winding down

It's the tail end of December now, and I've barely said a word here all month. To be fair, the lead-up to the holidays was CRAZY, all freelance and long hours at work and holiday gift shopping and apartment stuff. So, to clarify a couple things from previous posts:
We did not go home for the holidays. I am currently on staycation. I was bummed at first, but now am really enjoying reading and writing a lot. I survived all the freelancing, so everything I'm doing this week is really just for me, which is nice.
We got an apartment. It's in Williamsburg, and we're moving January 15th. I'm really excited about it. My partner-in-crime is on the fence, so to speak. I'm going to have an apartment with lots of windows, and more than one room! It has a backyard! And laundry in the basement!
I'm over seventy-two thousand words in my novel. Still hoping to finish this draft by the end of the year. Well, by the end of staycation, which is approximately the same. Still feeling pretty good about where this one is going.
I've managed to read a few books in the last week or two:
51) Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. This is one of the first sci fi/fantasy books my dad suggested to me when I started really getting into genre fiction, and I chose to reread it recently in homage, I suppose, since Anne McCaffrey passed away a few weeks ago. I always enjoy her books, and the trilogy this book belongs to is no exception. The world if Pern is such a vivid, well-fleshed-out creation, and the characters are interesting. And, of course, the dragons . . . I love her work.
52) Graveminder by Melissa Marr. I've read her YA stuff; this one is her first adult book. I got a copy at BEA and have been wanting to get around to it ever since. It was seriously worth the wait; this book is REALLY good. The world-building is fresh and interesting. The characters are complex and empathetic. The slow reveal of what it means to be the Graveminder, and what's going on in the town, was great. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good read.
53) Bone Gods by Caitlin Kittredge. This is the third book in the Black London series, and it's another solid entry. I've enjoyed watching Kittredge grow as an author over the last few years. I can't wait to read the last two in this series, and see what she comes up with next.
54) A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin. Third book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. I enjoyed this one . . . but I don't know that I'll continue with the series. Several big characters died in this one. Kingships keep changing hands, everybody's angry all the time, the Stark family is really getting the crap beaten out of them by life. I just don't know that I want to read several thousand more pages full of bloodshed and abuse. I don't mean anything negative about the book in saying that. I just don't know that it's really my thing. Epic fantasy is a hard sell for me these days, and while the basic plot is interesting (and convoluted), there's an awful lot of secondary plot to wade through. We'll see.
That's it for the books, and the life update, really. Things are quiet this week. Lazy brunches and late dinners, reading and writing time and a bit of hanging out with friends. It's nice.
Happy holidays, everyone!

just another Monday

Happy Monday, everyone. How's this week looking? Mine is going to be quiet but busy, I think. My to-do list at work is pretty light, so I'm hoping to get caught up. I accidentally took one too many freelancing projects, so there will be a lot of that happening in the evenings, along with packing. (No, there's no update on the apartment. Yes, I'm frustrated. No, I don't want to get into it right now.) No social plans for this week except a possible one tomorrow night, which I think depends on how much work I get done tonight.

A few books to catch up on:

46) Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow. It took me a bit to get into this one. but once I was in, I was hooked. I really enjoyed this. It's sharp and dark, with interesting characters and a fast-paced plot. I'm definitely reading more of this series when I get my hands on them.

47) Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol. What a fun, quirky graphic novel! Anya is a Russian girl who doesn't fit in at the school she goes to. Then she falls down a well and makes friends with a ghost. And from there . . . well, no spoilers. It's fun. Definitely recommended.

48) Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela Ribon. I loved this book. A lot. Anna Koval is a librarian who can't get over the boyfriend who left her over a year ago, and creates a semi-fictional blog under the name that is an immediate success. Anna is sharp-witted and broken and fun, and watching her attempt to walk the fine line between reality and her blog life is great fun. I think everybody should read this book!

49) The Walking Dead Book 1 is intense. That's definitely the best word for it. It's hardcover survival fiction. And I can't wait to read more of it!

50) The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge. This is the first YA book from Caitlin Kittredge, and it's definitely among the top five YA books I've read this year. This is steampunk plus fey folk plus Victorian-influenced America, and I love it. It's gloomy and sharp-edged and caustic. LOVE IT. I can't wait for the next one. February can't come soon enough!

Besides that, a dream to share . . . The beginnings of the dream are vague. I think my younger sister was a queen, and her first baby was stillborn. She was marked with a small B carved into her throat with the tip of a knife, and then there was something about the fey folk. Maybe they took the stillborn? The dream solidifies when the huge wooden gate to the fey world closes, and for some reason there is a group of us who want to go in after them. The gate is locked. Defeated, we turn to go and see a second gate that wasn't there before. This gate opens beneath my touch. We go down a gravel drive, take a sharp right onto a steep muddy path, and find ourselves on the semi-abandoned grounds of a mansion. The house is all boarded up and locked but we keep exploring. There is a huge chair behind the house, a huge cement slab with a backrest and arms placed on the back, and in the middle of the chair is a hole. We clamber up on it to take a better look, and realize that there are children watching us. Each of them is wearing a horizontally striped shirt and white shorts. Most of them are very young, but there are a few who look to be ten to thirteen or so. then a woman appears. She is very small, with long brown hair and huge eyes. Her face is alien and a little frightening, small chin and many teeth and broad forehead, but somehow beautiful still. She speaks to us; we adjourn to a nearby round metal table to talk more. My younger sister looks very uncomfortable. I sit down next to a boy who I am somehow involved with, my hand casually on the back of his neck. The woman sits down and challenges us to a tennis game, since we have trespassed in her kingdom. One of us points out that we were in the fey world just an hour previous, and since we were welcome then aren't we welcome now? The woman clarifies: those were the good fey. She's the other kind. It's clear that she has some sort of special interest in me, but I refuse to acknowledge it. She goes back to discussing the tennis game. . . . And I woke up.

I wish I could've stayed in that one longer. Ah, well . . .

And now, off to work I go. I've certainly spent plenty of time here this morning. Have a good week, everyone!

right around the corner

Do you know what tomorrow is?

It's December.

That's right. Already. How did that happen? Where did November go?

I wish I had more to tell you, but honestly, life is pretty much the same as it was the last time I posted. Still working on the novel. still behind at work. Still trying to sort out a new apartment; yes, there's one in Astoria we want. No, we don't have a signed lease yet. If that doesn't happen this weekend I am going to start looking again.

because the apartment hunt is taking longer than I originally anticipated, I don't know if we're going home for the holidays. Which, frankly, really bums me out. I like spending the holidays with my family. I like seeing my friends, and my godchildren. I like shopping at my favorite bookstore, and having long evenings of board games and Christmas movies. But this year . . . we'll see. I need to have the apartment thing done before I can go anywhere. With each passing day, it's less likely that I'll make it home this year. . . .

Sorry for the glum entry. That's really about all that's going on. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Maybe next week will be a more optimistic one.

this book

I realized, the other day, that while I have occasionally mentioned word counts and such for the novel I'm writing, I haven't really told you guys much about it. So I thought I'd share.

It's adult paranormal fiction. I'm envisioning it as the first book of a five-book series. It takes place in Eugene, Oregon, particularly on and around the University of Oregon campus. It's about a coven of four witches--what happens when they come together as a coven and how that affects things in the city, especially in terms of the heavily ghost-populated cemeteries.

So yes, the paranormal aspect of this book is all witches and ghosts and magic. No vampires, no weres of any kind, no fey folk. No mermaids or angels or ogres.

It's been an interesting process to write this one so far. Parts of the book are loosely based on experiences I had while living there, and some of the characters are certainly based on real-life friends of mine. So instead of spending a lot of time figuring out where the story is going, etc., I decided that this draft will be an exploratory draft. It's for me to figure out how to fictionalize myself and my friends and the city I basically grew up in. It's for me to figure out how I'm writing this book. The story line? Well, right now it moves too slow, then too fast, then too slow again. I'm not sure where it's going yet, although I'm starting to have some ideas. But I can sort out the plot arc later. What I'm doing right now is making myself comfortable with things. I've never written something based on people/places I know before. It's fun, but it's different! It raised a lot of questions in my mind. Were there couches or just benches in the halls of the English building, or am I imagining entirely that there was hallway seating at all? What is really at the intersection of 13th and Lincoln? Is it okay if I model ghost characters on real names from the campus cemetery? Etc.

I'm really enjoying writing this one so far. And I'm hoping to finish this draft by the end of the year. Then I'll probably take January to do a couple other things, and dive into serious rewrites in February.

There you have it; that's what I'm working on these days.

Happy Thursday!

brambles and briars

My head is full of fairy tales and impossibilities this morning. The restless feeling just grows and grows in these cold autumn days. . . . Some days it is all I can do to drag myself to work, to deal with my responsibilities. I want to write. I want to take long rambling walks in the park, to stay up late drinking wine by candlelight, to give in to temptation.

And this is exactly the wrong month to do so.

Sigh.

