C. T. Adams

Monday Trivia & Posse Stuff

2009-11-16T04:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm going to cheat a little. ;) I want y'all to read the posted chapters over on the joint blog (assuming you haven't already. If you have, you get attaperson points--10 BIG attaperson points.) SO, the trivia question is based on the posting.

What does Celia use to seal the breach in the perimeter?

Answers to catadamsfans@gmail.com with TRIVIA in the RE.

***************************************
Oh, and FYI, getting a good response on the Creature Feature; Double Feature; and Amateur Hour as proposed. SO, it looks like it will be a go. Eventually. When I get my act together a little more (i.e., get myself a 2010 calendar so I can keep better track of when who is doing what for how many cookies.)

Oh, and Posse Members -- Send me birthday greetings in the next week with an updated address (if it's changed, or if you don't trust me to keep track of it without an assistant---and you might not be able to. You know how I am.) so that I can send out the Christmas goodies. I'm actually going to try to get them out before Easter. ;)

And I am still taking applications for new posse members. Posse members get the best goodies (eventually) and generally get lavished with lots of attention by yours truly, the Not-So-Evil-Overlord. Send your application (grovelling is ALWAYS appreciated) and your preference as to: Lackey/Minion/Synchophant (only for those with rhythm enough to do a truly spectacular happy dance)/Other along with any special qualifications and your snail mail address for the forwarding of schwag.

Answers to catadamsfans@gmail.com with POSSE in the RE.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial Catch Up

2009-11-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

OKAY, I'm back. Hope you haven't "starved" in the meantime. So, first off, if you want a sneak peek at the first chapter of the first book in the new series go to the joint blog. It's posted.

Are you back? GOOD. Now, if you want to see the first chapter of the upcoming Sazi book, I BELIEVE (thank you Webmistress!! Thank you Webmistress!!) it's available on our website. You can go there.

Back again? WOOO, you're REALLY into this aren't you? Okay, here's the re-run of the first part of the serial since you've probably forgotten it all by now. Posts are separated by asterisks. New stuff is at the bottom.

*****************

"Wow Jen, think you've got enough suntan lotion? And whoo hoo, look at the bikini. Yowsa!"

Bonnie, the checker at the local discount store looked over at one of her favorite regular customers. "I'm guessing somebody is headed out of town on vacation. Maybe even with that handsome state cop she's been dating? Hmmmn?"

Jen laughed, "Guilty as charged. We're headed out to Hawaii," she paused for effect "to meet his family."

Bonnie goggled, "Ohmigod, the big family meet and greet. Is it really that serious? Already?"

Jen squirmed uncomfortably. "Maybe. I think so. But I don't want to rush into anything." She really didn't. Her divorce had been finalized less than a year. She was over Todd. That wasn't the question. She just wasn't sure she was ready to be with someone else. And she really didn't trust her judgment when it came to men. After all, Todd had been handsome, and charming, and all sorts of wonderful---right up until the day they said their "I dos." Now she desperately wish she hadn't. But hindsight is ever 20/20 as they say.

"Oh, don't fret. You'll do fine. Just take your time. Enjoy yourself." Bonnie gave a saucy wink as she ran Jen's items over the price scanner. "Not that I have to tell you to do that, what with that handsome hunk you'll be travelling with. He is fine."

Jen couldn't argue with that. Jake was really, truly, all that and a bag of chips. Not only handsome, he was smart, funny, and seemed to instinctively know not to push---to go slow. Jen was almost positive he was as nervous about this whole meet and greet as she was. But his baby sister was getting married, so it seemed logical . . .

"When are you leaving?" Bonnie's question brought Jen back to the present.

"Day after tomorrow. First thing in the morning."

"Ah, then you probably want to buy your ticket now?" The lilt in her voice made it a question.

"Oh, yeah. I should, shouldn't I." Every week, without fail, Jen bought a single lottery ticket, cash option, same numbers every time. It was her little ritual. Probably silly, but worth the money if for no other reason than the number of fantasies she'd had thinking what she would do with the winnings from the prosaic, setting up a family trust, to the exotic, quitting her boring job and going on a world cruise. Not that she ever would win. But then, you never know. Which was the point, after all. "Let me dig out my numbers."

"You're kidding, right. As if I don't know them by heart after all this time." Bonnie waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and walked over to the machine. "9, 15, 27, 32, 48, 54, right?"

"Right." Jen blushed a little, feeling foolish. Just how much money had she spent on tickets over the years that the cashier could rattle the numbers off so easily? Then she shook herself. It was cheap. It was fun, and it didn't hurt a thing. In fact, if the ads were to be believed, she was helping fund the state schools and park maintenance.

Bonnie hit the buttons and the small square of red and white paper popped out of the machine. Handing it across the counter she said, "Now you put that in a safe place. It could be the winner the way you're luck has turned around. I mean, really, a handsome man and a trip to Hawaii? I am sooooooo jealous."

Laughing Jen pulled out her wallet. Folding the ticket in half she stuck it in the coin purse, then pulled enough bills from the wallet section to pay for her purchases. Who knew what could happen? She was certainly feeling lucky.

*******

Jen stared out the window over the wing of the plane. Ohmigawd! That was the ocean. The Pacific. This was really happening. All her life she'd wanted to travel and Hawaii had been at the top of her list. Even the words were exotic. Aloha, luau, lava-lava. Her stomach flip-flopped and she told herself it was excitement and not fear of flying. This was her first time on a plane. She'd never really gotten to travel anywhere. Even her honeymoon "hadn't worked out." The ex had been supposed to make the travel plans, but they fell through because . . . well, honestly, because her ex was her ex. But she was going now.

"You okay? You're looking a little pale." Jake touched her hand, drawing her attention away from the window. He wasn't faking his concern, she could tell.

"Fine." Jen smiled at him. "Just a little nervous. This is my first time on a plane and I'm going to meet your family. It's a bit much, but I figure you'll make it up to me." She winked at him and was rewarded with a heart-stopping smile.

"I'll do my best." He paused, "You really don't need to worry about my family Jen. I know they're going to love you. Almost as much as I do."

She blushed with pleasure at his words, but didn't necessarily believe him. If there wasn't some basis in truth to them the legends about mother-in-laws wouldn't have survived this long. Her own mother was no saint. In fact, she'd been decidedly chilly to Jake. Then again, she loved Todd and was still holding out hope for a reconciliation.

"We'll see."

Sensible man that he was, Jake decided to distract her. It was a long flight, and it'd be no fun for either of them if they sat here worried and brooding. "So, is your mom watching the house and taking care of Obsidian for you?"

Jen pasted a smile on her face. She'd asked her mother. It had been a mistake. Her ears were still blistered from the response. "No, Wendy's watching him."

"Wendy?" Jake shook his head. "Are you sure that's a good idea. I mean, I like your sister, but she's a little bit of a . . ."

"Flake." Jen sighed. "Yeah, I know. I love her, but she is who she is. And Obsidian will be fine. He's not that social of a cat to begin with. I left out a huge roasting pan filled with hard food, and the toilet seat is up. So if she flakes out and misses a day he'll be fine." Actually, her huge black tom cat would probably be fine for a week considering how much kibble she'd left him. And he wasn't particularly social with anyone but Jen and surprisingly, Jake.

