang out with me every night at Mainstage! Yay!
- meeting (again) lots of really nifty, great, kind, intelligent writers!

Now...we begin the process all over again!

Ugh.

THIN AIR 2008 Opening Night!

2008-09-21T21:36:00.002-05:00

Okay, I would totally be a dolt if I didn't at least blog a bit about my job, which is totally "writing related" as it pertains to bringing in tons of writers from across Canada and the world, to read, read, read to very appreciative readers of all ages and tastes for a whole darn week each September.

THIN AIR 2008 started tonight with a beautiful Opening Night at the Oodena Ceremonial Circle at the Forks in Winnipeg. Greetings were brought by various government types, and 5 readers read original writings about our place of Winnipeg: Jordan Wheeler, Chandra Mayor, Carol Matas, nereO Eugenio, and Marc Prescott. All wonderful readings, with wonderful sound (thank God for that this year!) and all outside under the starts amid a few literary appreciative mosquitos.

Very cool. We're off to a great start. Now let the Week Begin!
Tomorrow, I get to set up the whole sheebang of the Mainstage, hang out with Kenneth Oppel for a bit (well, okay, maybe not "hang out" but talk with him about his first performance, which I'll be helping to set up for him). I'm looking forward to talking with him, not as a groupie standing in line, but as a professional Arts Administrator ("ahem!") and struggling children's writer myself (well, I'll downplay the last part...I'm sure he hears "I'm a writer too!" all the time).

In any case, we're ready to soar after tonight's Lift Off!

Gone, gone, gone!

2008-09-06T08:29:00.002-05:00

Okay, well, the manuscript didn't make it out the door the next day, but it DID make it out the door the next, next day! Thursday, September 4 and it's in the mail to Orca!

Woo-hoo! Now...we wait. Could be 3 to 4 months.

In other news: two weeks till THIN AIR 2008!?! WTF?!?! In three weeks it will pretty well be over. Wow!!

Our media conference went quite well on Wednesday - CTV did a great piece on it for the news. Also, our Watch & Win prize packs were well showcased last week at noon (and I've got one on tape to prove it!).

This weekend's plan: Relax. Try to get the energy back. I'll need it for the weeks to come. Some of our media stuff has taken up lots of my time, time I need to concentrate on my other 5 "jobs" (we all do like 10 different jobs in the office, thanks to having such a small staff). But it should be good. It will mean a few late nights, but that's okay. The payoff is gold.

Next week's Book Launches: Monday, Michael Van Rooy, Wednesday, David Bergen, Thursday, Joan Thomas (which I'll have to miss because it's Tany'as birthday that day...although I'm trying to fit in a book launch for the birthday evening - heh!).

Also, the Prairie Fire board starts up again! Ack! I just remembered I haven't sent them any minutes or agenda for next Tuesday's meeting! Crap! Well, I guess I know what I'm doing for part of my weekend now. Doh.

It's Finally Going Out the Door!

2008-09-02T22:52:00.003-05:00

As Margaret Buffie once told me: eventually you just have to pack it a lunch, and let it out the door!

By "it" I mean my manuscript!!!

Okay, okay, okay. So, I finally kicked my ass enough to write my submission letter, scribbled out and reduced, reduced, reduced my synopsis, and polished up the first 20 pages (4 chapters) of The Ghostcatcher Club and now it really, really IS going out the door!

TOMORROW!

I'm sending it to Orca Books because they are advertising on their site that they are accepting submissions right now in all genres. Woo-hoo! I can only hope!!
First step is done: submit submission letter with sample chapters and synopsis.
Second step: pray they ask for the whole manuscript! (this could take 3 to 4 months).

I'm also thinking of submitting it to a whole host of other publishing houses (Annick, Random House, KidsCanPress, etc) but I think I'll wait until October now. Mostly because I want to give Orca first crack at asking for the manuscript, but also because I'm friggen busy at the Festival right now!

But...it's actually going out!!!

More and more Book Launches!

2008-09-02T22:46:00.003-05:00

I did indeed attend the launch of the Prairie Bridesmaid for Daria Salamon. Wow! Lots of great support for her at that one! McNally Robinson Booksellers (Grant Park) in the Prairie Ink cafe was PACKED and overflowing with peopley goodness. And there were overseers as well in the kids balcony up, up, waaaaay up!

It was a great event. As part of the book's promotion, Daria found musicians who donated fresh, new and original songs to the book - basically a soundtrack! They're available for free download if you buy the book (you get a download code). How cool is that!!