How is everybody else doing?

this life is just flying by

Man, it's November already. I feel like I blinked and a week and a half went by! I wish I had something exciting to tell you all about, some reason for not posting for a while, but the fact of the matter is . . . I'm just busy. We're apartment hunting in earnest now, I've got multiple freelance jobs, I'm a week behind at work, and I'm 40k into the first draft of the book I'm working on. The holidays are coming so I really should be thinking about planet tickets, gifts, etc. I'm in the middle of reading four different books but am not really making headway with anyway of them.

We did do ritual for Samhain (Halloween, for those of you who don't know the pagan holidays) and that was nice. Two nights ago we saw Blind Pilot play at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. That was a great show!

How about you? Anybody do anything exciting in the last couple weeks?

I've got to get to work, it's nearly 10 am. Happy Wednesday, everybody!

would you take my candlelight

October has flown by in a whirlwind of work, freelance, writing, social life, and the beginning of the great apartment hunt. Work has been pretty intense due to a crash book. I've been taking more freelancing again so my bank account won't be totally wiped out by moving. I'm really trying to hold myself to an end-of-year deadline for this draft. Things are just busy! And on top of that, one of my neighbors is a drummer and is into jamming as soon as I get my bass out of storage, so I'm itching to start that too. Busy busy. I know, someday I need to learn to slow down and take more time for myself. . . .

Two books:

44) Storm Front by Jim Butcher. This is the first book in the Dresden Files series, and I loved it. Sharp, snarky urban fantasy with a gritty edge. I'll definitely be sucking down more from this series in the near future.

45) Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke. This is a graphic novel aimed at a younger audience about a girl named Zita who follows her friend Joseph through an interdimensional portal to rescue him from the aliens who kidnapped him. this is a totally fun, whimsical romp through a world populated with robots and aliens. Definitely recommended.

And now, a dream I had a few nights ago. I was at someone's house somewhere. My ex-girlfriend was there, trying to convince me to sleep with her, but I didn't want to. There was a hurricane coming, so I left that house to go to the store for supplies and then beat the storm home. I wore galoshes. There were large puddles at the intersections with golden koi in them that I avoided walking in. My ex followed me to the store, where I picked up some bottled water, batteries, snacks, etc. Two or three bags of supplies. Then I headed home. To get there I had to walk across this ridgetop, and when I got up there I saw that many people from my neighborhood had come out with lawn chairs and picnics to sit on top of the ridge and watch the storm blow through. I followed the path through the crowd and finally got home. My impression of my house is many windows and heavy wooden beams. The windows were open, as were the doors. The storm was picking up. I could see the water rising outside my house, so I ran around frantically closing windows. Then I sat down near a glass door to meditate and watch the storm. My sister came over with an arrow bundle in her hands and said something to the effect of, "This should help you focus," and rammed the arrow through my right shoulder, diagonally down through my torso, and out my left hip. I remember gasping in shock, but not crying out. I remember the inside of my torso feeling strangely hollow as the arrow passed through. I remember holding as still as possible so it wouldn't start to hurt, and trying to meditate around the hollow feeling. then my mother walked over and pulled the arrow out. That hurt. She handed me the arrow and a towel and told me to clean myself up. Then she walked away, leaving me bleeding on the hardwood floor.

Weird, right? I know, my dreams are usually weird.

And now, I have a lot to do. Happy Tuesday!

walk this world with me

It's definitely a Heather Nova sort Tuesday morning; drizzly and angsty. How's everybody doing out there? I'm gearing up for spending part of today and part of tomorrow on the crash book I'm dealing with at work right now. And I'm still on last week's to-do list. At least there's nothing on my list for Thursday and Friday; hopefully I'll get caught up then.

In other news, I broke thirty thousand words over the weekend on the novel I'm writing. And I managed to reorganize the closet, and did a lot of freelancing. A good productive weekend. But I have to be honest, I'm still aching for a lazy day at home alone with a cup of tea and a good book. And maybe a good angsty movie, like Foxfire.

I with I had more to report, but things are quiet and busy these days. Between freelancing and apartment hunting and band rehearsals, there hasn't been a whole lot of time for reading or introspection or anything.

Happy Tuesday, everybody!

dreaming of poetry

Sorry for the long pause there; between a crash book at work, two freelance projects at home, and beginning the search for a bigger apartment, I've had very little time for reading, blogging, writing, etc. It's a shame, really, because I feel like I've had a lot to say. And I've been dying for a nice autumn day in the park with some tea and a book. Maybe I can make that happen for a while Saturday morning. . . .

One book to report: 43) Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber. I loved this book. Frankly, I love everything I've read by Diana Abu-Jaber; her language sings. This book is about a fractured family. The daughter ran away at thirteen. Five years later, the mother and father are struggling to hold it together, while the son, a college dropout, struggles to keep his organic market afloat. This book is really about a chance for redemption, and it's beautiful. If you haven't read any of Abu-Jaber's books, go to the bookstore RIGHT NOW. She's amazing.

Beyond that, I don't have much to report. I'm still restless. I still am lacking in time to do the things I want to do. Lately I've been really missing poetry. I want to start reading/writing it again, but I find it hard for my writer-brain to exist on the poetry side and the fiction side at the same time. Anybody have any poets to recommend, for new reading material? I'd love to get into some different writers.

I did go to a CD release party last week for Bess Rogers. I supported her album on Kickstarter. I really enjoyed her as well as her two openers. But going to her show really made me miss being in a band. Anybody want to jam, once my bass is no longer residing in my storage unit?

All right. Busy week at work; I should probably get to it. Happy Wednesday, everybody. I'll see you on the other side.

daydreaming of the deli girl

Happy Monday everybody! How was your weekend? Mine was good. Really productive. I wrote five thousand words, did a bunch of copyediting, got most of my handwashing done, practiced clarinet both days, watched Easy A, which I loved, and finished two of the books I've been muddling through!

Without further ado, the last couple of books I read:

40) City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. This is book four of the Mortal Instruments series, and it was a lot of fun to delve back into the world of the Shadow Hunters. I enjoyed getting to know Simon better as a character as he struggled with his new identity. It's definitely worth reading, and definitely a keeper, but I didn't feel like it was quite as good as the first three. There was a lot more teenage emotional angst in this one. And while I really like where the story is going, and understand that some of the angst really is necessary to the plot, I had a couple moments when I wanted to grab the characters by the shoulders and shake them. that said, Cassie is a consistently good urban fantasy YA author, and I definitely recommend her.

41) Territory by Emma Bull. I love everything I've read by Emma Bull, to be honest. Her books blow me away. This one is Tombstone, and Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday, plus magic. What's not to love? I don't want to be any more spoilery than that, for those of you who haven't read it, so I'll just say that I love the slow build-up with the magic. I adore the characters, especially Mildred Benjamin. And I could easy hang out in this world for a few hundred more pages!

42) Live Nude Elf by Reverend Jen. This is basically a memoir of the two years she spent writing a sex column for Nerve, and all the crazy things she did so she could write about them in said column. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would; Reverend Jen is a quirky, candid narrator with a good sense of humor. However, I don't think I'll be revisiting this title. I only need to read about violated jars of mayonnaise and seventies-inspired key parties once, really.

So, think I'll make it to fifty titles this year? I'm sure I will. I don't think I'll match last year, though. How on earth did I read seventy books last year? Maybe I'll aim for fifty-five this year. That's not a bad number.

There's a deli I go to every morning to buy my coffee before I start my work day, and the girl who works the cash register is great. Quirky, slightly retro sense of style. Tattoos on her hands. Amazing jungle green nail polish that inspired me to go find a bottle in that color. She's always friendly. But she's not there on Mondays. Somehow I never remember this, and am always saddened when I enter the deli to discover that my deli girl isn't there behind the counter.

Ah, well. On to my Monday. There's a lot to do at work today, and freelancing and band rehearsal after. Ta!

Mabon

Happy Mabon, everyone! (Yes, I know I'm a day late.) Mabon is the second harvest festival, so we had a great dinner: an entire chicken, stuffed bell peppers from our garden, and a sweet potato puree with fig goat cheese on top. Top that off with a bottle of red, and it was perfect. After dinner we did a really nice ritual with our friend A. Even though we were all up way past our bedtimes, it was a lovely evening.

What did you all do to celebrate Mabon?

Addendum

As an addendum to the link I posted last week regarding LGBT characters/themes in YA fiction, please read this as well. Ah, Internet, how easy it is for things to spiral out of control. . . .

It's Tuesday, but today is my Monday. I took yesterday off since it was my partner-in-crime's birthday. We had a really nice weekend. I think America should change to a four-day work week. How great would that be?

I'm a little sad this morning; our foster puppy moved in with a nice family yesterday. I miss her. I know I haven't mentioned her before. I'll try to do a post soon about our whole experience with the puppy. For now I'll just drink my coffee and get to work, and try to ignore the sadness.