"I don't even mind her so much. But her husband . . ." He let the sentence trail off unfinished rather than say something irretrievable. But Jen could guess what he meant. Kevin was a serious creep. Then again, every man her sister dated was, one way or another. Wendy just knew how to pick em. There could be 100 really great guys in the room and one loser, and she'd gravitate to the loser every time.

When Jake and Kevin had met at the family holiday cookout there had been the kind of instant animosity that you see with large, dominant dogs. It hadn't gotten ugly, but only because Jen and Jake had left before it could. But it had been a very close thing. Of course it didn't help matters that Kevin was Todd's best friend in the world.

What a mess. Jen looked at Jake for a long moment, leaned over, and gave him a quick kiss. Nothing big, just a peck. But he'd earned it. Her life was such a mess. But he never complained, never did anything but make her feel safe, loved, and laugh. Lord how he made her laugh. She'd almost forgotten how it had been so long. Now she wouldn't give it up for anything.

"What was that for?"

"For being you." She smiled. Taking a deep breath, she said the words she knew he'd wanted to hear, but she'd never been ready to voice. "I really do love you, you know."

*******

Todd stared up at the television in the corner of the bar. The Lakers had lost. The game hadn't even been close. There went another hundred bucks. Dammit. He knew he shouldn't gamble, but it was a habit. And what the hell else did he have to spend his money on now? He shook his head. She was gone. With JAKE. In HAWAII. Where she and Todd had been going to go on their honeymoon. Until he lost the money. Of course that wasn't what he'd told her. He'd lied. She'd believed him. She'd even seemed to take it okay. Until suddenly one day, she just didn't. And it was over, and there was nothing for him to do except sign the divorce papers and come down here to the bar and get drunk with Kevin.

Kevin came back to the table carrying a pair of beers and two doubles of whiskey. Neither of them needed it. They were both well past tipsy and on their way to wasted, but Todd didn't want to think clearly. Not tonight, knowing she was there, with Jake.

The commercial break came on and the lotto box appeared on the screen with its bouncing numbered balls. Todd watched the screen as individual balls popped out to be placed in a row. Damn those numbers looked familiar. Why? What was special about 9, 15, 27, 32, 48, 54?

"Holy shit. Those are Jen's numbers." He hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"Really?" Kevin got a look on his face. Something about it bugged Todd. A lot.

"Too bad she's in Hawaii and didn't buy herself a ticket." He forced himself to smirk. "Serves her right. " He raised his beer bottle, as if toasting the bitter words. Kevin clicked bottles. But the expression on his face didn't change.

*******
Jen checked her watch, did the math, and decided that it was probably a decent hour to call her sister. There really wasn't ever a "good" time. Wendy kept very irregular hours. She did shift work, and it changed a lot. But she also partied---hard. It was how she'd met Kevin. Jen had always hoped her sister would "grow up," but thus far there'd been no sign of it. Of course, she thought Jen was a horrible "stick-in-the-mud" because she didn't party any more. Hell, she hadn't done it much even back in the day. It just seemed such a waste to get wasted. Why work that hard for a paycheck and then blow it on one night so that you had to struggle and scrape just to get by?

Jen shook her head. She was doing it again, being judgmental. Her sister was doing her a favor. She needed to focus on being grateful. Because she was. Wendy's helping out made it possible for her to be here with Jake having the time of her life. And she was: romantic walks on the beach, playing in the surf, playing in the hotel room. Oh it was wonderful. The wedding yesterday had been gorgeous, and so romantic. Every one of Jake's family seemed to like her too. They were being so much nicer than her family had been to him. Of course they might just be on their best behavior because of the wedding, but she really didn't think so.

She dialed the number to Wendy's cell phone from memory. It rang four times before a very sleepy-sounding voice came on the line.

"'Lo?"

"Wendy, it's Jen."

"Right, Jen. Hang on a sec', 'kay?" Jen heard Kevin grumbling, then her sister fumbling around in the background, finally there was the sound of a door closing, and Wendy's voice came back on the line. "I'm back." Wendy announced, following it up with a huge yawn. "So, how's Hawaii with hunkalicious?"

"It's wonderful. I'm having the time of my life! Thanks so much for agreeing to watch Obsidian. How's he doing anyway?"

"Um, Jen . . . about that . . . "Jen's stomach clenched at the words, and she closed her eyes, praying silently that her cat was all right. Wendy would never deliberately hurt him. But oh Lord, if anything bad had happened . . .

Wendy started in on one of her long, rambling explanations. "See, I would'a sworn I hung the key on the hook. But when I went to get it, it wasn't there. But I mean, I knew I had to take care of the cat. I mean, you're counting on me. So, I figured I'd just go in through the window. No harm, no foul. But it broke. And while I was waiting for the guy to come replace the glass . . . he said he'd bill you for the work . . . I'm really sorry Jen. But, um, the cat . . . well, he got out. I've seen him. He's still hanging around the house. But he won't let me get near him. So I moved the pan with his food outside. And I'm still going by in case I can get him to come inside."

Jen didn't pound her head against the wall, but she wanted to. Dammit, dammit, damn it! Obsidian was up to date on his shots, and he was smart and tough. But there were raccoons in the neighborhood, and she'd heard an owl hunting just a couple of nights before she left. DAMN it.

"Jen? Say something. Please? I'm really, really sorry. I know you were counting on me. But I'm sure he's all right. And you're coming home tomorrow. He'll come in for you."

"It's all right." Jen lied. It was not all right. She was furious and hurt, and worried. But there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it and there probably wasn't anything Wendy could do. Because Obsidian wasn't going to come to her. No chance of that at all.

"You're mad."

Hell yes she was mad? Why wouldn't she be? Wendy'd lost the key to her house, broken a window, and let the cat get out. The only thing that she could've done to screw up worse was burn the place down or leave it unlocked so that burglars . . . oh shit. "Wendy, sweetie" Jen took a deep breath, fighting to make sure her voice was calm, pleasant even. "Did you lock the house back up when you left? Maybe get mom's key to let yourself back in?"

"Mom's got a key? Why didn't I think of that?" Jen actually heard her sister smack her palm against her forehead. "I'll go get it from her. Then I can lock the place up."

She hadn't locked up. Jen counted backwards from twenty-five. It was supposed to calm her down. It wasn't working. She felt more like she was counting down to lift-off.

"You're pissed. I can tell." Wendy's voice was accusatory. "You're breathing funny. You practically sound like an obscene caller."

Of course Jen was pissed. Why wouldn't she be? It's not like she'd asked her sister to do anything hard.

"Look, it's not like you live in a bad neighborhood or anything. The place is nice. Your neighbors are sweet little old ladies. Nothing's going to happen."

******
Nothing's going to happen. Famous last words. Well, maybe not last words. Although at the moment Jen would gladly and happily strangle her sister she wouldn't actually kill her. Probably. No. She wouldn't. She loved Wendy. She really did. She just needed to remind herself of that over, and over until she calmed down.

"Are you all right?"

Jen gave her boyfriend a look that would've curdled milk."Okay, admittedly a stupid question. " He shook his head. "God, what a mess." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory. The police station, of course. Jen only half-listened as he reported a break-in and presumed robbery.

