a lovely compliment

My writing buddy Dayle A. Dermatis took this picture in a Powells Book Store in Portland, Oregon. Isn't it wonderful? :)

In spite of having proofs to correct, and an ever mounting list of jobs to do, yesterday was a complete washout. I had a naggling migraine all day, and with it being a weekend, and a shorter day due to a lie in, nothing whatsoever from my list got done. Spent most of the time either drowsing, or watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3. The latter was good, but not as good as the first in the series. I liked the lightness and colourfulness of the first one better, this was a bit too plot heavy. Okay, but not great...

Today is a shorter day too, and I'll probably not get a great amount done, esp. when himself gets back from his clay pigeon shooting and we get involved in chatting and maybe watching TV. We'll also be going out later [cos we didn't yesterday] so there'll be no evening work.

But tomorrow, I will be good and get on with those proofs and my other jobs! If I'm not around much, don't worry, I'm just a bit busy. :)

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Telly: Natural History of Britain
Choc/Yummy: Tesco Belgian Milk
Mood: okay
Writing: nothing yet
Reading: nothing yet
RSI/FMS: not too bad


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

fear and loathing of page proofs

Agh, those GOTHIC HEAT proofs have arrived! And I'm skeert to death of them!

I hate checking proofs. There's a pleasure in seeing the book as it's going to look when it's on sale, and it makes it all very real... but I'm always terrified, that, no matter how much checking I've done before I lobbed the thing off to the editor, I've committed some almighty continuity boo boo that has also slipped by in the copy editing process. Some stupid plot loophole that renders the whole thing ridiculous... I'm looking at the envelope with the proofs in now, and I feel slightly sick to my stomach. I've put them back in there because they make me shudder just to have them out in the open. But I've got to see to them, because, as usual, there's not really a great deal of time in which to scrutinise them.

All of the above means that my Sweat70 progress will grind to a shuddering halt for a while, unless I can somehow manage to just do a bit in between rounds of checking...


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Telly: not yet
Choc/Yummy: iced bun... for breakfast!
Mood: terrified
Writing: proofs... shudder...
Reading: Claiming the Courtesan - Anna Campbell
RSI/FMS: usual


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

A Serious Dilemma...

Should I start watching Pirates of the Caribbean 3? Or save it until this evening or over the w/e? It arrived in the post this morning, and it's taunting and tempting me... but I need to:

1. write some of IN TOO DEEP
2. think about another possible novella idea and maybe write a bit of that
3. polish a guest blog bit I'm doing
4. do some other blog related thingoids
5. finish adding all my widgets to this blog
6. do my accounts, sorely out of date
7. brace myself for incoming proofs of GOTHIC HEAT [oh God!]

And those are only the most critical jobs that need doing, there are a zillion more... and yet I keep feeling myself being ensorcelled by Captain Jack's siren call...



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Telly: LOCI
Choc/Yummy: iced bun
Mood: oppressed
Writing: nowt yet
Reading: Claiming the Courtesan - Anna Campbell
RSI/FMS: tired, achey


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

Writers' Craft Advisory

Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

He's getting impatient with me...

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Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

New Look!

I'm feeling so not like writing at the moment, so inspired by my buddy Madelynne Ellis, I've given this ol' blog a slightly new look! Still got quite a few of my sidebar bits to reintegrate, but I had too much crap there anyway, so maybe that's a good thing! :)

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Telly: Top Gear etc
Choc/Yummy: Tesco Belgian Milk
Mood: fed up
Writing: not
Reading: not
RSI/FMS: sore and tired


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

my alter ego?

I've found my 'separated at birth' twin at ICanHasCheezburger.


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Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

Ack, it's one of those Mondays!

--
Telly: classic Mission Impossible
Choc/Yummy: Tesco Belgian Milk
Mood: low, exasperated, powerless
Writing: nowt
Reading: nowt
RSI/FMS: weary, unable to focus mentally


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

50%

--
Telly: Band of Brothers
Choc/Yummy: custard creams
Mood: goodish
Writing: 1.3K In Too Deep
Reading: not much
RSI/FMS: bit weary


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

a very strange pattern...

This has happened a few times in the last week... I spend the entire day fuzzed and befuddled by 'stuff' and I don't have the energy or the inspiration to write. Then, come evening time, panic, and the combined disapproval of Kuffer, Professor Hottie, Mr Blue and Sven, all bears down on me and I feel compelled to at least try and write a bit. I usually just scrape to the 1K mark with some very inferior prose, but that's about it.

I'm getting the words down therefore, but I still worry that what I've got is a pile of irredeemable horse plop that's gone entirely in the wrong direction...

--
Telly: nothing yet
Choc/Yummy: mini battenburg
Mood: low
Writing: nothing yet
Reading: Along for the Ride, Michelle Pillow
RSI/FMS: sore, esp. wrists


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

Mr Blue gets hardcore...

--
Telly: Top Gear
Choc/Yummy: Tesco Belgian Milk
Mood: stupid
Writing: none
Reading: none
RSI/FMS: tired


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!

retooled GH cover

Here's the new, slightly reworked trade paperback sized cover of GOTHIC HEAT. Much the same as before, although I must say I preferred it when you could actually see the kiss. But, I can't complain at the size of my name... it's gigantic. The print, that is, not my name as in my rep as a writer! LOL

In other news it's a v. slow start today. For one reason or another I was up until 1am this morning, surfing the web and watching stupid television, and now I'm knackered. Not conducive to clear thinking and story telling, no way... And something has dawned on me about IN TOO DEEP in the last day or so. I'm approaching the half way mark and there hasn't been an actual shag yet!!! Loads of looking, teasing, fiddling about, erotic challenging, fantasising and exchanging of rude letters and sexy IMs... and even a blow job. But no full on how's yer father.

Some kind of weird erotic romance novel, eh?

--
Telly: nothing yet today
Choc/Yummy: soon
Mood: okay
Writing: thinking about ITD
Reading: WebUser
RSI/FMS: tired, achy, so what's new?


Don't forget Portia's Promos - new stuff being added all the time!