the thyroid kid

Well, just heard from the vet, and it's *definitely* an over active thyroid that's been causing Kuffer's weight loss and other symptoms. All his other blood results are normal. So this is very good news, as thyroid conditions can be treated, and in other areas, he's in good health for his age. He's got to go on some tablets for a couple of weeks [which should be interesting to say the least as he's impossible to 'handle' that way...] and then be assessed for thyroid surgery. Looks like the old credit card will be taking some hammer in the near future, but hell, it's worth it if my darling furry lad is going to be okay!

In other news, I think I've got a minor chest infection of some kind, and that's what's making me feel so crappy. Feel tired and under par and my chest feels awfully raw and congested... sounds like it's going around though, as both my critique partner and my agent are also suffering... although they both sound to be worse off than me.

Feeling rough isn't conducive to creative and original thought though... and I'm still struggling with ideas. Or lack of them... I have few bits and pieces bobbing about, but no solid, big, good to go plot ideas. They all seem to require huge amounts of fudging and forcing and contrivance to make them even remotely viable. I think my big problem is that as I try and 'work' these ideas, I'm constantly hearing what the future snarky reviews of them might eventually be... because astute readers can always pick up on plot weaknesses and the fact that stories have had to be 'mangled' rather than just developing naturally.

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Telly: Tale of a Vampire
Chocolate: Nestle Heaven Milk Truffle
Mood: mixed
Writing: idea brainstorming
Reading: Jeremy Clarkson - Born to be Riled
RSI/FMS: so so

he's doing great, I feel like cr*p

Here's Kuffer again, having a nice kip. He's on good form today, happy and cheerful and having eaten plenty of breakfast. No gurgly tummy either. I'm feeling much more optimistic about his prospects today, hoping that the blood test pinpoints the thyroid probs, and a suitable treatment can quickly begin.

Me, I feel terrible! I had a gruesomely broken night's sleep! Not worrying about Kuffer, really, but with my mind churning and turning about writing. Last night, aware that I've got the first draft of Buddies done, and both my agent and my editor are asking for new ideas, I decided I had to start thinking of some... A bloody sight easier said than done! Idea finding [and plotting] are my hugest problems, and last night was no exception. I lay awake for an age, turning bits and pieces over in my mind, and nothing but nothing transpired. Everything was either :

1. stupid
2. too fragmentary, not a real story
3. I've bloody well done the same idea before... at least once

I couldn't pull anything together, and none of the vague bits were even worth writing down they were so poor. But, my mind continued to churn... and I kept waking up, almost every hour, with it still fruitlessly churning. I eventually fell asleep and ended up dreaming that I was managing a large, British country estate for absentee owner, Kevin Costner! And everything was in uproar because he was finally coming to visit... Go figure! He turned up and seemed quite friendly, then the dream morphed into a kind of posing contest between two rival drag queens, one of whom might have been Bernadette from Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Then I woke up...

None of the above was in the slightest bit useful for a novel idea, but when I was in the bathroom - as ever - some more useful fragments began to coalesce... it's still bitty, but some sort of rudimentary story idea is germinating, I think. Although it's still pretty daft, and it'll probably come to nothing... I also had one or two possible extra plotty bit ideas for an existing story. Although that too, is very vague and very slight, as yet...

Gosh, I don't half wish I was one of these writers I keep encountering on boards and lists who say they have a constant stream of ideas for books pouring into their heads!!! So many they can't write them all... Maybe I should offer to buy some of these ideas from author friends who have an embarrassment of idea riches???

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Telly: CSI
Chocolate: Tesco Belgian Milk
Mood: OK
Writing: just a few ideas
Reading: Radio Times
RSI/FMS: not too bad

latest on Kuffer

Well, we're recently back from the vet, and the doc suspects that Kuffer may have an over active thyroid. The gland in enlarged, and his general symptoms are consistent with that problem. He's had a blood test, and we'll have results in the next couple of days, and we'll take it from there. It could be an operation, or medical intervention.

This is a relief, actually, as I was fearing that Kuffer might have the same condition as Boy, who died last September. But it seems not.

Will keep you all posted on Kuffer's condition... but you'll be pleased to know he's cheery in himself and has been eating.

worried

Well, I was going to post saying how pleased I was with my progress yesterday on Buddies, and how helpful I'd found the chatroom challenges I've been taking part in are... but the shine has been taken off that to a large extent by my current worries about Kuffer.

For a few weeks we've been noticing that he seemed to have lost a little weight, but he's been happy and contented in himself, and eating okay, so we just marked that down as something to raise with the vet on his next six monthly trip for his Program injection. However, I was woken up this morning by the sound of his tummy gurgling... really loudly. His tum has gurgled a bit now and again, but so do the tums of the other cats occasionally, and so does mine! So didn't think too much about it really... But this gurgling is loud and it's been going on since around 6.30am... He's also not eaten anything, and has been restless... so I've v. concerned about him. He's sixteen years old, so naturally, we're watchful with a cat of his age. Fortunately, his Program visit is actually tonight, so at least we were already going to the vets today, and this won't be another, extra, stressful visit for him...

Please have a good thought for my furry little lad.

another reprint in the works... hopefully...

I've just been exchanging a few emails with my editor about another reprint of one of my books that's in the works. This time it's my 2000 title HOTBED... He needs a refresh about some details about the characters' appearance in order to come up with a suitable cover image, so I was flicking back through the manuscript, looking for clues. To my dismay, I'd forgotten a lot of what happens in this book, and the fine detail of most of the characters in it, but one thing jumps out at me in that it's yet another book of mine with a cross dressing character in it!