The place was a wreck. It was as if a tornado had come threw. The contents of drawers were dumped on the floor, her bookcases emptied, their contents strewn everywhere. Her couch cushions and throw pillows had been shredded with a knife. There was broken glass everywhere. And that was just the living room. Jen hadn't even looked at the other rooms in the house. It was too damned depressing. Outside she heard a faint, plaintive mewling.

Obsidian! He wasn't in the house! Oh thank God. He could've been hurt, even killed.

Jen pushed past Jake to stand on the front porch step. "Obsidian. Here baby. Come here. It's all right now. I'm home."

She saw a twitch of movement in the bushes, and the mewling grew louder. Crouching down, she clucked her tongue and started making the little squirrel sounds that never failed to draw him out. Sure enough, he began his approach, warily at first, but crossing the last bit of space in a rush.

"Oh baby, I've missed you too." She petted him, tears stinging her eyes. He was a mess. leaves were tangled in his long, black fur, and there was a long scab running diagonally across his nose. Jen sank into a sitting position, taking him into her lap. As she finger-combed his hair she felt the purr rumbling through his body.

Jake came over and sat down beside them. "The police will be here in a couple of minutes." He told her. "Hey big guy." He reached over, letting the cat sniff his fingers before scratching behind the cat's ears. "Looks like you've had an adventure while we were gone. If only you could talk."

"Next time, he stays at the vet. I don't care how much boarding him costs." Jen's voice was unsteady. "If he hadn't been outside . . ."

"Don't think about it. He's fine. He's safe. You're safe. That's what's important."

"But my house." She felt so violated. And oh God the work it was going to take cleaning that mess up. It made her tired just thinking about it. The vacation had been fun, but it hadn't been restful. She was already exhausted. Damn it! The tears that had been threatening began falling in earnest.

"I know. I know." Obsidian squirmed out from between them as Jake took Jen in his arms, holding her close. "It's going to be all right. It sucks. And it's not the homecoming we would've wanted for you. But we'll get through this."

She felt like such a baby. She was all right. Her cat was fine. There was nothing in the house that couldn't be replaced. Not really. She'd taken all of her jewelry with her, and she didn't have much else valuable. Even her TV was a crummy old 19 inch.

"You know baby, it looks as if the intruder was searching for something. Any idea what?"

"No clue. I mean, I don't have anything worth hiding."

"Well maybe he just got mad and destroyed things because he didn't find anything he could fence." Jake's voice was soothing, but his expression was doubtful. "Are you sure there's nothing . . ."

"Not a thing. I don't keep anything valuable at the house. It all goes in the safe deposit box at the bank. The jewelry is going back there first thing Monday morning." She rummaged in her purse for a tissue. "Why would somebody do this?"

Why indeed.

*******

The police had come and gone. They took her statement. Spread yellow dust around getting fingerprints. They'd also talked rather urgently (and privately) with Jake. That bothered her a bit. Actually more than a bit. Because he'd spent the rest of the time he'd been here looking very worried, and more than a little angry.

He'd tell her whatever it was eventually. He wasn't the secretive type. Unlike someone she knew. But in the meantime there was a ton of stuff to do. First of which, she had to go to the store and buy cleaning supplies and one of those disposable cameras so that she could send pictures to her insurance agent along with a copy of the police report to file a claim.

She'd get reimbursed for most of the damages . . . well, at least the part that was over her deductible. But that didn't help her today. No, today she was going to have to rack up her credit card right to the limit.

The bathroom wasn't too much of a mess, so she cleaned it up and locked Obsidian inside. Then she climbed in the car and drove over to the Discount Palace.

###

"Hey Jen. Welcome back!" Bonnie gave her a huge smile, "Look at the tan on you. Have fun?"

"Oh the trip was wonderful." Jen forced herself to smile. "It's coming back that's hard."

"Isn't that always the case." Bonnie gave a sympathetic sigh.

"Yeah, but this is worse. Somebody broke into my house. They completely trashed the place."

"Oh NO!" Bonnie stared at the overflowing shopping cart. "That's awful! You called the police, rigiht?"

"Yeah, they've come and gone. And I'm making a claim on my homeowner's insurance. But it's so awful. I mean, it's my home. And now I don't even feel safe. Why would somebody do that? It's not like I have anything worth stealing."

"People." Bonnie harrumpfed. Grabbing the first item from the counter, she began scanning Jen's purchases with practiced speed. "Changing the subject, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Somebody won the big lotto jackpot! They haven't claimed it yet. But rumor has it they bought their ticket here. They told us because the store gets a bonus for selling the winning ticket. I'm so excited. Somebody I know is a millionaire! How cool is that? And who knows, I may have even sold the ticket! Hope they remember me if I did, you know what I mean."

"Bet they will." Jen forced herself to smile, even though she didn't feel like it.

Bonnie hit the button to total Jen's purchases. Jen winced. She had enough on her card to pay for it. . . barely. She ran the little plastic card through the machine, then signed on the line showing on the screen.

"I'm really sorry about your house honey." Bonnie passed over the receipt. "Things are bound to get better eventually."

"God I hope so."

SCHTOOF/STATUS

2009-11-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, got quite a lot more done. The packages WENT. (Insert Hallelujah Chorus here). BUT because I am a cheapskate ($11 as opposed to over $30 as an example) they are mostly not going out with the quick delivery. SO, I'm changing my offer of getting yelled at. If you don't receive them in 1 month THEN on 12/15 you get to ream me a new one. :)

If you are interested, the joint blog has the first chapter of the first book in the new series. I believe that the first chapter of the upcoming Sazi book is on the website. Go, look, enjoy.

Tomorrow, barring disaster, I will have a re-posting of the newest serial thus far and a new addition.

Until tomorrow, be well, be happy.

Status Check

2009-11-13T05:01:00.001-08:00

Good morning friends and neighbors.

All righty then. For a status check thus far this morning.

__X__ Up. Out of bed.
__X__ Teeth brushed, showered, and generally not physically offensive to the public.
__X__ Shopping done to purchase TP and minutes for phone, cleaning products, and stuff for the critters. Groceries put away.
__X__ Walking done for exercise.
__X__ Minutes loaded on phone.
__X__ Breakfast eaten.
__X__ Posts to internet re status.
_____ Clean out fridge, clean litter boxes and trash out before garbage guys get here.
_____ Find addresses and prepare all shipping labels
_____ Bank for money to pay for postage.
_____ GOTO San Angelo to mail all packages; buy ink so I can produce bookmarks, etc. Start Christmas shopping. (ARGH)
_____ Second pass edits on Book 2.
_____ Copy addresses from ruined address book into new one.
_____ Clean out old purse and shift to new one. Old purse into washer.
_____ Calls/E-mails to writer buddies about possible "Creature Feature" and "Double Feature" entries.
And that my friends, is my day. I'm halfway there at 7:08 a.m. (not really. I mean, the first half items were pretty easy, but I'm thinking positive. SEE. I CAN be positive!!!)

Have You Ever Failed at Something?

2009-11-12T10:54:00.001-08:00

Stupid question, right? Everybody fails at something sometime. And yet, silly me, I expect myself to be perfect. To just not screw up. And when I fail, or screw up, I indulge in the kind of self-flagellation that doesn't do anything but make myself feel worse, and certainly doesn't fix the problem. Which is stupid. Which I realize. So I beat myself up about that.