I hope everyone has a good week!

link salad

Hey guys, no time for a long post, but I wanted to share a few links:

• Check out this amazing book art. I would love to have a sculpture like this on display in my apartment!
• This blows my mind. What is the point in asking authors to cut gay characters from their narrative? I'm very offended about that happening in my industry. I hope it wasn't one of the agents I've submitted to; I would hate to support an individual who's close-minded about character types in fiction.
• Here's a map of New York that shows the current location of many food truck vendors. How cool is that? It doesn't show ALL of the food trucks out there, but it's a good start.
• Hedi Slimane's photo diary is a thing of beauty. Recently, he posted pictures of Frances Bean Cobain, and they are STUNNING photos.

Time to get to work. Happy Wednesday, everybody!

champagne dreams

Life has continued to be busy, busy, busy. I'm definitely struggling with balancing work, freelance, writing, relationship, clarinet, and social life. I'm determined to slow down for the rest of September, to have time to enjoy the beginning of autumn. I want time to sit in the park with a cup of tea and a good book.

That said, apartment hunting should begin sometime in the next week or two. I can't WAIT to live aboveground, in a place with lots of windows and more space. I'll tr to post regularly about how the hunt goes.

And here are a couple books:

38) Heartless by Gail Carriger. This is the fourth book in the Umbrella Protectorate series, and as I've said before, I just adore them. The language is sharp, I love the juxtaposition of the vampires and werewolves with Victorian London, and the steampunk bits are great without being overwhelming. I can't wait for the fifth and final book in this series.

39) How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley. I always enjoy Sloan Crosley's essays. I think they're sharp and funny. I read her first collection a year or two ago for a book club, and was hooked. For anyone who likes the essay as a writing genre, or who likes humorous writing, I'd say give her work a try. This one is definitely a keeper for me.

In other news . . . I have a temporary puppy. She's lived with us for three weeks now. If anyone out there is interested in adopting a very sweet chihuahua mix puppy, or knows someone who might be, please get in touch. I love the puppy, but we can't keep her. Sigh.

I need to start thinking about plane tickets home for the holidays. It seems early for that, doesn't it? It seems early to me, too. But tickets are just getting more and more expensive. I paid far too much to go home for that wedding in July; I'd really like this plane ticket to be cheaper.

Last night, I dreamed that my twin sister was marrying her boyfriend. It was the day off; all the guests were arriving, we were trying to get ready, things were in chaos. Then we decided to take a ten-minute power nap. We laid down at 2, and the ceremony was supposed to be at 2:30. We woke up at 4, and panicked. All the guests were wondering what was going on. My sister finished getting ready while I circulated among the guests to tell them that the ceremony would happen at 4:30. I caught a guy trying to steal a camera from a girl's backpack, which he then denied. Weird. When it was time for the ceremony I still wasn't ready, although I was the guest of honor, so I slapped some makeup on and just left my hair down, and we went to the hall to do the ceremony. The groom-to-be's friends were playing the music for the ceremony on guitar, bass, and drums. It was fun. I woke up thinking how fun it would be if they actually got married.

And on that note, I should settle into my Monday morning at work. Have a good week, everybody, and I'll do the same.

this summer

I have to admit, this summer has been rough. I've been busy as all hell. I'm not as happy with my job due to a department shake-up. I'm waiting to hear back from several agents about my superheroes novel, which is nerve-wracking, and I've started a new one that I'm not totally sure about yet. Last weekend a stray dog showed up on our stoop; we've been taking care of her all week while we look for her owners. Through July and August I've felt stressed out and exhausted more than anything else. This summer has had some great moments, too. My trip home around the fourth of July was great. We've gone hiking twice, and been to the beach once. I've started a literary salon with a good friend. I've read some great books, and finished Buffy, and had some good times with some good friends. Overall, though, it's been a tough summer.

I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say in all this other than ask everyone for a little patience while I sort my life out. I won't be exhausted and overwhelmed forever. I just need a little time to get a couple things off my plate, and to get reorganized about a couple other things. Fair deal, life? Give me time to relax, and we can have a good autumn?

At least today is my Friday. Hopefully this weekend will be good for getting some things done. Especially with Hurricane Irene possibly nailing the East Coast, I'm hoping for a quiet, productive weekend.

Happy Thursday, everyone.

the rain falls like whispers

It's the middle of August in New York City and rain has been pouring out of the sky for over twelve hours now. It's a gloomy Sunday afternoon, and I'm rather enjoying it.
August has been a busy month. Somehow I've developed quite the social life recently, so that plus work plus writing plus clarinet has kept me well occupied. It's been a good busy, though: I'm working on a few books I'm excited about, I'm over ten thousand words into my next novel, and I'm playing as part of a clarinet quartet for a wedding next weekend. But here's the big news: Two days ago, after five years, I finally finished watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I was totally satisfied with the ending. It was epic, and intense, and not everybody survived. But it was also hopful. I know I'll watch it all again at some point; it's a good story. The question is, what to watch now, on the rare occasions I do sit down in front of the television? Twin Peaks? Veronica Mars? Something else entirely? Any suggestions?
Also, I've read four more books:
34) Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is the sequel to Raised by Wolves, which I read last year and loved. And it's a strong sequel. I still find it really compelling to read a werewolf story where the main character is not a werewolf. Bryn is strong, and capable, and smart, and the alpha of her pack, but she's not a werewolf. Love it. This book really forced Bryn to make some difficult choices, and she learns a lot about what it takes to be a good alpha. This is definitely a keeper, and I'd recommend this series to anyone who likes YA paranormal stuff.
35) The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. I ADORE this book. It is dark and creepy and shivery, and Mackie Doyle is a great antihero. I really enjoyed watching him stumble through his life and sort of fall accidentally into a position of heroishness. The dark fey folk who live under the town of Gentry were really well done. I'd recommend this book to everybody. It's SO GOOD. Probably on my top ten list for this year. I can't wait to see what Brenna does next.
36) Lament by Maggie Stiefvater. I love Maggie's writing in general; her Mercy Falls trilogy just makes me weep it's so good. While Lament is good also, the story is a little more typical--it's about a girl who discovers she has magic powers and can see faeries, who are trying to get rid of her--and I can tell that it's an earlier book for Maggie. That said, I really enjoyed it. The characters had depth, I loved all the music stuff, and the faeries were well crafted. This one's a keeper, and if faeries are your thing, you should check this book out.
37) The White Cat by Holly Black. I really enjoyed this book. And I really like Holly's work in general. But I never quite settled into the story. I love the sharpness of the characters, how cracked and broken and human they are, especially Cassel and Lila. And I loved the twist at the end. But it almost felt a little too slick to me. Nonetheless, this was a departure for Holly, and it has a great noir feel to it, and I'm definitely going to check out the sequel. I'm keeping this one; I think I'll reread it next year or the year after, and see if I just wasn't in quite the right headspace for it.
And now I've been on the computer for far longer than I ought to have been. Time to do some writing and some clarinet and some freelancing. Happy gloomy Sunday, everybody.

August already?

This summer is just flying by. August, where did you come from? Wasn't yesterday the 4th of July? Yikes!
This morning is just a quick books-and-update post before I run out the door for work. So. Since the last time we spoke, I've been to the beach, I've been hiking, I've started writing my next novel--5,000 words in, and I should really start doing daily metrics here--and things are good at work. Somehow I managed to totally miss Lughnasadh on Monday, but we were out in nature for a good portion of Sunday, so I do feel like that counts as celebrating, at least a little bit.
Three books for you today:
31) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, as this book doesn't come out until mid-September, so I will just say that this book is gorgeous. All the hype out there about this one? It deserves all of it. This is a magical book. Go preorder it from your local bookstore right now. You won't be disappointed.
32) The Bone Palace by Amanda Downum. This is the second book in a series, and I thought it was just as good as the first one. I really enjoy Amanda's writing, and the world she's created. Isyllt is a phenomenal character, full of passion and conflict. I love the character Savedra; so much depth! I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fantasy books.
33) A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin. This is the second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and it does live up to the first book. It is well written, sweeping in scope, and manages to move each character's story forward without getting stuck on any one storyline for too long. I find myself strongly reacting to a number of the characters, whether I like them or not, which says good things. I still like Jon, Arya, and Dany the best out of all of the characters, and I'm looking forward to reading the third.
That's it for today. I just realized what time it is, and must dash off to work. Happy Wednesday, my dears!

vacation post

Long overdue, I know, but I'm finally going to tell you all about my trip to Oregon, which was July 1-9. . . .

We flew in late Friday night. Saturday my partner-in-crime ran away to a day-long bachelor party (yes, we were home for a wedding, didn't I mention that?) while I went shopping (hurray, Saturday Market!) with family and then headed to my parents' place to assist in last-minute wedding prep, as the wedding was going to be held on their property. What I actually did for the rest of the weekend mostly was kid wrangle while everyone else did the remaining landscaping, etc. I did manage to dust all the bookshelves though, and if you've been to my parents' place, you know that's impressive. So, I had loads of playtime with my almost-four-year-old niece and my approximately-fifteen-month-old nephew. Monday was more last-minute prep, followed by getting ready, followed by the wedding! It felt a little like a high-school reunion. It went smoothly, and a good time was had by all. There was dancing on the carport, including a gaggle of children who were all under the age of five. My godchildren were in attendance. The weather was perfect.