Anyways, I mention them because three of the musicians were at the launch and played songs at the beginning, in the middle and near the end. Interspersed with her readings and playful, fun stories, it was a really, really great event. Much more than just a reading and Q&A!

Tonight, I was at the the launch for Miriam Toew's The Flying Troutman. It was PACKED as well. She was on the central staircase at MNR (Grant Park). She read and talked for a bit (she's very funny), and took lots of Q&A (lots more than I expected). I didn't stay for the signing because, well, she's coming to the Festival and I'll have at least one chance then to get her to sign my book! Tonight I also found out that some of the books have red lettering, and others silver. I have red...not sure if that is more rare, because everyone at McNally's who bought the book had silver (maybe because I received mine earlier? Who knows...).

Next up: Michael Van Rooy and David Bergen! Whew!

Let the Book Launches Begin!

2008-08-20T20:22:00.003-05:00

It's that time of season again. THIN AIR 2008 is right around the corner (put on by yours truly at the Winnipeg International Writers Festival of course) and that means lots of new books to be released in the Fall!

Some of the writers launching in August and September will be appearing on our stages at the festival...I can't say more until September 3rd, when our official press conference takes place, but suffice it to say we've got lots of great local talent this year!

Two nights ago I attended perhaps this city's most anticipated book launch of 2008: Andrew Davidson with his first book, "The Gargoyle." Why so much anticipation? Because he received a 1.25 million dollar advance from Random House. Oh, and his book has also been sold in over 20 countries, so after all those advances he's now looking at more like 2.5 million in advances.

We call him the "Million Dollar Man" at the office. And I can safely tell you that he is coming to THIN AIR 2008.

Anyhoos, the launch.
Well, it was quite the party. Close to 250 people packed into the McNally Robinson (Polo Park) events alcove, and it was very roomy (the new location kicks ass, quite personally). Most of the people there were family and friends, but that's what most first book launches are, right? And this one, as he himself mentioned in an interview and at the launch, was perhaps his most important event because of that.

I got to meet with him briefly before everything started. He seems really nice, down to earth, and he's excited as all hell to be part of the festival! As for his reading, he was quite animated, funny, played the crowd really well, and read nicely. Exactly what you hope for in a writer! (many times a writer is great on paper...and not so great a performer).

Next up on the old book launch list: Daria Salamon's Bitchy Bridesmaid...sorry! That should be "Prairie Bridesmaid." (heh-heh) Quite a good book, although the narrator is quite the pessimist, hates everything and everyone, and kinda gets on your nerves by the 3/4 point. But, that's who she is and you better deal with it as a reader! Overall, very well written, and to quote a phrase from David Bergen, perfect "Prairie Angst!"

Time to get back on the Blog Saddle!

2008-08-20T20:06:00.002-05:00

Well, it has been a while!

I had had good intentions to keep up the blogging for a bit, particularly during the Fringe...and I kinda fell off the wagon. Oops.

Okay, quick update: yes, Tanya and I did see lots of Fringe shows, fifteen in total to be exact. Most were quite excellent. On the second Wednesday we saw 5 in one day! For those of you who actually Fringe, the excitement of being in the midst of all that energy is such a thrill. Walking through the market, buying the food from the vendors, wandering through the little kiosks, standing in line (yes, standing in line for Fringe shows is cool...don't ask me why). In general, just being surrounded by other people excited to watch Fringe plays, and getting to talk to the actors afterwards is very thrilling. It is, really.

Some shows of note:

Die Roten Punkte (the red dots); german punk band, modelled after the White Stripes. Basically, the concept is that you are at their concert, and they sing for you (quite good) and banter back and forth with the audience and each other. Awesomeness.

The Bush Ladies; four literary powerhouses during the early colonists, these four women tell their tales of early pioneers in Canada. Fantastic.

The Movies: Abridged; the two dudes from Killing Kevin Spacey and an english dude...not so good. Disappointing, really. Some two-bit impressions and bad jokes. Meh.

Teaching the Fringe; a veteran of the Fringe circuit talks about getting a nasty letter after one Fringe show he did in Winnipeg, and his reaction to it, along with other hilarious tidbits of doing Fringe shows around the world. Really great.

The Wizard of One; one-man show, muliple characters, retelling of the wizard of oz from inside an old folks home. Loved it. Excellent!

Spiral Dive; WWII pilots. Fantastic drama. Amazing rendition of the flying - the actor/pilot would sit in a chair, weave back and forth, pretending to be using controls, while sound effects and music played, and two other actors moved wood-cut models of the planes in question beside him. Sounds silly, but it worked wonderfully.