I don't know where that particular brand of guilt/stupidity came from. Nor do I really care. I just wish I could get over it. Life is hard enough without making things worse for yourself.

But there you go. I'm turning fifty very soon. I haven't gotten past it yet. I may not ever. But dammit I am going to try!

OKAY, on to the next thing. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?

I am committing to doing more with the blogs again now that I'm less ill and less depressed. SO, some of the things I'm considering:

STARTING A NEW THING that is the "CREATURE FEATURE" or sometimes "DOUBLE FEATURE." This would be done randomly where I post an excerpt from an upcoming book with notes from the author. Would you like to have me do this?
1) On Friday, actually post some progress.
2) On Saturday doing a catch-up replay of the new Serial thus far plus the new installment.
3) On Monday catching up the points and doing a new trivia.

And I am hereby asking not only for opinions, but for the posse members to write me and give me encouragement. I need it. A lot. Please. Put RAH RAH in the Re.

catadamsfans@gmail.com

I AM VERY SORRY FOR THE DELAYS!

AND TO THOSE OF YOU TO WHOM I OWE PRIZES -- THE TRUCK IS FIXED. I CAN GO TO THE POST OFFICE IN SAN ANGELO TOMORROW. (WHICH SAVES SEVERAL DAYS OFF OF DELIVERY TIME). SO IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK YOU GET TO YELL AT ME. SERIOUSLY. I'll even PM you a temporary telephone number (for a burn phone--appropriately enough) where you can give me hell.

Transmission Trouble

2009-11-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Had some work done on the truck. It is an old truck (but a good one). I am very fond of it, and all things considered, it has run very well for a very long time. BUT the transmission is going. They've done some work that will extend its life, but are now going to have to look for a used one. (Truck is old enough that new parts would be worth more than the vehicle.)

Sigh.

Vampire Elimination and Other Weirdnesses

2009-11-08T03:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, I didn't post the serial yesterday. In fact, didn't do much online yesterday. Went on a run to the city with the co-author and discussed a lot of important stuff and even more not-so-important stuff. The time off has been good for me. Still haven't completely pulled my head together, but it's slowly improving.

The topic of the day is the weird crap that writers discuss. For example. Vampire elimination. No, not the elimination of vampires, (either in fiction or life) but the "if your vampires can only drink fluids, and they use the blood they drink to replace their own, DO they eliminate? Liquid only? Have their digestive tracts died and become useless.

Now seriously guys, who else but a writer would get into a vigorous discussion about (literally) vampire sh** or the lack thereof? Hmnn?

And we wonder why people treat us like we're weird.

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-11-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been sick, and pooped, and I am so far behind on EVERYTHING that it is truly terrifying. There are edits that HAVE to get done and the animals are being VERY needy because I've been ill and not able to fuss over them like I normally do. Lucky the Wonder Dog, in particular, needs lots of love, attention and EXERCISE. She's been getting the first two, but not the third, so she is RESTLESS. UGH.

I've been feeling like crap: physically, mentally and emotionally. Sometimes the best you can do is just keep moving forward. (Quote of the day -- If you're going through hell, KEEP GOING.) But I wonder sometimes if I should just play Pollyanna in public -- Everything is FINE, wonderful, etc.? I mean nobody really wants to hear me whine. They have their own problems, many of which are MUCH worse than mine. Also, one of my goals is to help people and encourage them. How encouraging can I be when I'm moping? Seriously.

But I try to be honest. And I don't care who you are, or how many wonderful things there are going on in your life, there are always going to be some not-so-wonderful things and times that get you down.

So the truth? I guess so.

1) Weight loss? Don't make me laugh. You would think with the food poisoning that the weight would've come off and stayed off. Came off abruptly, but not for long. Still, I'm finally feeling well enough that I did my walking this morning.

2) Depression -- still there.

3) Writing -- Lots of wonderful things happening here, but as is the case with the publishing industry they are happening . . . . s . . . l . . . o . . . w . . . l . . . y. Patience is not my best thing, so this is just a teeny bit frustrating. (And yes, I have been nominated for Queen of Understatement. How did you guess?)

4) Move to Denver -- Stalled. I have been trying to find employment at a day job. (All right, here's a bit of truth. The writing pays pretty darn well, but the checks come too far apart and I have to take out my own taxes as self employment and don't have health insurance or retirement. A good day job can take care of this. It also gives me the opportunity to run into people. Interacting with others gives me ideas and helps me with things like dialogue and rhythms.). In this economy at my age it is a little bit tricky. I haven't given up. But I haven't made progress either, which is depressing, distressing, and lots of other essings.

5) Finding a good job. See previous.

6) Catching up on all of the crapola like mailing things, working up the newsletter, etc. Stalled.

Not exactly a passing scorecard. But today is a new day. I'm here. I'm posting. I'm listening to kick-ass music and getting the animals snugged, exercised, etc., the house clean and the edits done. And maybe, if I do I'll be able to be less hard on myself and be just a little less down. Because while I know I'm not perfect, I really do expect myself to be.

Now, how are the rest of you? Be honest. If I have to own up to all this crap you should too. Fair's fair.

Thoughtful

2009-11-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to figure things out. I've gotten a little lost along the way. Life has changed, and I have changed, and it's not a good fit right now. Also, I'm getting old. Didn't expect to. Kind of a shock.

Note -- the kitties do not like it when I am depressed. They fret quite a lot. But they also snuggle which is really quite nice.

Exhaustion, Vampire Anatomy, Depression and the Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial

2009-10-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all.

It's been a while since I've posted. I'm going to try to make up for that by giving you a nice, long post. Assuming I can stay upright that long.

Once upon a time I was diagnosed with an Unspecified Chronic Fatiguing Illness. It was pure hell for about two years, then it went into remission. (WHOOO FREAKIN' HOOOO!!) Most of the time I'm fine. Sometimes it nails me. If I take care of myself the bad spells usually don't last too long any more. The trick is taking care of it. Also, weird things can kick it in. Travel is hard on me. A case of the flu can do it. In this case, it was the food poisoning.

It wasn't a bad case by any means. I was functional after the first day. But I'm dealing with the whole exhaustion thing now and it sucks. So if I don't post periodically, forgive me, just figure I'm getting my rest.

***

One of the panels I was on at MileHi involved Paranormal Research. We got a complaint part-way in that we were talking about regular research and not paranormal. But it really is the same thing. Research is research. Not sexy, but true. You need your regular facts to be perfect if you want your readers to believe the paranormal. . . to take that leap of faith. Also, if you are working with an existing mythos, you need to know what you're doing and be respectful. Yes, you can tweak the rules, but you have to know what they are first.

***

Which leads me to a discussion I had with Cathy on a different occasion regarding vampire anatomy. (1) Why can't they eat solids? (2) Are the teeth hollow and used for absorbing the blood, or are they solid and just open the vein and the rest of the mouth is used for sucking purposes? (3) Do they swallow the blood or absorb it?

So we're discussing this (No wonder people stare at us oddly and eavesdrop so voraciously. Our conversations are MUCH more interesting than some others. At least on the weird scale.).