Tuesday was cleanup, and then late in the afternoon my sister and I went to The Parlour and got new tattoos! She got a scarab on her arm; I got a hamsa on the back of my neck. It's all blue line work, and I'm really happy with it. After the tattooing, my partner-in-crime and I had dinner at the home of a married couple we're good friends with in Eugene. It was really lovely to catch up with them, especially since we hadn't seen them during our previous couple visits. And a shout-out to them for making AMAZING chai liqueur! Someday I need to do that.

Wednesday was a bit scattershot. We slept in, then visited my partner-in-crime's grandmother in her assisted living home. After that we went to my favorite local cemetery so I could take a ton of pictures as research for my next novel. (Also, I just love that cemetery. It's always felt a little like home to me.) Following that, we went to my godkids' house so I could see everybody and say hello to their grandfather, whose health was severely failing. It was a little intense but I'm glad I got to see him. Then dinner with my partner-in-crime's parents and best friend.

Thursday morning I had a little alone time, so I went to my favorite used-CD store and my favorite used bookstore. Yes, I bought a couple items at each place. No, I didn't go hog wild. After my shopping, it was time to do some grocery shopping and then head to my parents' place again for a pig roast. We did a thirty-five-pound piglet. There was SO MUCH FOOD at this party, leftover from the wedding and supplied by my parents and other people. It was great. And really just a good party! Lots of good company. We slept in a tent that night, in the field below the house, which was fun but very damp. The next morning we threw ourselves together, picked up my oldest goddaughter, and hit the Oregon Country Fair for the day. If you've never been . . . well, it's hard to describe. If you've never been, I suggest you click on the link and go flip through the photo gallery. There were eight or ten of us all loosely wandering the fair together, and we really had a great day. I got a new hoodie with art from Trumbly Designs, who I adore. I ate good Fair food. My goddaughter and I went on a quest to find her a necklace with a fairy on it. (Yes, we found one.) We saw the married couple from Tuesday evening. We also saw my partner-in-crime's good friend K and his girlfriend, who we only see once every couple years, so that was a fantastic surprise. Ran into a college ex of mine; he was as intense as always. It was nice to catch up. And I had a brief moment of reconnecting with my friend P, who I was pretty close with before I moved to NYC. After all that, we found my friend/ex-boss/mentor who I see on nearly every trip home, and had a quiet beer with him at his tent before his band performed. Then we all headed back into town. We took my goddaughter home, and then went for another ramble in the cemetery (this time it was me, my partner-in-crime, my sister, and her boyfriend) before heading home and collapsing into bed.

Saturday morning we had breakfast with my parents and my partner-in-crime's best friend at the airport, and then spent the whole day flying back to New York.

There you have it; the vacation in full. I'll be back soon to talk about more books, and possibly about the next novel I'm about to write. Happy Thursday!

post-vacation blues

That's right, everybody. I've got 'em. Not terribly; I'm just a little blue around the edges. My partner-in-crime and I have determined that we need to get our hippie on much more than we have been. It might help with the happy factor out here in the big city.
So yes, I do have a vaction to blog about, but I'm not going to do so today. Today, I'm blogging about books. If you'll remember, in the beginning of June I blogged book number twenty-four for the year. I've read several more since then, and just haven't taken the time to discuss here. So, without further ado:
25) A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I read this for my book club, and you know what? I liked it enough to keep going with the series. It's good, solid epic fantasy. I like some characters more than others, which is inevitable. I think my favorites so far are Jon, Arya, and Dany. (Have any of you read this series? Which characters do you prefer?) My only complaint is that there are a ton of characters to keep track of. But it's good reading. And I've heard good things about the TV show, too!
26) Kin by Holly Black. This graphic novel is about a girl whose mother disappears, and she comes to learn that she's not as human as she thought she was. It's a fun first book in a series; I like the artist's work, and Holly's a really, really solid writer of urban fantasy. I've got to get whatever other books are out in this series.
27) Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. This is the concluding book in the Mercy Falls trilogy. And it was perfect. I love this entire trilogy; the story is beautiful and heart-wrenching, and the writing is lyrical and so perfect that it hurts. If you're a fan of YA or urban fantasy or just plain great storytelling, please read this trilogy. This book made me cry. I was so happy to finally learn how things resolved with Sam and Grace, Isabel and Cole, and all the other characters in those pages. Oh, this was just so good. . . .
28) In the Forest of Forgetting by Theodora Goss. This is an interstitial short-story collection that I picked up at the library because I'd read one story in an anthology a few months ago. Goss is a really good writer, but in reading this, I discovered that interstitial writing isn't really my thing. I distinctly enjoyed a few of the stories, but overall the collection was hit-or-miss for me. Still, Goss is a writer worth checking out.
29) When I See the Wild God by Ly De Angeles. This is a fun book about Celtic/Wiccan spiritual practices. I read it as research for the novel I'm going to write soon, and there was a bit of interesting information in it. It's a fun read, but not a keeper for me.
30) The Magician King by Lev Grossman. This book doesn't come out until August 9, so I won't say anything spoilery. I will just say, I liked The Magicians better. I was glad to see more of Julia. I'm DYING to have someone to talk to about this book. If there's a third one in this series (which their should be, given the ending of this one), I will read it, but I wasn't entirely happy with the direction this one went in. If anybody who's reading this has read the book, please let me know!
So that's that. Thirty books so far this year. Not bad at all!
I promise a vacation post soon. But now, I need to go and do some brainstorming for my novel. Happy Wednesday, everybody!

Vacation!

Sorry for the two weeks of radio silence. Too much freelancing and dayjobbery and social life. But now, I am home for a nice long week of relaxing, and friends, and family, and good food, and godchildren. Thank goddess. My partner-in-crime is here too, running around with his best friend somewhere. The flight was long, but it all worked out okay, and now . . . relaxation. Well, and a wedding. And a pig roast. But relaxation. I mean it. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of commitment, and now I need some time to recuperate, to refocus. To finish fleshing out Emmelina and start writing my next novel. July, I guess, is turning into a month of rededication. Which is pretty okay. So happy July, everybody. I may or may not blog again before I head back to the big city, but next time I do, I've got three more books to talk about, and I'm sure I'll have some vacation conversation as well.
Blessings!

new laptop!

Last Friday I finally went out and got a new laptop: this one. And I love it! It's so nice to have a computer at home again. I can write, I can get on the Internet. I could watch Netflix movies, if I ever took the time for it. It feels so much faster than my old laptop did, too.

Tons to do today, I just thought I'd share the computer love. I'll hopefully be back in a couple days to talk about a book, and maybe about my upcoming writing project. Happy Thursday!

heat wave

It's supposed to reach almost 100 degrees today. YIKES. I love the fact that NYC has real seasons, but sometimes the heat and humidity in the summer is a but much. And it's so early in the season for weather this hot! At least I'm in an air-conditioned office for a good portion of the day.

How is June treating everybody? It's a busy one, for me. Plenty on my plate, as always, but I've scaled back on the freelancing again. And I'll be buying a new laptop tomorrow. After I get that situated, let the writing begin! In July, at least. New novel. A little research to be done first, so I may start the actual writing of it after I head home for the first week of July.

Not last night, but the night before, I dreamed about what-if boy. It's been a little while. We were hanging out in the living room at the Agate House, only he lived there, not me. Watched two of his roommates race each other in the driveway. Talked a lot. Then he curled up on the couch to take a nap, so I retreated to my room, only someone else was living there. I tried to take a nap in the bed, but was uncomfortable with it, so I went back to the living room. What-if boy woke up and we decided to go out somewhere for food. I don't remember getting there, but I remember sitting at a small round table outside somewhere, talking more. I woke up with a smile; it was nice to see him again.

A book to report! I know, it's been too long. 24) Blood and Iron by Elizabeth Bear. This is a good, good book. It's complicated. Smart. Edged like a sword, all bloody and raw and beautiful. It's about Faerie, and New York, and magic, and Arthurian legend, and what happens when you find yourself part of a myth. I recommend this to anybody. Forget whether or not you like fantasy. If you like good stories, read this one. It's the first in a four-book series, and they're all published, so you don't have to wait. You can devour them all at once.

Hopefully more books in the future. there was far too much freelancing in May, followed by a visit from a sister, so there just wasn't a lot of reading time to be found. But this summer I have every intention to read a lot.

I do have an admission to make: Lately I've been feeling edgy. Discontent. I don't think I can blame it on any one factor in my life. I think . . . I think I've not been spending enough time on myself, and on the people/things that are truly important to me. Time to get things back under control. Time to simplify, and focus, and get my priorities back on track. I've let things slide for too long.

And with that, it's time to focus on work, since there's a lot of it today. I'll report in about my new laptop over the weekend!

Blessed Be!

summer in the city

The heat has begun. And more than the heat, the humidity. This last week is just the beginning. Sandal weather! Sunscreen! Beach trips! Summer Fridays! I'm excited for summer, in case you can't tell. Usually I'm more of a fall/winter girl, but I feel like this spring has been particularly difficult, and I'm looking forward to the fresh start that comes with a long, lazy summer. I want sunny afternoons in the park with a good book. Naps. Lots of writing time. Iced tea! Caprese salad or Mediterranean-style picnic spreads for dinner! Doesn't that sound lovely? I think so.