All in all, an excellent Fringe Experience! And basically, after all costs involved, our big vacation for the year. Eep!

Fringe! Fringe! Fringe!

2008-07-18T16:24:00.002-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again. And FINALLY for the first time in like four or five years I managed to convince Tanya to FRINGE again like we used to!!!

Got a Buddy Pass (which pays for 14 ADMISSIONS, and not 14 SHOWS as it advertises in the program...they need an editor), and it's already almost used up after only two days! Yahoo!!
We'll be buying another one soon methinks.

So, we've seen five plays so far. Here they are, Title and description, and my quick one line reviews:

(1) The Aethernomicon
Puppet play of horror, based on H.P. Lovecraft
The puppets were fricken awesome, although the "acting" was okay, but definitly worth seeing if you like freaky well made puppets.

(2) Queens of Rome
Two party girls in ancient Rome
Lots of valley-girl type swearing, but very funny and crass if you like that sort of language.

(3) Quixote
Storyteller Eric De Waal weaves tale about Don Quixote
Very cool as usual from Eric, with his mezmerizing speech and tale weaving snazzy jazz.

(4) Killing Kevin Spacey
Dude wakes up one morning to discover he's living the life of all of Kevin Spacey's pathetic characters, and decides to start living like Al Paccino would.
Bloody hilarious and totally worth seeing.

(5) Yorrik
The ghost of Yorrik talks to the audience and explains his REAL role in helping Shakespeare
Not bad. Kinda like medieaval stand-up.

More, more, more and MORE Fringe shows to see!

Not much happening...

2008-07-14T21:51:00.002-05:00

...on the personal writing front.

I'm still sitting on my poor finished manuscript which is begging to be sent out to a publisher's slush pile. Ugh! Excuse me while I bang my head against the wall [bash, bash, bash]

I've been to a few writerly events, most notably Anita Daher's Writer in Residence reading at Aqua Books. Speaking of Aqua Books, the new location is looking smarter and sharper every day. It can only get better and better!

Okay. I have to stop putting off writing this submission letter and researching which houses to send my manuscript to. I already know a bunch who are going to get it - all that remains is to write the letter, several samples and lengths of summaries, perhaps a chapter outline, and then get a few SASEs together, and then it's done!

Maybe this is why I haven't been published yet...damn laziness.

Double Trouble with 2 Sasky Poets

2008-05-12T22:19:00.002-05:00

Well, if I can't blog about my own writing, at least I can blog about someone else's!

Just got back from MRB (GP), and enjoyed a lovely evening with friends and colleagues and people from far-flung communities. Fellow Facebooker Friend of mine Brenda Schmidt and Judith Krause are two talented Saskatchewan poets with new books out from the same publisher who are touring at the same time, and Winnipeg was the final leg of their journey.

First Judith read from her book Mongrel Love which was a mix of poems which touched on emotions, death, one about a horse (which was disturbing and compelling at the same time) and a few other tidbits (yes, yes, crappy poetry review, but that's what you're going to get).
And then Brenda read from her book Cantos from Wolverine Creek which had some great poetry about birds, far-away memories of nursing, and food (loved the "cookie triage" poem! Heh! The crumbly carnage!)

I should also mention that I enjoyed a lovely Dim Sum lunch with Brenda and Judith earlier today, along with a bunch of other people (all of whom were also at the reading tonight). So all in all, not only a lovely evening, but a lovely day!

One crazy fun book launch!

2008-05-02T10:05:00.004-05:00

I managed to make it out to Chandra Mayor's book launch last night (All the Pretty Girls), and let me tell you it was fun! High energy and full of life and love and of course tinged with sadness (for some of the subject matter was quite serious).

Chandra held her launch at the Lo Pub, a swanky little underground dive bar which was really quite cozy. Although I'm not sure if that's because of the clientelle who was there last night (who were all there for Chandra). What would I find if I went there tonight? Of course we'll never know, because I'm not sure why I'd go there again, truth be told ;-)

In any case, Chandra also shared the stage with another person, who's beautiful sounding name I won't attempt to spell here (I can't seem to find the hundred invitations to the event I had!). Suffice to say that her book of poetry was quite beautiful, although quite serious in many parts (having to do with missing/abused women in the Vancouver area). There was a rep from Sagehouse at the readings as well, who gave a small presentation about what she and her organization does to help young women (sometimes girls, really) in awful, awful situations.

It was a great evening to bring awareness to a problem in all of our cities, to give thanks to two great readings, to hear host Rosanna Deerchild in her true, crazy (and as Chandra said, slightly inappropriate) form! And, most of all, to enjoy the company of friends and colleagues in a very un-bookstore like launch. Fantastic all around!