With regard to the solids -- I'm asserting/assuming that the death of tissue when a vampire ceases being human includes the esophageal muscles. Obviously not the tongue, or they couldn't talk, suck or swallow properly, but the esophagus is the set of muscles between where the tongue lets of and the stomach, etc. If it atrophied solid food would get "stuck" about mid-chest.

IF the teeth are hollow, I would assume they basically have a hollow root system that dumps into the throat where the blood can then be swallowed or absorbed. (My personal take would be swallowed with blood being absorbed much the way alcohol is -- only more so. Which would lead to research on HOW alcohol is absorbed by the body.)

On the other hand, my personal take is that the teeth are TEETH, that they are used for puncturing and tearing with the mouth muscles and tongue used for sucking and swallowing. (See above re absorption.)

But you have to decide what your rules are, research so they make sense, and then ABIDE BY THEM.

***
Depression

I have it. It sucks. Generally it gets worse when I'm exhausted and feel like crap (situational and hormonal triggers). Big shocker there. I'll work through it. I always do. But I'm not feeling particularly cheery. I can and will get past it. But if I sound grumpy, it's not you, it's biology.

***

And now with regard to the Serial. I'm pooped. I spent all yesterday doing the edit pass for the first book of the new series. (Recreating everything I lost when the computer crashed and I lost both the original and back-up copies). Cathy is going over it now to catch everything I missed and it will go to the editor at the beginning of the week. But I repeat, I'm POOPED. So I will ask you to forgive me, and to tune in Monday when I will hopefully feel better and can create something worth reading. Right before I launch into the second draft of the second book of the new series.

Until then.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN or whatever holiday you favor. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

And good night.

Home to the Critters

2009-10-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm back and sufficiently recovered to post something.

The con was wonderful except for the food poisoning. That sucked. And it put me WAAAAAAY behind on a lot of things I had hoped to accomplish. So I spent a whole lot of money on a lovely trip and spent most of the time in the bathroom. Yes, it was a very nice bathroom---granite countertops and lovely decorative tile with subtle wallpaper accents all of it in nice, warm, golden and brown tones. If I ever need to describe the toilet in a high-end hotel room in exquisite detail I will now be able to do so.

But that wasn't precisely what I had in mind.

Still, I did get to visit some friends (if ever-so-briefly) and with my son (less briefly, but with potty breaks), and be on some panels. Mile Hi Con is definitely on the let's do it again list.

Rather than let myself be annoyed about all the things I didn't get to do I am focusing on the positive. Like the fact that my being indisposed launched my diet goal with a bang. I mean, seriously, I'm still a little hesitant when it comes to food. I've had one or two actual meals since Friday night (the first one coming from sheer desperation---I was weak and had the shakes from low blood sugar after having been so ill), but for the most part portion control and milder foods are a serious necessity. And now that I'm a little stronger, I've started walking again. Not far yet, but at least it's a start. The weight work and machine will have to wait until I'm feeling a little stronger.

All this from a MILD case of food poisoning.

I want to thank the fans that showed up. It was really great to see you. And thank you for the gift. It's very sweet of you to think of me like that.

I got to meet some cool authors, which is always fun, and discuss the nuts and bolts of the industry. Also a very good time.

Apparently I didn't pack quite right for the trip home, a couple of things got broken. (PFFFFT). But my laptop arrived intact as did the jump drive with the revisions, which really was the biggest thing. I think I'd lose it utterly if the revisions got lost again.

Special thanks to Cathy's husband Don for watching the critters for me. They are all a little needy right now. They do not like me going on trips. But things will settle down soon.

Now I have to get to the day job. Have a wonderful day all.

Even Mild Food Poisoning Sucks

2009-10-24T06:02:00.001-07:00

I think the above is self-explanatory. Something was fishy about my fish. I am not feeling well and I've got too much to do to baby myself for long.

7up and Crackers are on the shopping list for as soon as I'm able/willing to leave the hotel room.

Ugh.

Mile Hi Con

2009-10-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys!

I've arrived in Denver and am at the hotel. I have a million things to do while in town, and am very excited to be here. Cons are always fun and this is a good one. But I've also got a lot of work to make up for. I'm off now to buy a keyboard for the laptop because the one included is a little uncomfortable.

Everyone have a great weekend. I would love to say I'll post faithfully, but I don't know if I can or not. Life is a little busy this weekend.

Best always.

Cie

Putting Things in Perspective

2009-10-20T03:19:00.000-07:00

All right. I spent all yesterday (from before 7:00 a.m. until at least 7:00 p.m. I didn't really check) going through the edit letter and making the edits to the draft of the book. I kicked ass. Then I re-read the 1st and 2nd edit letters crossing things off, making sure what I'd gotten done and noting what I'd missed for working on it today. I was probably 80% through the edits. I had been good. I saved early and often because the computer has been on the fritz. I am waiting for the cheap Compaq desktops to come out toward the end of this month and will be replacing it.

I went to bed feeling pretty good about the whole thing. Tired, but good. I could get it finished and off before the trip EASY.

Then, middle of the night I got a call from my son.

His roommates (a couple) had gone on a dream trip out of the country. The man was going to propose. There was a terrible accident. His fiancee drowned. She's dead. Emily was an incredibly sweet woman. One in a million. Smart, funny, and genuinely nice. I only met her twice, but I remember her well and fondly. She was that kind of a person.

I spent time comforting my son---although there really isn't a lot of comfort to be had in those kinds of shocking and horrible situations. I have my religious beliefs, but that is cold comfort to a 27 year old man who has just lost a dear friend and another whose lost the love of his life on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of it.

It took a long time to get back to sleep, and I didn't sleep all that well. I kept trying to think of what I could say or do that would bring any comfort at all, and coming up dry.

I got up this morning, determined to go back to the edits. Get to work. Get it done. Time and toil wait for no man.

Due to a computer glitch the file is corrupted. Everything after page 10 is gone. Backup is corrupted too. It's gone.

Normally I would be angry, pissed off, mad at myself and the world. That isn't happening today. I'll re-do the edits. Yeah, it's a PITA, but I'll get it done, before the trip, while I'm washing clothes, packing and doing all that happy crap. It'll get done. It's my job, and I'm pretty good at it. But it's not what's on my mind. Because, ultimately, it's just a nuisance, not that big of a deal. Especially when you put it in perspective.

Monday Trivia

2009-10-19T05:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, I only have a couple of minutes (literally). So this is going to be quick. Respond to catadamsfans@gmail.com.

Name three televisions shows in which Eliza Dishku has/had a recurring or starring role.

Okay, on to the next thing. Got some questions sent to me on MySpace and thought you'd be interested. I didn't get permission to list the questioner's name, so I'm keeping it anonymous, but the questions are asked of me fairly often, so I figured I'd go ahead and post the answers here. Remember, my answers are just my opinion based on my personal experience.

That said:

Answers from Cie

1) How do you get an editor?
2) Do you have to go to school to be a writer?

First we'll answer (2). You don't have to go to school as such, but you have to know certain things. They can be self taught, but they're important.

A -- Basic vocabulary, grammar, spelling and punctuation. You're communicating in writing. You need to know how to write. These are your tools. Trying to be a writer without knowing how to use them properly is like trying to build a house without a hammer, saw, or screwdriver. It might be possible, but I wouldn't bank on it.