No new books to talk about, or computer updates. I've turned in all my freelancing. Life has continued on as normal. I just wanted to mention a couple events.

First, BEA. It was pretty great. I got a number of books I'm excited about, most notably Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, The Magician Kings by Lev Grossman, Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber, and Graveminder by Melissa Marr. BEA itself seemed smaller this year than in previous years, but it was still a buzzing hive of book activity, booths overrun by librarians and book bloggers and authors, and books everywhere! You know me. Put me in a room full of books and book people, and I'm like a kid in a candy shop. BEA is always great for me.

My sister J is in town for this week, so there's been a lot of flea markets and such in my last few days. We did a couple museum exhibits on Monday. First was the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met. It was breathtaking. I wasn't that familiar with his work going into it, which made it all that much more interesting. I had no idea he was so intellectual about his work. And the architecture of his pieces--stunning! I want all of it. I'm definitely going to look up some of his runway shows on YouTube when I have time. I'd like to learn more about what he did. At some point I do want to get the exhibit catalog, as well, which I don't usually do. But the conceptual layers of his pieces, the primitivism, the subtext of his work, it's all amazing.

The other exhibit we saw was the Pompeii exhibit at Discovery Times Square. This one was also great. It started with some information and artifacts on daily life in Pompeii. Then we were ushered into a small room where a time-lapse video re-creation of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius played. When the video ended, the wall behind it opened up into a room that held the body casts of people who'd died in the eruption. It was so silent in that room; I think that people were overwhelmed at what they were seeing. Rooms of skeletons, bodies of families twisted together in the positions they'd fallen in . . . it was intense. After that there were more day-to-day artifacts recovered from the ruins, and also a history of the archaeology at Pompeii. It was really interesting!

And now, on to work. The rest of this week should be busy; I can't wait to sleep in on Sunday.

Happy June, everybody!

shenanigans

Tuesday night I went to Escape Key's last gig in New York City. Two of the three band members are moving to Minneapolis at the end of the month. It was a solid show. I admit, I hadn't seen Escape Key play since one of their very early gigs. Since then there's been a lot of growth. I had a really good time; my partner-in-crime came along, so good company, good music, what's not to like?

Last night I went to the KGB Fantastic Fiction reading. It was Felix Gilman and Elizabeth Bear. I was totally unfamiliar with Felix's work, going into the bar last night, but I liked what I heard last night, so I'll probably pick up a copy of The Half-Made World at some point. I also just liked Felix: a little droll, a little self-conscious, with a nice accent. Elizabeth Bear, on the other hand, is someone who's work I am quite familiar with. The main reason I attended the reading was so I could meet her, since I deal with her books at work and I also recently became the Shadow Unit copyeditor. (Which, if you're not familiar with Shadow Unit, go check it out! It's one of my favorite places to hang out, these days.) I did get a little face time with her, which was great. She's totally nice and friendly, and I hope I get the chance to hang out with her more at some point.

I have no plans for the rest of the week. Except for a boatload of freelancing. After these couple of projects I'm taking another break, so I can get back to the me things. research the witch book. Write a couple of short stories. Read some books. Etc. Next week, though, is BEA, which I'm really looking forward to. There are a lot of great authors signing this year.

My laptop is still in the throes of unhappiness. Yes, I know, I should perhaps just buy a new one. But this one might still be salvageable, and since I just spent an awful lot of money on plane tickets for my partner-in-crime and I to go home for a July wedding, I'd like to not spend money on a laptop, if at all avoidable. Of course, having a nonfunctional laptop is not helping me get my writing done. But, I'm sure I'll get it sorted out soon.

On to work. Happy Thursday, everybody!

happy saturday

Well, it may be a little gloomy and blustery out today, but happy Saturday anyway! I'm in the office right now, poking at a couple things in an attempt to get ahead. BEA is coming up, and I don't want to be behind after I take those days off.

Important news: my laptop is tentatively functional again. Hurrah!

I have one book to add to the list. 23) Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. This book doesn't come out until September, so I won't say anything plot-oriented. I'll just say, Laini has really outdone herself this time. I love this book so much I just want to crawl inside of it and never come out. The language is astounding, lush and lyrical and full of wonder, and even the most alien characters are somehow easy to relate to and empathize with. This is definitely in my top five books this year. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and amazing, and every one of you reading this should get a copy in September when it is released.

Besides that, a dream to discuss. First, I was in a house with a couple other people. Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer were also there. And they were turning into zombies. They sort of shifted in and out of coherence, while halfheartedly trying to eat me and the others who were there. We were trying to corral them into an ambulance that waited outside. I think that the zombie morphing took me by surprise, as I was only wearing a bra and stockings, and at one point I had Amanda up on the landing of the staircase lying on the floor, and she looked up at me and said, "You look really amazing in just a bra and stockings!" I got her to go downstairs, and then was trying to get Neil downstairs, and at one point he fell, looked up at me, and asked in the most forlorn voice I've ever heard, "But what will I read?"

Poor Neil. Poor Amanda.

I'm sure there's a short story in that dream.

And now, onward. I have to pick up a bottle of bourbon and meet my partner-in-crime so we can head to Brooklyn for an evening out with friends.

Have a good weekend, all!

computer woes

My laptop died on Sunday. After I spent eight hours on Saturday updating it and installing Office 2010. And I had an electronic copyedit due today. It really wasn't a good weekend for me. So, what do I do now? Well, I think I let my friend who's really PC-tech-savvy take a look at it. If he can't sort it out, I'll send it to my dad. And if HE can't sort it out . . . then I'll be buying a new laptop. Which I'm not really prepared to spend the money on, but I suppose that's what tax returns are for, right? My partner-in-crime is trying to convince me to buy a Mac, which I think is totally unnecessary given that I only use computers for word processing, the Internet, and video games. Why spend all that money on a Mac when I can get a PC for several hundred dollars less that'll do that trick just fine? Oy. Well. One step at a time.

Anybody have any thoughts on good computers to look at?

Boy, and I thought today was going to be busy BEFORE I added "finish electronic copyedit" to my to-do list. Wish me luck!

May musings

May already. I had way to much on my plate on Sunday to manage some online time, so I'll say it now: Happy Beltane, everyone! Beltane is one of my major holidays. It's a celebration of spring and fertility. My partner-in-crime and I had a nice dinner and then a good long ritual.

I've decided that May is spring cleaning month, on more than one level. Not only do I want to get our apartment really clean and sorted, I want to take care of all the things that have been hanging over my head this year. Finish my bag of handwashing. Send out my VP application. Wrap up my agent research and submit the superheroes novel. Clean out my office at work. Catch up on my correspondence. Get Internet at home so I can work on my online presence. Etc. None of it will do itself. And if I can manage it, I'll feel a lot better about the rest of this year.

I can't wait for summer hours! They start in just a couple weeks, and I am going to enjoy the hell out of the Fridays I have off. I'm going to do a lot of writing and reading. And, come hell or high water, I'm finishing Buffy this summer. It's ridiculous how long that's taking me!

After a couple weeks of not remembering much of my dreams, I've had several stick in my brain this week. Here they are, in no particular order:

In one, I was hanging out with a couple of my friends here in NYC. We were lounging on a huge sectional couch, watching a movie in our pajamas. My cat, Abigail, was there, and at one point my niece was flitting in and out of the room.

In another, I was hanging out with my friend M. We lived in a city that looked more like Paris than New York, all beautiful and old with huge apartments. She was upset because her husband wasn't paying any attention to her, so I convinced her to go out to a restaurant down the block with me. But she was unhappy there, too, because a couple guys hit on us, and were jerks about it, so we had to run away from the restaurant.

In the third, I just have a vague memory of wandering through room after room in an old Victorian house, and the whole place was filled with piles and piles of antiques. Furniture, quilts, books, old baby carriages, birdcages, whatever you can think of, it was there. I was heading for a room in the back of the house (the kitchen, maybe?), and either my mom or my sister was with me. I found the room, and shoved some vials full of mysterious liquids into my shoulder bag, then headed out the back door. For some reason I thought there would be an airplane waiting there, but instead, the porch just trailed off into a marsh, with safe paths indicated by two-by-fours laid on the ground, so I was wandering through the marsh, family member still in tow, trying to find my plane, and there was someone coming after us from the antiques house.

Fourth..., I know you're going to laugh. And that's okay. I guess. I dreamed that I was in some sort of big performance group, and we were away somewhere for a competition, and Daniel Radcliffe (yes, I know, haha, Harry Potter) was in the group too. We were all staying in this one gigantic room that had a couple fireplaces in one wall and a ramp that went along the opposite wall to get in and out of the room. At some point, we were away from the room to get food, I think, and then our chaperones/adult minders/whoever came running and told us that our room was flooded and it was Daniel's dad's fault, somehow, because he was in the room above us. We ran back to the room, and stood at the top of the ramp watching the water drip from the ceiling down onto the sodden rug and the soaked piles of our belongings. We held hands, feeling like we were holding each other up, and then slowly walked down the ramp to survey the damage beneath the indoor rain.