The End of Manitoba Book Week

2008-04-27T09:16:00.006-05:00

Well, it was a blast. The launch of Prairie Fire's Home Place 2 (non-fiction) issue on Thursday, April 24, was a gala affair. About 150 people showed up for the hour and half of readings (and cake afterwards).

Unfortunately, the readings did go over a bit, and I was forced to miss Kerry Ryan's launch of her new (and first!) poetry book The Sleeping Life. I missed her reading, but I did get to buy a copy of the book and get her to sign it. Unlike a certain A.G. who feels autographs are so "fanboyish" I quite like getting my book personalized by the author. I like to think the writer themself enjoys doing it!

Last night was the 20th Annual Manitoba Book Awards, put on by the AMBP (Association of Manitoba Book Publishers) and the MWG (Manitoba Writers Guild). A really good time for shmoozing with the local literary crowd, including writers and publishers. The award ceremony itself went off with nary a hitch, and most of the acceptance speeches were really quite good (the greetings from the province were actually quite nice).

Speaking of "foot in mouth" disease, Morley Walker wrote a horrible article in Saturday's Freep which basically debased the whole awards show. His big rant was why the book HE thinks was the bestest and greatest Manitoba book since sliced bread (the Manitoba Encyclopedia by Great Plains Publishing) wasn't among the nominees or winners.

Hey Morley, here's a heads up: That's YOUR opinion that the book was the best.
And here's another heads up: Just because a book is submitted does NOT mean it will win or even get nominated! There is a jury that selects these things outside of your realm of influence (shocking, I know)

It's really sad to see Winnipeg's literary journalist giant constantly and consistently bad-mouth Manitoba publishing and writers.

One treat during the awards was when Kelly Hughs, owner of Aqua Books and generous donor to the Landsdowne poetry prize, lambasted Walker during his presenting speech. The crowd went wild! Funny thing then that Walker was no where to be seen after the awards...

Today's article in the Freep about the Manitoba Book Awards is surprisingly neutral. It mentions all the winners, and there are even a few choice quotes from winners about the importance of Manitoba publishers.

Huh. Change of heart Morley? Or trying to save face?

Mystery Crime at MB Book Week and Aqua Books

2008-04-23T23:06:00.003-05:00

Tonight was a reading and panel discussion about crime/mystery/true crime writing, and featured three writers (one of whom was Michael Van Rooy...I can't remember the names of the others and I'm too lazy and tired to check right now - wait! One was Mike Macintyre (sp?) from the Freep).

It was pretty interesting.

Plus the event took place at the new Aqua Books location. Even though the bookstore was not nearly ready for business, the cafe in the back looks quite swank, and the upstairs events room worked beautifully. I also took a sneak peak at the writer studios, and they look pretty awesome!

Can't wait until the bookstore is up and running. Here's wishing Kelly all the luck and stamina in the world to get it ready for March 26!

Next up for my Manitoba Book Week flurry of events: PrairieFire's Home Place 2 launch, Kerry Ryan's poetry book launch (the same night at McNally Robinson Grant Park) on Thursday, and the Manitoba Book Awards on Saturday night. Can't wait!

Another great YA book launch

2008-04-22T20:40:00.002-05:00

As part of Manitoba Book Week, Rae Bridgeman was launching her new book "Fish and Sphinx" at McNally Robinson Booksellers tonight (Polo Park location).

A great launch, and well attended by young and old! Full house! Complete with town crier at the beginning, a power point slide show of some of her drawings from the book (sliding along as she read), and a great reading with great questions.

A great night!

Getting out to meet the Writers

2008-04-10T22:09:00.002-05:00

Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman (what a swell name) launched their new collaborative book today: Ghosthunters 1: The Proof that Ghosts Exist.

Very nice launch with lots of people (young and old). It was a virtual who's who of YA writers! Anita Daher! Rae Bridgeman! Margaret Buffie! ME! (well, not quite yet - heh!)

The launch was at the new McNally Robinson Booksellers at Polo Park (nice and close to me wittle house now!). A beautiful store. I had the privilege of getting an invitation to the gala opening night (la-dee-da!) two weeks ago. Very cool.
Tanya and I had dinner in the new Prairie Ink restaurant tonight, and the food as usual (for MRB standards) was very delicious. Tanya was drooling all over her cherry pie - quite disgusting, really ;-)

All in all, a nice night.

What happened to March?