B -- How to take criticism without going overboard. Everybody's work can improve. Nobody's work is perfect. Ever. So people need editing. Some people find critique groups helpful. Some don't. But when somebody gives you advice, look at what you've written without the rose colored glasses. Would it improve it? BUT don't take every bit of advice from everyone until you don't have your own story, you have "word stew."

I would suggest you look at a couple of books on writing. Steven King's "On Writing" is a no-nonsense, to the point book that I found helpful. You might also look at Jim Butcher's blog. He has some excellent advice there.

As to question (1), you will be assigned an editor at the publishing house when the book is accepted for publication. NOTE -- this happens in the professional circles. If you self-publish through any of the various options available you will probably not get an editor. I don't recommend this at all for the beginning writer. You NEED to be edited by a real professional that knows what they're doing.

There are pay-for-editing services out there. They are expensive and the quality ranges from excellent to horrible with everything in between. I would recommend you do a LOT of research before you hire anybody. There's no point in paying for advice that isn't likely to be helpful.

DO YOUR RESEARCH ANYWAY. This is a career, it is serious, and you should take it seriously. There are a million scams out there for people who want to be in the business. I would hate to see you get sucked into one. "Preditors and Editors" is a place to start on research. ....http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/.... .....There's so much more to say, because it's a huge topic. But this is a start.

3) What about an agent? What do they do?

An agent will help you to find the right publisher for your work, and will submit it and negotiate contracts for you, etc. A number of the larger houses don't accept unagented submissions. (You need to check ahead before submitting, but you need to do that anyway. It's part of doing your homework--checking to make sure the house is a good fit for your work, is accepting submissions, what format they want it in, etc.).

You can look for an agent a number of ways. (1) By looking in The Writer's Market. (2) By looking in the acknowledgments page of books in the same genre by authors you admire. Normally they will thank their lovely agent "John Doe" there. (3) By setting up an agent "pitch" session at a conference or convention (They schedule these at the RWA Convention and sometimes at RT, I don't know about others. You'd need to check; (4) By personal referrals if you know someone who has an agent and has offered. (It is, however, considered rude to ask them to. Either they offer, or they don't.)

Then look on the agent's website and/or in The Writer's Market to see if (a) they're accepting new cllients; (b) what they're representing; and (c) their requirements.

Good luck!

4) Last question. Does age matter?

There have been kids in high school who have gotten published, and so have little old ladies and gents. The trick is having something to say and saying it well enough to catch the eye of a publisher. So, I guess not.

Later kids!

Best always.

Cie

Well . . . . Crap

2009-10-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

Well, crap. The Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial is being called today on account of edits. The book requires a seriously quick turnaround, and my head is so deep in that world that I honestly can't change gears without stripping something fundamental inside my head. I apologize, but there you go. It's not a weakness to know your own limitations.

Alas, got the car worked on, but the brake light is still flashing. Which means the brake shoes weren't the whole problem. I'm hoping it's not something big like the master cylinder (If they even still have those in the brake systems on vehicles. They did on my classic Camaro, but that was a VERY long time ago.) At any rate, that rules out running all of the out-of-town errands until it gets looked at. UGH.

Cie

Brake Shoes, a Lawn Mower and Schtoof to DO

2009-10-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

One of the great constants of adult life is errands. There are ALWAYS things you need to get done. Most of them during business hours when, normally, you have to work. So that you either have to take time off to do them, or they don't get done. This is particularly true in a small town where everything closes at lunch, so you can't get things done on your lunch hour.

Since I've switched to part time temporarily, you would think I'd be on top of all this crap. WRONGO. The errands have multiplied to fill the available space and then some.

It's like laundry. Unless you do laundry in the nude, there is a never-ending supply. You are dirtying more AS your doing it. Sigh.

Today, for example, I have on my list:

Car to shop to get brakes fixed;
Car to inspection shop to get inspection sticker (which has expired);
Pack all items for shipping;
Items to post office for shipping (out of town so they go faster);
Pay IRS;
Pay power bill;
Order books online that are needed for research;
Send birthday card to friend;
Laundry (particularly the bedding the cat threw up on---UGH);
Mow lawn with new lawn mower;
Renew post office box;
Grocery store for bread and milk;
Exercise;
Go run errands while out of town for friends;
Buy birthday gift for mother;
Look for gifts for agent, editor, and various other dignitaries;
Get online and post and answer e-mails;
Edits to book;
Start Christmas shopping;
Prepare for trip next weekend;
Apply for jobs in hopes of scheduling interviews while in Denver.
Arrange with Vet for dog to be boarded during trip.
Ask friend to cat sit during trip.

I'm making progress. But it's not even noon and I'm completely exhausted. UGH.

But onward with the motivation post.

Do I feel motivated? No. Too pooped.

Am I making progress? Maybe. On some things anyway. Weight, not so much. I actually GAINED a bit when my back was too hurt for me to exercise. Ticks me off too.

Did send out resume and letters of reference for a good job in Denver. Cross your fingers folks.

Well, that's it. Sorry it wasn't exactly an exciting post. But I've got to get things accomplished today. Tomorrow you can at least look forward to the serial.

Oh, and I do have one bit of good news. I'm starting to have creative thoughts again. Book plots and worlds are starting to run through my brain. When I'm too stressed, tired, and angry the whole creative part of my brain shuts down. So WOOO HOOO!!!

If at first you don't succeed . . .

2009-10-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

There's an ancient proverb (I'm guessing Chinese, it seems like that sort of thing). Fall down nine times, get up ten.

It is amazingly hard to change the habits of a lifetime. It's possible, if you're truly motivated and work at it. And the longer you're able to change it, and the more often you follow the new behaviors the easier it gets --- right up until you get severely stressed. Then the old stuff sneaks up on you. You're watching the crisis du jour, and the bad habit takes advantage.

So you start over.

I am not a spring chicken. Hell, I'm not even a SUMMER chicken. It's late autumn. The habits are pretty entrenched. And I've been stressed out of my freaking mind. So I should not be surprised that I backslid.

Self destructive stuff - check
Screw up the old checkbook - check
Depression and self anger - oh freakin' check.

But oddly, it's not all bad.

First, I noticed it. And most of it is fixable at this stage.
Second, some of the things that came up in the process are hugely important and are not a product of my 'mood'. My mood just amplifies it.

I do a lot of self-improvement stuff. I know there are people it doesn't work for. It works for me. So I do it. When I feel like I'm sinking fast, I pull out the book by the guru, the CDs (I've been doing this long enough that I even have the program on cassette tapes. Like I said, late autumn.) One of the reasons I've been recognizing the symptoms is that I've started doing the program again.

It's a cycle. Start moving forward. Screw up. Backslide. Groan and complain. Gather myself back up. Start over.

But that's pretty much the average human learning curve. Nobody gets it perfectly right the first time and just keeps executing it perfectly. (Okay, maybe there's an exception that proves the rule, but I don't want to hear about them. How incredibly annoying THAT would be.)

Now I don't like to think I'm average. I've always been "different." (You will note I didn't say special. Special connotates better. Different is just not the same; and can, in fact, be perjorative if you ask the right/wrong person.) But when it comes to the learning curve, I'm just as fallible as the next guy/gal/goat. (Hell, sometimes I think the goat learns quicker. It doesn't do the endless self-flagellation and arguing about what should work logically.)