In the fifth dream, it's all very hazy and jumbled together in my head. But basically my sister J was taken hostage by a drug lord and kept in his big beautiful house. She had the run of the house but couldn't use the phone of the internet. Somehow I managed to get in to visit her, she was very unhappy but said she couldn't leave because she didn't know what the drug lords would do if she tried. But I snuck her into a car and we fled. I know there was more to it than that, but I really can't recall. There was a kitchen, and J was upset, and she was wearing this fancy silk robe... That's all I've got on that one.

Last night's is vague and jumbled too, but I know I was at my friend K's place, or we were staying somewhere together, and I think she wasn't sick in my dream. And my grandparents were there at some point also. Oh, and JP, and he hurt his hands somehow, so we were helping him bandage them.

Anyway. I really need to go get some work done today. Happy Wednesday, everybody!

two books

Just briefly, since I have a busy day at work today, I have two books to talk about.

21) Brasyl by Ian McDonald. This is a crazy sci-fi whirlwind that tells three stories at the same time; one now, one in the near future, and one in the eighteenth century. Eventually, of course, it all ties together through quantum theory and alternate worlds. I spent the first hundred pages or so of this book feeling like I was trying to catch up to a speeding train, but once I settled into the rhythm of the story, I really enjoyed it. The quantum stuff was wildly interesting without feeling like a lecture at any point. The religious stuff layered over that was really interesting also. While I couldn't empathize with all the characters, I really enjoyed being along for the ride. I'd definitely recommend this to any sci-fi readers. In fact, I'm going to send it to my dad to see what he thinks!

22) Bloodshot by Cherie Priest. This book is about Raylene Pendle, vampire PI for hire, and a specific case she takes on that leads to government conspiracy, parkour, and drag queens. I had a lot of fun with this one! (In all fairness, I've never read a book by Cherie Priest I didn't like.) This book is snappy and snarky; Raylene is a great character, with her neuroses and desires. Yes, the vampire thing is a little done these days, but Cherie Priest makes it feel fresh and engaging. Definitely a keeper!

And that's it for today. I'll try to report back in on Monday so you, dear readers, can hear all about my band concert (Saturday) and my Beltane celebration (Sunday).

Happy weekend!

she knew it'd been too long

Sorry, everybody. Life snuck up on me and tackled me to the ground this month. Between freelancing, writing, band, Shadow Unit, having a life, and injuring my ankle last week, plus the intermittent nature of internet at home and the busyness of work, I just haven't managed to be online a whole lot. May will (hopefully) be better, and May 1st I am hoping to take the day off from everything but Shadow Unit and celebrating Beltane. We'll see how that goes.

What else is there to say, really? My band concert is this Saturday. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also looking forward to having the summer off. To working on some solo pieces instead of band music. Emmelina is plugging along; I haven't added as much as I'd hoped, so far, but there's still a ways to go, so we'll see how my word count ends up. I may take a second pass through it to flesh it out a little more, even. I'm still hoping to fill it out to around 60K words. The superheroes novel . . . I haven't submitted yet. I know, what am I waiting for? I'm sort of dragging my feet. All I need to do is a little more agent research and one more pass over my synopsis, and then I'm ready. I just need to pick a day to stay late at work (better internet at work) and get it out there.

I suppose, in short, what I'm saying is that I have some things to get off my plate. As three different people have pointed out to me, my injured ankle is probably the Universe's way of telling me to slow down. I'm trying, Universe! There are just a few things I have to finish first!

Anyway. Happy Monday, everybody. I'll really make an effort to get back here later this week. I have a book to blog about, after all. Ta!

drive-by blogging

I wish I had more time, but April seems to be packed. Work has picked up, social life is a little ridiculous, there are a number of good readings happening . . . etc. I suppose. All this has left me feeling a little frantic again, but I suppose if I want to keep up all the things I'm juggling in my life, I'll have to learn to be zen with the franticness. Three goals this weekend: Help a friend move. Do my taxes. Submit my Superheroes novel, which I have yet to think of a good title for.

If I have time tomorrow, I'll come back and tell you about my recent dreams.

How's April treating everybody else so far?

it will set you free

It's lovely out this morning, all crisp and cool with the unmistakable feeling of spring in the air. I've got a lot on my to-do list for the day, including taking a long walk by the river. I'm looking forward to that, but there are other things that need to happen first.
Strange dream last night. Not sure if it was one, or three, actually. It all revolved around vacation, though. First I was somewhere on vacation with my partner-in-crime. I walked away from him for a bit to look for someone, I think, when I was approached by an old friend from high school, let's call him A. It was very dim, as though it had suddenly become night, and we were on a series of terraces that were partially enclosed. There were tables with card games and such; maybe it was an outdoor casino? A was leading me around, looking for his friends while trying to convince me to stay out. And then he kissed me, and I was very confused, so I slipped away from him and was trying to find my partner-in-crime again. Then it morphed (or was a different dream), I was on a huge fancy cruise ship full of people. I was wearing a really fancy ballgown. People kept treating me like royalty, and two men kept following me around attempting to woo me. From this one I mostly remember sitting down at what was supposed to be a meal for four, only neither of my suitors would go away so there were five of us, and one suitor (who looked like a very grim Paul Bettany) wasn't dressed appropriately but wouldn't leave. Then another morph (or a different dream), I was on vacation with my younger sister but she had to leave before me, and we were trying to gather her things so she could get to her plane on time. Then I was alone in the motor home we'd rented, and was trying to collect all of my things, and there were all these shopping bags full of stuff and I was overwhelmed.
Very exciting night in my subconscious, eh?
Last Tuesday I went to Catherynne Valente's book release party for Deathless at Madame X, a dimly lit bar with lots of velvet couches and fancy cocktails. There were two musicians, one Russian and one American literary folk, and Cat read for a while. It was a good party, and I got to chat with Cat for a bit, which was lovely. She and I had been talking about getting together for cupcakes and mead while she was in the city, so when she signed my book, she signed it "For my cupcake girl," which I think is adorable! Seriously, people, if you haven't read her books, check her out. I've read four now and they're all just brilliant, with lush writing and great characters and interesting stories.
And speaking of books, I've got four more to report:
17) Room by Emma Donoghue. This is a well-written, well-executed book. The subject matter is intense: a young woman and her five-year-old son, Jack, live in a small room. They are never allowed out, and sometimes after dark the mother is visited by a man who Jack calls Old Nick, who rapes and beats the mother. However, the book is written entirely from Jack's point of view, so the reader doesn't witness the violence. Jack tells the reader about the bruises, about the days his mother doesn't get out of bed, instead. Which just makes it creepier.
I was initially against reading this book, because of the subject matter, but was persuaded to give it a shot. And while I can't say I liked it exactly, I can say that it was better than I thought it was going to be. Things drastically change for Jack and his mother about halfway through, which really saved the book for me, as I couldn't have read a whole book set in the room. I think, without saying anything spoilery, that Emma Donoghue did a great job with the narrative voice, and with the reality of the situation throughout the novel. That said, I don't think this is a book I'll ever reread. It's a little much.
18) The Sherlockian by Graham Moore. This is a fun book. Parallel murder mysteries, one being solved by Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker, the other by a contemporary Sherlock scholar named Harold White and a journalist named Sarah. This was a quick read, easy and fun. But, as with so many other mysteries, now that I know the ending I don't think I'll reread it. Still, if you enjoy a good mystery, this is worth picking up.
19) Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod is a fun book about creativity, whether or not to sell out, whether or not to quit your day job, etc. I found a lot of his points to be spot on, and his humor is really quirky and entertaining. Hugh MacLeod draws cartoons on the backs of business cards, and these are scattered throughout the book as well. This it a fun little read for anybody who likes reading nonfiction about how to approach creativity. Or, for anybody who just wants to flip through and read Hugh's cartoons.
20) Nomansland by Lesley Hauge. I found this dystopian YA novel interesting. It takes place after some mysterious apocalypse, in a country where men are not allowed and women live in a tightly structured community. Friendship is forbidden, as is vanity, pride, etc. Then several of the more rebellious/unsatisfied young women discover a hidden house from the time before the apocalypse, full of mysterious things like fashion magazines, makeup, and clothing. From there the main character, Keller, gets more and more confused about how she feels and what she wants. I found Hauge's writing to be quite engaging, and will definitely read more by her. I am not sure that I would reread this one. Although I enjoyed it, I'm getting tired of the dystopian fiction.
And now it's eleven o'clock already, and I've barely started my day. Time to get on with it. There's some housework and some writing to be done. Happy Saturday!

