I have a week off before I start my new job ( Read more... )

When I was in high school, I worked for a movie theatre. (It was a GREAT high school job, by the way.) One of the mangers was brilliant and funny and sarcastic. (A perfect personality, if you ask me.) When people asked, "Do you have a solid quarter?" He replied, "As oppossed to a liquid or gaseous one?" If it was someone unfamiliar with his keen ( Read more... )

Today I celebrate finishing draft 2 of The Collector. As many of you know, I hit a BIG depressive wall during the revisions, so finishing this draft is sweeter than previous draft completions. I even got an extra pretty cupcake for the celebration. See?


( Read more... )

Even Egyptian gods get flustered about their work ( Read more... )

You know I love a baking and editing analogy.  Just love'em.  So I've been working on The Collector this week. The story involves a mysterious bakery, a mysterious bakery owner, and mysterious jars in the back of said bakery.  And all this cake talk has increased my CRAVING for cake. (Yes, my cravings can increase). Friday night I finally caved. ( Read more... )

Last week, while I prepared my contributions for Thanksgiving dinner, I noticed a theme.  I kept undercooking food.  I’m a “cook it until it looks right” person, which means I rarely know how long something is supposed to cook.  Most of the time this approach works.  But when it doesn’t, it can be frustrating.  It means I have to keep poking and ( Read more... )

Celebrate freedom.  Celebrate writerly awesomeness.  Celebrate everything that is beautiful and wonderful in the world.

Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Use the restroom.  Sleep. Eat. Sleep.

Walk around apartment, forlorn and bewildered.  What does one do when one is not mentally berating one’s self about the horrors of their writing?

Consider doing laundry.  ( Read more... )

I survived a 5.1 earthquake, using my superhuman abilities.  They prevented me from knowing the earthquake even happened.  Seriously.  I didn’t feel anything.

I think this video by Jackson Pierce, YA author of As You Wish and Sisters Red, pretty much sums up my writing life.  And she adds a bit of humor to the experience.

Click to view

I made pumpkin bread.  ( Read more... )

1. I will never revise this story again.  I’m done. I got nothing.  I’m spent.  I can’t look at it anymore.  Note to self: Buy a trunk.

2. Okay, so maybe I can clean up the dialogue in that one scene. It sounded very, “Hi, Bob.” “Hello Dan.”  “How’s the weather, Bob?”  I’m better than that.

3. Who The Hell has been in my story?  Look at all these ( Read more... )

5. Your characters rally, infiltrate your dreams and lobby for the dialogue they think will work.

4. You refuse to say your child’s name (Kenly) because ALL words ending in -ly are considered enemies of the state.

3. You call the police and report a crime: someone keeps eating all your cake and chocolate in the middle of the night. (Never mind you ( Read more... )