SO, while it sounds like a broken record, (again with the ancient tech-speak that shows my age,) I am picking myself up. Dusting myself off. Taking 2 minutes to curse, swear, and generally feel sorry for myself. Then I'm trying again. Fall 9,999,999 times . . .

Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial.

2009-10-10T03:49:00.000-07:00

Nothing's going to happen. Famous last words. Well, maybe not last words. Although at the moment Jen would gladly and happily strangle her sister she wouldn't actually kill her. Probably. No. She wouldn't. She loved Wendy. She really did. She just needed to remind herself of that over, and over until she calmed down.

"Are you all right?"

Jen gave her boyfriend a look that would've curdled milk.

"Okay, admittedly a stupid question. " He shook his head. "God, what a mess." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory. The police station, of course. Jen only half-listened as he reported a break-in and presumed robbery.

The place was a wreck. It was as if a tornado had come threw. The contents of drawers were dumped on the floor, her bookcases emptied, their contents strewn everywhere. Her couch cushions and throw pillows had been shredded with a knife. There was broken glass everywhere. And that was just the living room. Jen hadn't even looked at the other rooms in the house. It was too damned depressing.

Outside she heard a faint, plaintive mewling. Obsidian! He wasn't in the house! Oh thank God. He could've been hurt, even killed.

Jen pushed past Jake to stand on the front porch step. "Obsidian. Here baby. Come here. It's all right now. I'm home."

She saw a twitch of movement in the bushes, and the mewling grew louder. Crouching down, she clucked her tongue and started making the little squirrel sounds that never failed to draw him out. Sure enough, he began his approach, warily at first, but crossing the last bit of space in a rush.

"Oh baby, I've missed you too." She petted him, tears stinging her eyes. He was a mess. leaves were tangled in his long, black fur, and there was a long scab running diagonally across his nose. Jen sank into a sitting position, taking him into her lap. As she finger-combed his hair she felt the purr rumbling through his body.

Jake came over and sat down beside them. "The police will be here in a couple of minutes." He told her. "Hey big guy." He reached over, letting the cat sniff his fingers before scratching behind the cat's ears. "Looks like you've had an adventure while we were gone. If only you could talk."

"Next time, he stays at the vet. I don't care how much boarding him costs." Jen's voice was unsteady. "If he hadn't been outside . . ."

"Don't think about it. He's fine. He's safe. You're safe. That's what's important."

"But my house." She felt so violated. And oh God the work it was going to take cleaning that mess up. It made her tired just thinking about it. The vacation had been fun, but it hadn't been restful. She was already exhausted. Damn it! The tears that had been threatening began falling in earnest.

"I know. I know." Obsidian squirmed out from between them as Jake took Jen in his arms, holding her close. "It's going to be all right. It sucks. And it's not the homecoming we would've wanted for you. But we'll get through this."

She felt like such a baby. She was all right. Her cat was fine. There was nothing in the house that couldn't be replaced. Not really. She'd taken all of her jewelry with her, and she didn't have much else valuable. Even her TV was a crummy old 19 inch.

"You know baby, it looks as if the intruder was searching for something. Any idea what?"

"No clue. I mean, I don't have anything worth hiding."

"Well maybe he just got mad and destroyed things because he didn't find anything he could fence." Jake's voice was soothing, but his expression was doubtful. "Are you sure there's nothing . . ."

"Not a thing. I don't keep anything valuable at the house. It all goes in the safe deposit box at the bank. The jewelry is going back there first thing Monday morning." She rummaged in her purse for a tissue. "Why would somebody do this?"

Why indeed.

Friday Status Check

2009-10-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Inkspot the Infamous is trying to perch on my keyboard. I moved him aside, but his fluffly black tail keeps getting caught in my fingers. Love the animals, but they don't always make work easier.

ANYWAY, status check.

Threw out the back/rib area again. Pain in the . . . um . . . ribs? This has limited the walking and the OTC stuff I took for the pain has helped (as did the long, hot bath) but I'm still not 100%, and no exercise for me. This sucketh, but there you go. The weight seems to be going down, but very slowly.

Mood is pretty good. Glad I didn't make the friendship totally explode. Not sure if the logistics behind the underlying problem are fixed or not. Only time will tell. Good intentions on both sides definitely help though.

I'm not in Denver yet, but the trip is coming up shortly to MileHi Con, and my schedule is such that I should be able to do quite a bit of job hunting. While I love hanging out at the Con and would like to do it, moving is my primary goal. SO, job hunting it is. I have been able to talk a bunch of folks into donating signed books for my basket for the charity auction. The basket will include signed items from: Us (DUH), Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, Shannon Butcher, Rachel Caine, Sylvia Day and possibly others. COOL. Hope it makes them lots of $$$.

I am now on Twitter -- CTAdamsauthor is the handle. Come and follow me. :)

OK, off to the races. Bestest.

Cie

2009-10-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

Good Friends are a Wonderful Thing

Good friends are a wonderful thing. They get it. They forgive you for being awkward and a duf and cut to the chase. This is something that is extremely great for those of us whose social skills . . . ahem . . . could stand a bit of improvement.

Headache is gone. Back is improving. Mood is lifting. Weight is finally starting to go down. I'm excited about a bunch of upcoming things in my life and we're going for the gold.

Best to all of you today.

Cie

2009-10-07T04:25:00.000-07:00

Migraine. My own fault too. Stress of my own manufacture.

As you all know I've been having my ups and downs. Part of it is hormonal, part situational. I decided to make a move in hopes of improving things, and with my usual grace and skill managed to blow the whole situation up AND offend, piss off and hurt somebody who matters a great deal to me. So there's going to be fallout. I knew it was possible, even probable. I'd hoped otherwise.

And now I have a migraine. I took a pill, and am going back to bed for a half hour. Then I have to get up and go to the day job one way or the other.

Later.

Cie

Monday Trivia and Fun and Games

2009-10-05T03:21:00.001-07:00

Okay, I need to add up the points. I will try to get that done this afternoon. In the meantime, here is your chance to earn more of them.

What is the name of the bondage club in the Laurell K. Hamilton book where Anita, Richard and Jean Claude "marry the marks?"

and a bonus point for anyone who goes to Shannon Rose's blog and writes something nice in the comments.

Oh, and as usual, answers go to catadamsfans@gmail.com

Shannon Rose/Please Play With Me!!

2009-10-04T09:46:00.001-07:00

Okay, here's what's up. I kept reading in those thrillers (and seeing on the few TV shows I watch on my computer) about "throw away" phones. Cheap pay for your minute cell phones (very much like the one I use--because I'm cheap and I don't make a lot of calls) that they set up anonymously and then throw away after a call or two.

SO, I had this situation come up. My phone has a LOT of minutes, double minutes plan, a Denver number I've sent out to prospective employers, all of my contacts, some pictures that I took (some of my foot accidentally, but a few actually on purpose!) and an expiration date out in the waaaaaaaaaay distant future because I've bought minutes so many times. I did not want to lose it. But I couldn't FIND it. So I needed to call it. From the house. While I was AT the house. Which doesn't work since it is my only phone. SOOOOOOOOO I decided to spend 20 bucks and do a little research for future romantic suspense books (and the Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial, which is about to get . . . shall we say, tense.)

