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!