2008-04-10T22:08:00.003-05:00

Well, March was a blur.
I was fine until March 5. Then, I got sick. Then, I got food poisoning. Then, I was lingering and lingering ill for four weeks. Then I woke up and WTF? What month is it? APRIL??

So, that's why no blog.

And yes, no submission letters yet. Ugh.
I'm planning on working on them this weekend and next week FOR SURE!

Fourth draft - in DA BAG!

2008-02-22T17:20:00.004-06:00

Woo-Hoo!

Well, I did it!

Yesterday I took the morning off from work to write, and write, and write, and suddenly it was 11am, normally when I start packing stuff up and get ready for work, and I was all "I can't stop! I can't!"
So I didn't. I kept writing, and writing, had a quick 20 minute lunch break, and then more writing, until suddenly it was 2:30 pm and I was done! Finished! The biggest rewrite I had to do (the last part of the book, which included moving chapters around, killing chapters, and rewriting chapters) was pulled off! Yahoo!!
Mind you, I got to work at 3:30 and worked till 7:30, but it was all good.

I like it. I like it a lot.

Today I just left it, and on the weekend I'll pull it out and reread the new parts to see if they still make sense (heh-heh).

My plan for next week is to get a submission letter going and start putting together some packages, do a little research on some publishing houses, and submit!!!!

Very exciting. "8)

Just get in - Hip Deep!

2008-02-14T09:44:00.002-06:00

Okay, well after a week and a bit of NOT working on my manuscript I have finally buckled down (in some cases) and found the time in-between grant reports, to get some more work done on the 4th draft!

Yesterday morning was spent mostly rereading the changes I had ALREADY done on the first 8 chapters a few weeks ago, which really in the scope of things wasn't much. I think it was mostly a psycholgical exercise to get back into the 12 year old mindset of my characters and re-enjoy this yarn!

Today, more rewriting, and right into a major rework! Chapter 11 - GONE! Chapters 10 and 12 - AMALGAMATED!! Woo-hoo!! Very cool. This rewrite REALLY sets the stage for retooling the tone and pace of this book (based very much in part on Anita's comments).

Very exciting!

Funk, Funk, Funk

2008-02-05T09:45:00.000-06:00

Ugh!

I think I need a vacation. Which is weird to say after coming off two weeks of Christmas "vacation." Well, two weeks away from work and surrounded by family stuff, which, although nice, can be a little much if you just want to hide away and rest.

Am I suffering the mid-winter blues?? I don't feel depressed. But I feel bored. I'm having a hard time concentrating these days on anything to do with work, including my writing some days!
And this messy office is just frustrating me. I hate being so disorganized sometimes! Grrr!!

Ah well.

I finally got my interview done yesterday for PBN (that's Prairie Books NOW) so I'm mulling over that during my morning writing time. Mull, mull, mull.
Also putting together my final report for the WAC grant I received last year. Yay!

Okay, enough complaining and mumbling. Time to write and then off to work to get some stuff done! Gotta just bite the bullet, make a list, check it twice, and manage the time. There's lots to do but lots of time to do it!

Mull, mull, mull....

2008-01-30T08:48:00.001-06:00

I've been mulling over possible changes based on the advice and comments from Anita, and let me tell you it isn't easy. Not that I'm against the changes ("Don't touch my manuscript! NO! Stay away you monster! AAAAAH!!"). I just want to delve into the right places and make the right changes for myself.

Good news is, I have lots of ideas! Yesterday I put together a 2-page outline for my next plans. Now, the implementation begins...

Ugh. And my right knee is still sore. I aggravated it on Sunday while helping Kelly at Aqua Books move junk out of his new building. I didn't think it was that bad, but the more I've walked on it, the worse it gets - and it's not a muscle sprain, more like joint pain. After a few hours of rest it's pretty good, and then after a half-hour or so of walking it starts getting sore again. Yesterday, after three hours of grocery shopping my knee was so sore I was like the shuffling undead!! ("Braaaaiiinssss...."). Ugh.

Well, back at it. Then to prepare some ribs for dinner tonight in the slow cooker (Yumm!) and then shuffle off to work in the freezing c-c-cold.

They're Here! They're Here! The Comments are Here!

2008-01-29T09:27:00.000-06:00

Yup! Anita finished reading (and rereading and rereading it looks like) my manuscript for The Ghostcatcher Club, and it returned to me chock-full of notes within, and a 4-page detailed report! Yay!

I've already delved into the notes, and this morning I'm doing the same. Quite exciting to have a roadmap now to help me move forward. There is always a point as a writer where you look at your work and you might see something "wrong" in parts, but you can't quite know where or what or why... you need new eyes.

Thanks for your eyes Anita!