Various things on my mind lately
So it's been a couple weeks since I've had a proper, update-y post. It's been pretty busy in these parts; I'm juggling LIAR'S MOON revisions and STARCROSSED launch events (and today my editor and I even talked briefly about The Next Book--eek!), so I've mostly been trying to keep my head down and get some work done, but there have been a few nice distractions...
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Spent last weekend at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, OH. A couple things of note: I was interviewed for a podcast with Adventures in SciFi Publishing, so stay tuned for that... and I'll be spinning my WFC panel discussion ("Fantasy Gun Control!" or why we so rarely see firearms in traditional fantasy, even though they're historically accurate) into an upcoming Topic of the Week post on Enchanted Inkpot. My fellow Inkies had some great insight on this fascinating subject.
***
Had a lovely lunch with my editor today (and her mom joined us toward the end)! It's very cool living in my editor's home town; we get to see each other occasionally when she's back, and bond in our mutual Midwestern heritage (= meals of beige, with lots of carbs and nary a speck of green. :D). Today was soup and bread, but there has been French toast, macaroni and cheese, bread pudding, and chicken pot pie in the past.
***
I am just over 1/3 of the way through the LIAR'S MOON revisions. These are the line edits, where I'm making sure that every word pulls its proper weight and is doing exactly what I need it to do. Some words are more stubborn than others. Stay tuned.
***
The StarCrossed launch party is Monday! Egad! We've been promoting it like crazy locally, so hopefully we'll have a terrific turnout. And... Sarist tattoos are here!
Woo-hoo!
***
In my spare time (of which there is none), I have been Thinking About Sewing. I want to use the pattern for my pink corset and turn it into a kirtle (a very simple sleeveless dress, or in this case, basically a corset attached to a skirt). This is a good winter project, since it will fit me at a fair range of weights/sizes, and it's using a tried-and-true pattern. I've picked up some smoky purple damask for this project, which I hope to get to next month:
That's actually two tablecloths from Penney's--almost 7 yards of fabric (which is way more than you need for a kirtle; this means I can either screw something up, or make sleeves!). I should point out that I have started at least three previous kirtle projects and never made it past the mockup stage. Sigh. However! I also had the same history with corsets until I found this pattern. So I'm hoping the mojo will extend to this kirtle project, too. (Because once I've mastered the kirtle, I can get back to the Promenade gown!)
***
And finally, I mentioned in a previous post that my online needlework group has an annual October stitchalong of designs by artist Teresa Wentzler. I'm actually a big fan of TWOctober, since without the stitchalong in 2007 and 2008, I would probably never have finished my Peacock Tapestry. Unfortunately, I ran out of October before getting to participate, so on Hallowe'en, I dug out my WIP, Castle Sampler, and stitched on it for an evening. So my annual TWOctober progress is this:
Before:
After:
Sigh. You can see why we devote an entire month every year to this!
***
And that covers a lot of what's been occupying my time and thoughts the last few weeks. Next up: a nap, and then Chapter 14 of LIAR'S MOON!
***
Spent last weekend at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, OH. A couple things of note: I was interviewed for a podcast with Adventures in SciFi Publishing, so stay tuned for that... and I'll be spinning my WFC panel discussion ("Fantasy Gun Control!" or why we so rarely see firearms in traditional fantasy, even though they're historically accurate) into an upcoming Topic of the Week post on Enchanted Inkpot. My fellow Inkies had some great insight on this fascinating subject.
***
Had a lovely lunch with my editor today (and her mom joined us toward the end)! It's very cool living in my editor's home town; we get to see each other occasionally when she's back, and bond in our mutual Midwestern heritage (= meals of beige, with lots of carbs and nary a speck of green. :D). Today was soup and bread, but there has been French toast, macaroni and cheese, bread pudding, and chicken pot pie in the past.
***
I am just over 1/3 of the way through the LIAR'S MOON revisions. These are the line edits, where I'm making sure that every word pulls its proper weight and is doing exactly what I need it to do. Some words are more stubborn than others. Stay tuned.
***
The StarCrossed launch party is Monday! Egad! We've been promoting it like crazy locally, so hopefully we'll have a terrific turnout. And... Sarist tattoos are here!
Woo-hoo!
***
In my spare time (of which there is none), I have been Thinking About Sewing. I want to use the pattern for my pink corset and turn it into a kirtle (a very simple sleeveless dress, or in this case, basically a corset attached to a skirt). This is a good winter project, since it will fit me at a fair range of weights/sizes, and it's using a tried-and-true pattern. I've picked up some smoky purple damask for this project, which I hope to get to next month:
That's actually two tablecloths from Penney's--almost 7 yards of fabric (which is way more than you need for a kirtle; this means I can either screw something up, or make sleeves!). I should point out that I have started at least three previous kirtle projects and never made it past the mockup stage. Sigh. However! I also had the same history with corsets until I found this pattern. So I'm hoping the mojo will extend to this kirtle project, too. (Because once I've mastered the kirtle, I can get back to the Promenade gown!)
***
And finally, I mentioned in a previous post that my online needlework group has an annual October stitchalong of designs by artist Teresa Wentzler. I'm actually a big fan of TWOctober, since without the stitchalong in 2007 and 2008, I would probably never have finished my Peacock Tapestry. Unfortunately, I ran out of October before getting to participate, so on Hallowe'en, I dug out my WIP, Castle Sampler, and stitched on it for an evening. So my annual TWOctober progress is this:
Before:
After:
Sigh. You can see why we devote an entire month every year to this!
***
And that covers a lot of what's been occupying my time and thoughts the last few weeks. Next up: a nap, and then Chapter 14 of LIAR'S MOON!