So, I created the fictional Shannon Rose to be the shell owner of this throwaway phone and CRAPOLA you really CAN set it up just that easy. I did have to set her up an e-mail account too. But that wasn't any harder. HOLY MOLY BATMAN.

ANYWAY, now that we HAVE Shannon Rose in existence, I was thinking. Perhaps I would actually USE her as a character. Give her a full work up, set her up a blog, let you guys e-mail her. Whaddaya think? Ya wanna?

Oh by the way. I called myself with the test phone (it comes with 20 minutes) and, lo and behold, found my "real" phone with just two calls. (In the closet, in the pocket of one of my jackets).

But back to Shannon Rose.

Her birth date is March 17, 1964. (A St. Patrick's Day baby. :) )
Her favorite color -- GREEN (DUH)

But we're taking votes on the rest of this. Put your preference in the comments.

Ethnicity?
Hair color?
Eye color?
Height?
Weight?
Religion?
Feisty to sweet ratio? (1 sweet = 10 feisty)
Kick ass to 'Oh crap why does this always happen to me?' ratio? (1 oh crap = 10 You wanna piece of this?)
Education level?
Family status? (Orphaned? Parent with Alzheimers? Any kids?)
Romantic entanglements? (Married, divorced, single, VERY single [as in "I'ma PLAYA baby"]
Where does she live? (Urban, small town, out in the middle of frickin' nowhere rural?)

Send your answers to: shannonrose1@yahoo.com

Now I am really hoping y'all will come out and play with me on this. I really am. But ultimately, since I'm the one who's gonna write the story, I get veto power.

The bio for Shannon will appear on this blog. On HER blog, and in the newsletter. Once we've got her up and rolling, we'll see about writing her story in HER blog. (Sort of an ongoing breakfast serial as it were.)

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

PS. Shannon now has her own blog. http://buildalifefromscratch.blogspot.com/
Please sign up to follow it so she doesn't feel horribly lonely and unloved. :)

Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial & Stuff

2009-10-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, going to start with the "stuff" portion of the broadcast.

I need an assistant. I just do. I am SOOOOOO far behind on mailing out stuff. I have lackeys and minions without packets (and I am still in the market for more lackeys and minions if anyone is feeling in the mood.) I have prizes that people won AGES ago sitting ready to mail but not out. I have stuff around the house that is really disgustingly overdue, and STILL I have no time because I've got the day job, the writing, the promo, and oh yeah, LIFE and the animals to take care of. I'm not whining. I love my life. I love writing (and even folks who love their jobs will tell you they don't love EVERYTHING about their job every DAY). I need to really hit the job hunting HARD and I haven't even had time to do that.

Where is the time going? I'm not even sure. But I know that I'm going to try to focus and do better, because until I move to Denver I can't FIND an assistant (no point in getting one here and going there---besides which, I want to use that money to move). So I suspect things will still be behind for a while. But be kind (rewind---and how out of date is that saying already. Little kids don't even know about VHS any more. Sad.) be patient, and don't hurt me for being so late getting things to you. PLEASE?

And now to your serial.
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Jen checked her watch, did the math, and decided that it was probably a decent hour to call her sister. There really wasn't ever a "good" time. Wendy kept very irregular hours. She did shift work, and it changed a lot. But she also partied---hard. It was how she'd met Kevin. Jen had always hoped her sister would "grow up," but thus far there'd been no sign of it. Of course, she thought Jen was a horrible "stick-in-the-mud" because she didn't party any more. Hell, she hadn't done it much even back in the day. It just seemed such a waste to get wasted. Why work that hard for a paycheck and then blow it on one night so that you had to struggle and scrape just to get by?

Jen shook her head. She was doing it again, being judgmental. Her sister was doing her a favor. She needed to focus on being grateful. Because she was. Wendy's helping out made it possible for her to be here with Jake having the time of her life. And she was: romantic walks on the beach, playing in the surf, playing in the hotel room. Oh it was wonderful. The wedding yesterday had been gorgeous, and so romantic. Every one of Jake's family seemed to like her too. They were being so much nicer than her family had been to him. Of course they might just be on their best behavior because of the wedding, but she really didn't think so.

She dialed the number to Wendy's cell phone from memory. It rang four times before a very sleepy-sounding voice came on the line.

"'Lo?"

"Wendy, it's Jen."

"Right, Jen. Hang on a sec', 'kay?" Jen heard Kevin grumbling, then her sister fumbling around in the background, finally there was the sound of a door closing, and Wendy's voice came back on the line."

"I'm back." Wendy announced, following it up with a huge yawn. "So, how's Hawaii with hunkalicious?"

"It's wonderful. I'm having the time of my life! Thanks so much for agreeing to watch Obsidian. How's he doing anyway."

"Um, Jen . . . about that . . . "

Jen's stomach clenched at the words, and she closed her eyes, praying silently that her cat was all right. Wendy would never deliberately hurt him. But oh Lord, if anything bad had happened . . .

Wendy started in on one of her long, rambling explanations. "See, I would'a sworn I hung the key on the hook. But when I went to get it, it wasn't there. But I mean, I knew I had to take care of the cat. I mean, you're counting on me. So, I figured I'd just go in through the window. No harm, no foul. But it broke. And while I was waiting for the guy to come replace the glass . . . he said he'd bill you for the work . . . I'm really sorry Jen. But, um, the cat . . . well, he got out. I've seen him. He's still hanging around the house. But he won't let me get near him. So I moved the pan with his food outside. And I'm still going by in case I can get him to come inside."

Jen didn't pound her head against the wall, but she wanted to. Dammit, dammit, damn it! Obsidian was up to date on his shots, and he was smart and tough. But there were raccoons in the neighborhood, and she'd heard an owl hunting just a couple of nights before she left. DAMN it.

"Jen? Say something. Please? I'm really, really sorry. I know you were counting on me. But I'm sure he's all right. And you're coming home tomorrow. He'll come in for you."

"It's all right." Jen lied. It was not all right. She was furious and hurt, and worried. But there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it and there probably wasn't anything Wendy could do. Because Obsidian wasn't going to come to her. No chance of that at all.

"You're mad."

Hell yes she was mad? Why wouldn't she be? Wendy'd lost the key to her house, broken a window, and let the cat get out. The only thing that she could've done to screw up worse was burn the place down or leave it unlocked so that burglars . . . oh shit.

"Wendy, sweetie" Jen took a deep breath, fighting to make sure her voice was calm, pleasant even. "Did you lock the house back up when you left? Maybe get mom's key to let yourself back in?"

"Mom's got a key? Why didn't I think of that?" Jen actually heard her sister smack her palm against her forehead. "I'll go get it from her. Then I can lock the place up."

She hadn't locked up. Jen counted backwards from twenty-five. It was supposed to calm her down. It wasn't working. She felt more like she was counting down to lift-off.

"You're pissed. I can tell." Wendy's voice was accusatory. "You're breathing funny. You practically sound like an obscene caller."

Of course Jen was pissed. Why wouldn't she be? It's not like she'd asked her sister to do anything hard.

"Look, it's not like you live in a bad neighborhood or anything. The place is nice. Your neighbors are sweet little old ladies. Nothing's going to happen."