I really must have a think for blokes in frocks... but I really don't understand what the psychology of this fascination is... It's happened a number of times though in my books. Each time though the cross dressing lad is also *very* masculine and alpha... They all love women, and they're all devastatingly attractive in their normal male clothing... and out of it. I seem to like to create this certain breed of very bold and experimental men who don't feel constrained by the usual gender 'rules' when it comes to expressing themselves. A sort of 'Sod it, why *can't* I have fun with gorgeous clothes and makeup?' attitude....

The best real world example of this is the fabulous comedian and actor Eddie Izzard.

I'm afraid I don't know andything about Eddie's private life, so I don't know what his sexual orientation is, but he doesn't come across as effeminate to me. He seems very much like a supremely intelligent and imaginative man who enjoys experimenting with beautiful clothing and makeup and making himself look great, regardless of gender. At least that's how I perceive him.

What do you think?

Sort Out Sunday

Unlikely as it seems, this represents some progress. Many black trash bags have already been filled... But obviously, there's a long, long way to go with this major project!

I think this was a given... cakewise...

You Are a Chocolate Cake

Fun, comforting, and friendly. You are a true classic, and while you're not super cutting edge, you're high quality. People love your company - and have even been known to get addicted to you.

What Kind of Cake Are You?

Another poll...

Get Free Opinion Polls

It's a bit similar to one I had before, but with more detail... I'd just like to know what readers want... So I can give it to them!!!! :)

I've survived... and a bit of good news!

Well, I survived my trip to the dentist... apart from a bit of flutteriness due to the fact that my dentist, Nilesh, is so dreamy! :)

No treatment required, just the usual look-see and a bit of a polish here and there. I managed to drag the consultation out a bit by asking a bunch of questions, but eventually, sadly, I had to give him up to the next patient...

The other good news is that my short story Watching The Detective has been accepted for Black Lace's forthcoming Wicked Words: Paranormal Stories and Fantasies collection. This is a fun piece... about a television set that becomes possessed by some sort of demon or paranormal force during the course of a cop show... Clearly, I can't specify a particular show, for legal reasons... but I'll leave it up to my like-minded buddies out there to choose the show they like... cough... LOCI... cough...

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Telly: UK History
Chocolate: Green and Blacks
Mood: good
Writing: not yet
Reading: magazines
RSI/FMS: rather achey

another mixed day....

Sigh... it's been another mixed day. Some progress on editing what I've done so far on Buds, and I am feeling quite good about the editing and refining I've been doing... but I've not been able to do as much as I'd liked. I was involved in a chat writing challenge this afternoon, at Romance Divas, and that was fun and v. good incentive to work, but the chat room was a bit on the blink and when I took a break away, I couldn't get back into it.

Am feeling a bit anxious at the moment because I have a dentist appointment tomorrow... eek! I don't have any particular problems that I'm aware of, other than the usual wear and tear of age etc, but I still freak out with worry when that prodder goes in my mouth and starts probing! The only good thing about going tomorrow is that I have a dishy new dentist, who also happens to be brill at his job... The trouble is though, it's no good him being so fanceable when he gets to look in depth into my mouth and see my less than dazzling white teeth, and also gets a good up close look at my aged mush and my lines and general frazzledness into the bargain. Sigh...

I won't be able to chill now [as if I ever do!] until I'm back safely from my dental visit tomorrow...

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Telly: UK History
Chocolate: Green and Blacks
Mood: bit frazzled
Writing: editing Buds
Reading: nowt
RSI/FMS: very, very achey and tired

busy buddie day...

I've been busy working on Buddies today... Too tired to come up with a post now, but if you wanna sneak peak of Buds, go here!

It's rough and unedited, I warn you...

yesterday was Sort Out Sunday!

and that's why I didn't post.

Regular visitors here will have got some idea of the amount of chaos and clutter in my house from posts like this and this. Now things can only go on so long in this state before some sort of meltdown occurs... Last time it happened, our dining room was made into my office, but as my office is now the horrendous dumpster illustrated in one of those pix, and we have no more spare rooms, action has to be taken. So I've initiated Sort Out Sunday... which means that instead of writing on Sunday, as I often do, I will spend several hours sorting and throwing out, either in my office, or in other areas of the house where there's overspill... Hopefully, eventually, my productivity will increase when I can actually find things again... and I also would like to think I can take up the slack with the odd hundred or so extra words on the days when I'm not sorting out. One day, in the dim and distant future, I'll finish trying to sort out my clutter, and then I'll be back to normal.

Mind you, not that I'm doing all that much writing at the moment. I still haven't got back into Buddies Don't Bite, apart from one tiny bit of tweakage last night. Which was probably the first time I've looked at it in a fortnight! But I did have some thoughts about it whilst showering and dressing this morning [in the bathroom again, where I do some of my best creative thinking]... I've decided to slightly change Teresa's status at the beginning of the book, in respect of her so called boyfriend who's just dumped her. In the first version, she's supposed to have slept with this bozo, but now I think I'll have it that she hasn't yet done the deed... which will make her less likely to seem like a bit of a slag for fancying Zack at the same time!

Right, I suppose I should get on with that... although I'm sort of tempted to have a go with my new vacuum cleaner! Given my slatternly household skills, you'd think this would be the last thing I'd want to do... and it just proves the lengths of procrastination I'll go to in order to avoid writing... But we went to Makro yesterday and purchased an all singing all dancing Vax machine, to replace our old Hoover that went kerpuft, and I'm dying to get into a few corners here and there and massacre those dust bunnies!

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Telly: not yet
Chocolate: not yet
Mood: not bad
Writing: not yet, but thought about it
Reading: ComputerActive
RSI/FMS: very achy from lugging stuff about on SOS