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!

the rain collects outside the door

It rained pretty much all night; I could hear it every time I woke up. It's too bad I couldn't open a window and listen to it properly.
December's been busy so far, both at work and at home. I covered for my work spouse this whole last week, on top of a full week with my own titles. I finished my last freelance project for the year. I've made good progress on editing my novel, and on critiquing someone else's. I've also been sorting through the apartment, getting rid of some things, choosing some other things to go to storage. My band concert was a week ago, so I was practicing a lot up until that, as well. None of this is surprising, though; I'm adept at keeping myself busy. And now it's the season of holiday parties, of people wanting to squeeze in one more hangout before I leave for the holidays, so there's a lot on my plate socially. I enjoy seeing my friends, and it's all going to be fun, but it's still a fine balance between the social, the work, and the writing.
A couple more books to report:
65) Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler. This book is wicked good! It's about an anorexic teenager named Lisabeth who becomes Famine, one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Kessler doesn't shy away from really showing how eating disorders affect people. Lisabeth is an interesting heroine, learning who she is and how to be strong over the course of the book. This isn't for the squeamish (Lisabeth's bulimic friend gets a graphic scene about her eating disorder) but I really think this is a fresh, interesting YA urban fantasy. Definitely recommended, and I can't wait for the sequel, Rage, to come out next April!
66) Averno by Louise Glück. This amazing collection of poems, Glück dives deep into the story of Persephone. I think that these poems are beautiful, as is the way she digs so deep into the Greek mythology to unearth new layers. Absolutely recommended for anyone who likes poetry or Greek mythology.
67) Life Sucks by Jessica Abel, Gabriel Soria, and Warren Pleece. This graphic novel is about a vegetarian vampire named Dave who is the night manager at the Last Stop mini-mart. He falls for a Goth girl named Rosa, but she's mortal. Then total-jerk, surfer-blond vampire Wes decides he wants Rosa, and the story takes off from there. This was a fun run. I wasn't convinced in the first few pages, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. The art is good and the story is fun, with no conventional happy ending. I'm glad the story didn't get tied off perfectly; I think that would have detracted from it. Anyway, I really liked this one.
And now, I'm off to check my e-mail, wake my partner-in-crime, and get ready to head out into the rain to see a play. Happy Sunday!

at long last

Home from my Thanksgiving travels and finally feeling somewhat functional again. For those of you who don't know, my partner-in-crime and I went to Las Vegas to spend the holiday with my sister and our grandparents. My parents surprised us all by showing up as well, which was fun. In a nutshell, there was great food, great company, great booze one night, some good kitty time, some shopping, and some gambling. It was all fun.
Work isn't that strenuous this week, which is great. I'm trying desperately to wrap up my radio play episodes and make more progress on my novel edits. I'd love to finish that in the next week or so. May take a break from the clarinet (after the Saturday concert, of course!) to give myself that smidge more time for the novel. And speaking of, I don't think I've mentioned it here yet, but I did figure out what I'm writing next. It's a bit of a cheat, but I'm excited about it: I'm going to turn Emmelina and the Rat King into a novel. It's around 15,000 words right now, and I'm going to aim for 60,000 words for a middle grade novel. So that's January-March, during which I'll also be submitting Superheroes as well as doing some brainstorming and research for the witch/ghost series, which I'll start in April. I know, I know, overachiever. I can't help it. There's just so much I want to do!
I read one book while I was away for Thanksgiving. 64) Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien. It takes places in a near-future, dystopian society in which the poor people are required to give up a certain number of their babies to the rich people each month. The main character is Gaia, a teenage midwife, who lives happy among the poor people outside the city wall until her parents are arrested, throwing her entire life into chaos. It's quite a good read. Dystopian YA seems to be pretty popular these days, with books like this one and the Hunger Games trilogy popping up. While this one isn't as complex as the Hunger Games books, it's definitely worth checking out.
And now, I think it's time to go. I need to consult my Christmas shopping list, and then perhaps pick up a bottle of wine before I meet my partner-in-crime for a run to Trader Joe's.
Good night!