the end so fastly approaches

The end of the month, that is. Where does the time go? I mean, wasn't my birthday practically yesterday?
Well, I'm on track to finish editing my superheroes novel this weekend. That allows a few days to work on the query letter and synopsis, and then it's submission time. I'm excited to get this one out there; it's a stronger piece than the first one I submitted, and I got a good response to that one, so we'll see how it goes this time.
More books:
14) The Drowning City by Amanda Downum. This is the second fantasy novel this year to really draw me in. I love the writing, and I love the world that she created. The characters are gritty and real and make mistakes. The culture of Symir is different, lush, and draws you in. I really enjoyed the religion that Downum built for this series. And Isyllt is a unique character, a force to be reckoned with, a strong woman but a flawed one. I liked this so much that I bought the sequel last week, and will be reading it soon. If you like fantasy, or good writing, check out Amanda Downum's work!
15) Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. This YA novel is a Groundhog Day scenario: The main character, Samantha Kingston, has seven tries to get one particular day right. It's not a bad premise, and a lot of what happens over the course of those seven days is interesting. One day is downright funny. I had a hard time moving past the cliches, though. Wildly popular but secretly insecure girl with shallow friends and a boyfriend she's not happy with even though she liked him for years slowly learns that there is more to life than she knows, that her friends and boyfriend are not who she thought, that the geeky boy in the corner is actually adorable and her soulmate, and that everything we do or don't do affects the world around us. I feel like that's been written any number of times before, which is fine, but I didn't feel that this version stood out from the crowd. I also had a hard time with the overt drinking and smoking throughout the story. Yes, I know that some kids do that. But I had a hard time with the fact that the parents seemed to either not notice or not care about the substance abuse running rampant in their childrens' social circle. Anyway, I enjoyed the read, once it got into the meat of the story, but this is not a keeper for me.
16) Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. I loved this biography. Schiff approaches Cleopatra carefully, stripping away the mythologizing of the last two thousand years and presenting Cleopatra as a woman with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, whose life was entwined with that of two famous Roman men: Caesar, and Mark Antony. Schiff presents a factual account of what happened throughout Cleopatra's life, and also discusses what previous people have written about it. I found this to be an engrossing read. It's a great book for anybody interested in history, or Egyptology, or just wants to know what really went on with Cleopatra. Definitely a keeper.
So here's a question for you, readers: What would you like to see more of on this blog? More discussion about writing, in terms of process and ideas and such? More fiction writing? Lengthier book reviews? More dreams? Other things entirely? I'm wide open to suggestion, and want to take my online presence up a notch, so any input in terms of making my blog more interesting/fun is greatly appreciated.
On that note, I'm off. My partner-in-crime has to work all day today, so I'm going to take full advantage of the alone time. Some editing, some exercise, watch a movie, etc.
Happy Saturday!

Happy Ostara

Well, a day late, but better than not at all. Happy Ostara, everyone! This is a time of renewal and rebirth, and heralds the beginning of spring. It's a good time to plan your garden.

We didn't do a ritual this year. Instead, we gave ourselves a nice mellow Sunday with a fancy dinner to celebrate, since I had to work Monday. I hope everyone is enjoying the feeling of spring that is in the air!

Goodbye, Roman

At about 12:35 PST this morning, Roman passed peacefully away, cradled in my sister's arms. He was a gentleman cat, with a big voice and a kind but fierce heart. He was my sister's best friend and companion for fourteen years, and there will never be a cat like him again.

Wherever you are, Roman, know that you are loved and missed tremendously. You will always be in our hearts.

not a lot and too much all at once

I wish I could say that something crazy exciting has been going on, but it wouldn't be true. I've been quite social over the last couple weeks, and really need to cut back on that, for my pocketbook as well as my writing time and my sanity. I am freelance-free for this month, which is exciting, partially just for less to do and partially for having time to finish editing Superheroes, which I'm taking WAY too long to get through. Ah, well. March = birthday and book submission this year. It's cool. and then, because I'm crazy, I'm going to try to novelize Emmelina in April. That's right. One month. Then May is research, and then June is the beginning of writing book one in my witch/ghost series. It'll be a good writing year, if I can make it all work somewhere close to that timeline.

In other news, I'm sick again. Second time this year. The big symptom for this one seems to be total exhaustion and weakness. NOT FUN. But it's slowly getting better. Today is day number three of it, and I think I'll make it through a whole day at work today.

A couple more books to report:

10) Clementine by Cherie Priest. Loved it! This is the third book in her Clockwork Century series that I have read, and they are just solid fun. Alternative Civil war history, spies, mad scientists, stolen airships . . . The action just kept coming. Maria Isabella Boyd is a fabulously tough heroine, and I liked Hainey the first time I read about him. This series is great American steampunk, and I highly recommend it.

11) Titania's Magical Compendium by Titania Hardie. This was a fun book of magick based on the full moons throughout the year. I read it as research for an upcoming series I'm going to write, and while there were some interesting tidbits in it, I don't know that it'll be a keeper once I'm done working on that series. I don't see myself revisiting it. It was fun to read, though.

12) Huntress by Malinda Lo. This is a companion of sorts to Ash, which I read last year. It takes place in the same world, but several hundred years earlier. I enjoyed the characters and the writing and the quest, but (without giving anything away, since this hasn't been released yet!) there's one section at the end that felt rushed to me. Overall though, fun book, a keeper, and I recommend it.

13) The Dust of 100 Dogs by A. S. King. I love the concept of this book. Seventeenth-century girl pirate gets killed and cursed to be reincarnated as a dog one hundred times before finally coming back as a human again, with all her memories intact. I love the dual unfurling of Saffron's story (our twentieth-century heroine) and Emer's (Irish pirate girl). I love the grand love between Emer and Seanie, and the contrast of Saffron's total lack of anything like that. I love the tragic ending to Emer's story, even. But . . . I had some qualms with this one. And no, surprisingly, it wasn't the violence or the rape that bothered me. I mean, those things aren't fun, but they were pretty correct and appropriate for the time that the story was happening in. My qualms were more story related. Here's my big one: Fred Livingstone. He's the crazy guy who owns large swaths of Jamaica, where Emer buried her treasure. Fred turned the corner from unhappy to crazy very quickly. But still just seemed crazy. Then, when he encountered Saffron while she was digging up Emer's buried treasure, all of a sudden he's the reincarnation of the Frenchman who raped Emer. I really didn't feel like there was any foreshadowing of that at all, which frustrated me. And then, what was the deal with Fred's live-in handyman/lover, Winston? I never really understood what he was doing there. Also, I was never really clear if Saffron WAS Emer, or if they were separate entities sharing a body, or what. Both were implied over the course of the book. So, there's that. I enjoyed reading this, and would be willing to pick up something else by this author, but this isn't a keeper for me.

And with that, I should go get some work done. Happy Tuesday, everybody!

another month falls away

I can't believe how quickly February has gone. It's nearly March already. Nearly birthday. Nearly spring. I always mourn the winter a little as it leaves us. I'm definitely a winter girl; not in the skiing/outdoorsy sense, but I enjoy the cold snap in the air, the clean feeling of the snow, the comfort in a cup of tea to warm up after a sojourn outside. I love the twilight colors in winter. Everything just feels more crisp, more clear, somehow. I feel more crisp, more clear. But it's all cyclical, and the winter will come back to me again. I just wait as patiently as I can through the long heat of summer.

Another book to report in on: 9) Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr. This is the third installment in the Wicked Lovely series, and I quite enjoyed it. The series as a whole has been good so far. The writing is good, the fey world is well constructed, and the characters are easy to empathize with. This one, as an Amazon review pointed out, was a little thin on plot and a little heavy on Aislinn's inner conflict. but I think that's necessary, as setup for later plot. Sometimes the emotional end of things needs time and space to be fleshed out; not everything has to be about the forward motion of the plot all the time. So this one's definitely a keeper for me, and I can't wait to read the remaining two books in the series.

A question for you, o readers: Should I say more about the books I read? Less? I wonder what the right balance is. Let me know if you'd like to see me approach my mini book reviews differently.

The Borders location at Park Ave. and 57th Street is closing, so the whole story is on sale. I used my lunch break to go peruse the store with a friend. An hour and forty minutes, I left there with three new books, two magazines, and a bag of peanut butter M&Ms. I practiced restraint! Of course, I'll probably go back in a day or two, since I ran out of time before I made it through all the sections I wanted to hit. It's early days yet in the closing sale, so you should all go take a gander, maybe buy a book or two. They've got an awful lot of inventory in there still.

