malware and dharma queens
I am having a frustrating week, since I came down with a virus. A virus, a trojan, some damn thing. A hundred and seventy two dollars to the boys down at Office Depot did not solve the problem. I had some instructions just this morning from M at Changeling, who must have been channeling my distress- two hours later I have not been sucessful, but I would also say I have not been a total failure- true, the evil trojan remains, but I have a new antivirus program that talks to me and I have cleaned up all sorts of things from my computer, including all passwords, which I will now have to remember.
While I was going through this torture, I was reading my new book by Pema Chodron called When Things Fall Apart. I am going to have to say I don't get half of what she talks about but it is very soothing to read her words, which are full of loving kindness. It is not quite as definite as the instructions I received to deal with the Trojan--no press f8 until the safemode comes up--but it kept me calm while I watched this clash of the titans play out in my hard drive.
I have been thinking about the new story- which I think I am going to call Sheik- or Tuareg- and a character I have been trying to bring into focus appeared before me, wearing a tee shirt with the words Dharma Queen. His name is Charlie and he is dead, but he is a very important guiding force for my POV character, Eliot. or Leo, haven't decided. Any thoughts? Would you go for Eliot or Leo? Sheik or Tuareg?
Anyway, now I have seen Charlie in his teeshirt I am happy, despite the continual irritating presence of the Trojan, who appears to be whipping the Greek's ass all over my hard drive. I think I'm going to get a Mac.
Exciting news from Dreamspinner! Idaho Battlegrounds, my DADT book, is coming out on Nov 24, and the handsome Paul Richmond is painting the cover as we speak, two heros in a pink bathtub. And my Christmas story from Changeling, Mutts, is due Dec 3. Mutts is very sweet. I think Pema, if I may call her that, would like it.
This is very long but who knows when I will be able to get back here! It took me ten minutes of sneaking through links until I was able to slip in the back door. If you don't hear from me for awhile, I have been thrown into the Trojan dungeon and denied computer access!