just another sunday

I actually slept in today, for once. I know that sounds silly, but I tend to set the alarm for a reasonable hour, even on weekends. There are twenty-four usable hours in every day, you know!
Anyway. I had a nice lazy morning. Big breakfast, coffee, and a good book. (Okay, plus a little editing on my novel.) Speaking of, I've got several books to share:
57) The Magicians by Lev Grossman. I really enjoyed this book! Grossman starts with making fun of some contemporary YA fantasy concepts (think Harry Potter and Narnia), then goes on to turn those concepts on their ears. Completely entertaining. Both the story and the writing are good. I do have some small dissatisfactions with the ending, which I'm hoping will be adequately addressed in the sequel next year. But overall, I think this is a good book. Definitely a keeper. And I'll absolutely be checking out whatever else Grossman comes up with!
58) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'm surprised it took me so long to get around to reading this book. It is, on one level, a book about a book, which I always enjoy. More than that, it's a story about stories, and a very well-crafted one. The intertwined storylines are equally gripping, most of the characters are easy to empathize with (except for the bookstore employee, to me; he just irritated me most of the time), and the writing is lovely. This book is definitely a keeper, and I would definitely recommend it.
59) Kiss Me Deadly, an anthology of paranormal love stories. This was a fun read. Some authors I really enjoy---Maggie Steifvater, Melissa Marr, Diana Peterfreund, to name a couple---contributed to this collection, which is partially why I picked it up. I will say that I felt the writing in the collection was uneven, but not terribly so (I only skipped one story). For anyone who enoys paranormal stories or love stories or both, consider this one. It's a keeper for me.
60) Runaways #2 continues the story begun in the first book, about a group of teenagers on the run after they discover their parents are actually supervillains. In this one they encounter robbers, vampires, and good guys hired to chase them down! This is a fun series about superheroes and supervillains. Check it out; it's worth it.
61) Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe. This is a fun paranormal YA book about a girl who starts seeing ghosts after her older sister dies, and how she finally starts to spend time with the living instead of the dead. I was skeptical when I picked it up, but the characters quickly won me over. No one was perfect; they were all regular people dealing with regular problems. The high school characters were believably written; they weren't too extreme on the good kid or bad kid end of things. This isn't a keeper for me, simply because I don't know that I would pick it up for a reread, but I am sending it to my oldest goddaughter for her to read. I would definitely recommend this for YA readers.
62) Shake the Devil Off by Ethan Brown. This is true crime, which is a genre I don't tend to enjoy. However, this book was well researched and well executed, and was very careful to not portray the people involved in the crime as monsters. This is the story of Zach and Addie, a couple who, between the two of them, weathered time in the military, sexual abuse, teenage parenthood, alcoholism, and Hurricane Katrina, and didn't make it out the other side. Beyond the crime, Brown discusses a lot of research that has been done on PTSD, the willingness of military people to seek out help for things like PTSD, and the similarities between Iraq war vets and Katrina vets. This book really delved into the "why" of things, not just the "who" and "how." I may not be a true crime reader, but I'll certainly recommend this to anyone who is interested in any of the topics addressed within this story.
63) Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked by Catherine Orenstein. This book delves deep into the many versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" out there and discusses the cultural underpinnings and representations of those versions. For someone interested in the study of fairy tale and folklore like me, this is a great, focused study on one of the best-known fairy tales out there. Orenstein deals with several widely varied versions of the tale, from the Grimm brothers to Perrault to Anne Sexton to porn to the movie Freeway. Definitely a keeper!
And now, I should get back to my to-do list for today. I've got to add several more pages to one of my radio play episodes today, do more packing for Thanksgiving, do a little freelancing, and hit a book release party in Brooklyn at 6:30 p.m. I'll try to get back here again before I fly away to Vegas early Wednesday morning, but don't hold it against me if I don't.
Happy Sunday!

if i seem to be confused

Last weekend didn't turn out quite as expected; I spent a fair portion of Saturday feeling miserable from some sort of twenty-four-hour bug, and Sunday recovering. While I did do some of the things I wanted to get done, it wasn't the relaxing two days at home I'd anticipated. Oh, well. Now my partner-in-crime's sick, and his is definitely more than twenty-four-hour bug. 'Tis the season, I suppose.
Tonight is a kid lit trivia night, which promises to be entertaining even if I'm not helpful to my team. Tomorrow night, a birthday party, and Saturday night, maybe a play. Social butterfly, that's me. One of these weeks I really am just going to stay home (except for the day job, of course) and write. I'm making good progress on editing the Superheroes novel, but I'd like to make faster progress. I'll get it done sooner or later, I know. I'd love to get it done before I go away for Thanksgiving. We'll see if I can knock it out by then.
On my lunch break today I bought a pair of Frye high heels. They're beautiful!
Tomorrow or Friday, I promise an update on books I've read lately, but for now, I've got to get out of here for trivia. Have a good night, everybody!

whenever i'm alone with you

This is me on the weekend with no freelancing to do. Thank goodness! The last couple of weeks were a disaster due to one project taking substantially longer than I'd estimated, and another coming in earlier than anticipated. Ah, well. The important part is that I got it all done. And I am determined to make this weekend lovely. Some good work time on Emmelina, on the Superheroes novel, and on the radio play. Some down time hanging out with my partner-in-crime. A birthday party to hit tonight, and then maybe a friend over tomorrow for a while. Sure, somewhere in there I need to do things like laundry and grocery shopping, but still, it's going to be a nice weekend. With no work!
I'm still torn on what to write next. I know, I know, I shouldn't get ahead of myself, but my brain always starts considering the next book at this point in the process. I've been talking about the witch/ghost series for a while, and I do really want to do that, but I haven't sorted out the overarching storyline for it, which I need to have firmly in mind before I can do much writing. And meanwhile, in the underside of my mind, a sort of Gothic noir urban fantasy is taking shape, all angular, rain-wrapped city buildings and gritty, narrow streets. Two of the characters are stalking me at odd moments. Here's the thing, though: I don't know if I'm a good enough writer yet to tackle that one. Maybe I just need to keep scribbling out notes on that one for now while I tackle the witch series.
Anyway, time for a quick breakfast and then a walk in the park with LG. Happy weekend, everybody!