Well. I meant to write more, but today totally got away from me. I'll try to get back here soon. Happy Thursday, everybody!

she was a light in our lives

A little over two years ago, my partner-in-crime and I lost a very close friend here in New York. He reminded me a little while ago that today was her birthday. She would've been thirty-eight today, I think. Two years already . . . How does the time go by so fast? I miss her at odd moments. I know my partner-in-crime does, too; losing her was harder for him, as they were closer. He doesn't talk about it much. We're still close with her kids and with her partner, and for that I'm grateful. She was a great friend, and we're blessed to have known her, and I hope that wherever she is, she's happy and healthy and loved.

grey would be the color

My work computer is dead. I still feel busy-busy all the time. And lately, I've just been frustated by my life. Lack of time, lack of money, lack of space, everything. I'm trying to ignore it and just get things done so I can feel less stressed. One day at a time, one task at a time, and eventually I'll feel like I'm in control of my life again.
Without further ado, here are the next three books I've read this year:
6) The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin. This book took me by surprise. I'm not as into epic fantasy as I used to be. In fact, it's safe to say that these days I prefer fantasy of the urban variety. So the fact that this book just sucked me in and kept me enthralled until the end was pretty exciting. I like the characters, the court intrigue, and the religion, and the descriptive language is lush and well done. I will recommend this to anybody who likes fantasy books, or just good writing. A keeper, for sure, and I'm looking forward to the next one!
7) Foiled by Jane Yolen. This is a cute graphic novel about a girl who doesn't really fit in at school. She's a talented fencer, and spends most of her time outside school at practice for that. But over the course of the story learns that faery folk exist and she's been chosen as a Protector. I enjoyed this, and if it's the start of a series I'll read the rest, but I don't think it's a keeper for me.
8) Heat Wave by Richard Castle. This book was SO MUCH FUN. It reads like a long episode of Castle, which I also adore, so I had a great time with this and can't wait to get my hands on the next one. Definitely a keeper, and definitely recommended to everybody!
Anyway. Time to move on to the next thing on my work to-do list. Hopefully by the end of this week I'll have things under control again. Blogging may be pretty intermittent as I deal with computer issues at work and lack of consistent internet at home, but I'll try to be back soon. I've got a post about the writing life percolating in the back of my brain.
Happy Tuesday!

she's got a lot on her mind

As promised in my last entry, I now present to you the third, fourth, and fifth books I read this year!
3) The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen. This book was really intriguing; it's about the Chicago World's Fair and the serial killer who operated around it. It's a really strange dichotomy, the hope and progress and beauty of the fair set against the horrible desires of one man. I don't often get into history books, but this one is well written with a good narrative voice and enough personification of the historical figures discussed that I felt like I actually got to know them a bit.
4) Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This one had a slow start for me, but once things picked up thirty or forty pages in, I was hooked. I like that this isn't a typical werewolf book in any sense. I had some minor qualms with a couple of specific moments, but overall, I really enjoyed this a lot. Good, empathetic characters, interesting choices, plenty of action. There is also plenty of material here for an in-depth conversation on what family is, how it's defined, if there are different kindso f family, etc. Definitely a keeper!
5) The Good Spell Book by Gillian Kemp. This is a fun little book of Romany spells and folklore. I read it in research for my witch series, and while most of it doesn't apply to the approach I'm taking in my books, it was still an amusing read. Some of it resonated with me, some of it didn't, but I'm keeping it. For ideas, for reference, for fun.
Aside from that . . . my work computer is dying a slow death. I'm getting a new one in a couple weeks and frankly, it can't come fast enough! In the meantime I'll do a minimum of Internet at work. That seems to sit better with this poor machine.
Slowly making forward progress on writing things. I'm going to start the last round of edits on Superheroes tonight. I've got one short from last year typed, so I can print it to edit. One radio play episode should be wrapped up within the next couple of days, I'm thinking. And I've been getting things done at home, so the stress level there is going down.
There's plenty more to talk about, like dreams, and potential ideas for books, and yoga, and such, but I'll leave you with a couple of things:
New York City got more snow in January 2011 than any January in recorded history. Over 36 inches, at least. That's a LOT of snow.
Happy Imbolc, everybody! This is the holiday when we celebrate the coming of spring. It's a time of purification and dedication.
Wish me luck with my computer woes, and I'll be back soon.

it's snowing again

Another six to ten inches tonight. That's snow once or twice a week since Christmas. Pretty impressive! I don't mind having snow around for a month or two straight. I love snow. But I wish we wouldn't end up with those frozen-solid mounds of it on the sidewalks that you will either slip on or break your toes on. Am I the only one fearful of encounters with the wild snowmounds of NYC?
Anyway. I feel like I should be working on something. A radio play episode. Finish typing that short story. Clean out the fridge. Make a dent in the bag of clothing I have to handwash. But so far, all I've manage to bring myself to do is type a little. Is that such a bad thing? I've got three hours still until bedtime. That's so much time! I could move mountains in three hours! . . . Or, well, I could maybe knock out some sit-ups, get the fridge cleaned out, and stare at the radio play episode for a bit. Maybe that's more reasonable. And at some point I'll go sit in the falling snow with a warm coat on and a glass of red wine in hand. Because that sounds nice.
Tune in next time for a brief discussion on the third book I've read this year. In the meantime, stay warm, talk hard, and enjoy the snow!

oh, the places I've been

visited 17 states (34%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

baby it's cold outside!

14 degrees right now, to be exact. At 10 am. Brrr. I'm cozy in the apartment with some sporadic space heater assistance for now, but I've got brunch plans at noon. And you know what? I'm going to walk all the way there and home again after. I'll bundle up. I love a freezing day with wide open blue skies and air so frigid that taking a breath is like a drink of ice-cold water.
I've got a lengthy to-do list for this weekend, as always. But I'm taking time out for me, too. I slept in this morning (until 9:20!), and will do it again tomorrow. I've got a freelance deadline Monday, so we'll see how that goes. But I'm enjoying the project, and looking forward to reading the rest of it.
Lately I've really been craving a simpler life. Just me, a small cottage, some wilderness, and a whole lot of creativity and art. Doesn't that sound lovely? And perfect? Sometimes I just want to crawl into the photos that Terri Windling posts on her blog. She lives in a cottage in Dartmoor. Rima Staines lives in her village. The Frouds and William Todd-Jones live somewhere nearby. It sounds like a dream world, a fantasy land brimming with everything I could ever ask for.
So how do I make that happen for myself? I'm not sure. Ironically, I don't feel like I can afford to live somewhere like that. Literally. I think that maybe the best thing I can do for now is to keep living and loving and creating and reaching out to other creative people. It's a tricky thing, this life we live.
It's time to be off. I do feel that a bigger web presence is important for me to have, but I've got to balance that with everything else. Besides, there's brunch ahead!
Bright blessings!

she's got no compassion for the action

January is positively flying by. Busy at work, busy at home, busy socially, just socially. I'm enjoying a rare night to myself, and thought I'd catch you up on what I've read so far.
First, I'm going to add one more book to 2010, to bring it to an even 70 books read. Gemini (draft) by my friend LG. It's dark women's fiction. First draft, so it had some spots that need work, but all in all, a good read and I hope she finds an agent with it!
On with the books for 2011. 1) and 2) are Changeless and Blameless by Gail Carriger from the Umbrella Protectorate series. I love these books! They're like a Victorian comedy of manners plus werewolves and vampires plus a lot of knowingly inappropriate moments. Go read them right now!!
I wish I had more exciting things to report, but the fact of the matter is, I'm just working my tail off between day job and freelancing and radio play right now. So that's that. Tonight we're expecting three to six more inches of snow in the city, which will be beautiful!
Good night!

2011 goals

Short and sweet, two lists of goals for this year:

Writing goals

• write Emmelina novel
• write Witch/Ghost book I
• write two short stories
• edit 2010 shorts
• brainstorm on Caged novel
• submit Superheroes

Nonwriting goals

• less freelancing
• more exercise
• take better care of myself
• finish watching Buffy
• bigger apartment
• read fifty books

I know that some of these are from my goals for 2010. But I feel really good about this year. I can really make things happen, if I focus. And at the same time remember to take it easy on myself!
What about you guys, out there in the internet-verse? What are your goals for 2011?

i can't seem to stop it

My nose, that is. It's running like crazy! I came down with a cold the day after coming home from the holidays, and so far it's centered almost entirely in my nose. I bought some Benadryl this afternoon in the hopes that it'll help me sleep.
Well. The holidays were nice. Saw my family a fair amount, spent a little time with my partner-in-crime's family, and got some good time with my godchildren and a couple good friends. I never see everyone in one trip, but I've learned to accept that. I can, and have, drive myself crazy trying to see all of my friends in ten days or so, but have mostly learned better than that. So it was good. Mostly relaxing. My niece and nephew are huge and beautiful and will be entirely different peopel again by the time my next visit rolls around. That's the downside of living so far away from my family, I suppose.
But. Two books to add to the list for 2010. 68) Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund. This is the sequel to Rampant, and I just loved this one too. Astrid is in a tight situation on multiple levels and you can't help feeling for her. While sequels often suffer from second-book syndrome, this one just takes the series to the next level, intertwining relationship woes with morality issues and some serious health disasters as well. I can't wait to see what's next!
And, 69) The Habitation of the Blessed by Catherynne M. Valente. I fall in love with Cat's writing in all of her books, and this one is no exception. This takes the story of Prester John and tells it with innocent, awkward beauty. You can tell as a reader that Cat takes great care in the choice and position of each and every word. Sometimes her prose is so intimate, it feels like reading a love letter or watching a baby sleep or something. I know that sounds a little sentimental, but I defy you to feel otherwise upon reading this book. It's so, so good. Run to the closest bookstore and buy all of her books right now!
Anyway. Illness takes its toll, and there's a book and a cup of tea calling my name. Happy 2011 to all of you!