Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year's Eve

Hi Guys!

Happy New Year's Eve day. Hope you all have great plans. I am getting off early, going home and playing with the critters, drinking a Margarita and working on the edits. Then I hope to spend a little time working on getting the calendars finished and mailed out, the prizes for trivia autographed and mailed out (including matting and framing Suzanne's), and all around getting caught up. Not that I can possibly accomplish it all, but I'm going to TRY.

I'm doing the first Double Feature tomorrow. I think. I hope. I have the submission from the other author. I just need to figure out what I'm putting in from us/me.

As to what has happened on the romantic suspense that was the Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial, I need your advice guys. Do you want me to try to finish it? It started out okay (I think), but I kind of got sidetrakced with, oh, life, and stuff, and I kind of was feeling a bit like a fish out of water. Having never done one a romantic suspense before I had no sense of whether it was (a) romantic enough or (b) even remotely suspenseful. Anyway, your opinions are actively solicited since we're starting a new year and our resolutions and all.

So write me. Let me know what you'd like to see in the blog from now on. Let me know (if you're posse) what you'd like me to do with/for the posse. If you're feeling frisky, send me pet photos and I will post them (assuming I figure out how) along with some of mine. Whatever. I just need some interaction.

:)

Oh, and I'm feeling just a bit dated (and not the happy kind with a cute guy). I am on Twitter, and MySpace and FaceBook (and I even try to show up there occasionally, but BOY by the time you do all that it really eats at the writing time). I've noticed that people seem to do more Tweeting and FaceBooking(?) and blogs are becoming passe. I like blogging. I like rambling posts that cover more thoughts and space than 142 characters can hold. But do YOU? Should I just consider this sort of a journal rather than expecting anybody to correspond and figure if you want to reach me you'll catch me on one of the "social networking sites"? And where do you stand on websites? (And if you say something like "on the very edge, on my tippy toes" I will hunt you down and kick you in the shins.)

Inquiring minds want to know!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Happy Frustration Day

I hereby declare this a brand new holiday. Welcome to FRUSTRATION DAY 2009. It comes right between major holidays but you don't get it off. Most offices, however, are closed, or working with skeleton crews, so you can't get anything much done, but at the same time you have all of the year end stuff due in an absolute crisis deadline.

My personal frustration day includes having the parts for the truck be defective, so that it is not truly fixed, and won't be until new parts arrive next week. (We hope.) They put it back together so that I can drive it in town and won't be stranded, but the new noise sounds like a mouse is screaming under my hood. (I joke that the gerbil is no longer happy running in his wheel and wants to retire, with a full pension). Also the usual "You're self-employed" schtoof when trying to get through the maze that is mortgage lending.

But everyone I know has something. I think it's the nature of modern living. And hey, if I can't go out of town and go to a movie, it's just encouragement to get my butt in gear and do the edits and the other writing. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Good Evening Folks

1) The winner of trivia was Suzanne. However, there are others who came close. SO, as the winner she will get a framed and autographed cover flat for the first book from our new series. The next two or three will get one that is unframed. I will send e-mails to y'all to confirm addresses.

2) The parts people sent a wrong part on the truck. So it is not yet fixed. Sigh. I am vehicleless for the next 24 hours. Ah well.

3) Got in an interesting discussion with Cathy about blogging and privacy. She asked "what if you don't get a job because the prospective employer goes to your blog and reads about health problems and depression. Well, folks, the depression is managed and manageable. I've worked full time for a few years now with minimal absences (although, yes, I do have pain, thanks, and yes, I do work through it and all the other stuff). And if the person is going to read my blog and eliminate me as an candidate without even talking to me about it or checking with my references and current employer regarding my attitude and attendance, I probably woudn't fit in their organization. Do I think I should stop blogging to protect my privacy? Maybe. But I'm not going to do it.

Monday, December 28, 2009

OKAY Then

HOPE YOU ARE ALL HAVING A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!!!!

Let's see -- Final tally on the trivia comes up tomorrow.
Goals -- I didn't meet them by Christmas. I know, you're shocked. Do-overs for New Year resolutions.
Writing -- Got the edits in on the 2nd book in the new series. Gotta get them turned around, so online writing went out the window for a bit. Hope to get back on track for that for the new year too.
Depression -- has receded considerably. I think (fingers crossed if you're not typing, if you are, toes will do) that I have found a home near Denver if the financing goes through. Applied for a killer job too, but we'll see how that pans out. The current job market is VERY tricky. But I need insurance, and retirement, SO, again, fingers/toes crossed.
Kitties -- did not get a home. We are still looking for help for them. Love em, they're adorable, but ARGH.
Transmission gets installed tomorrow--which means I will not be stuck in this small burg without so much as a bookstore, coffee house or movie theater for more than a couple more days. This is a relief. I'm hoping to go to the bigger town this weekend and do all my errand running and GASP watch a movie.
Calendars are in process.

And I'm lonely, so write or post comments. catadamsfans@gmail.com or below.

Bestest.

Cie

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Focus

Okay, I go through stages. In fact, being the observant types you are, you probably have noticed it.

1. Exhausted and/or ill. (Frequently following a heavy push to complete a book on deadline.) Depressed. Practically incapable of coherent thought. I not only don't have ideas, I don't know if I'll ever GET another idea---and I'm not sure I care.

2. Feeling a little better. Grumpy, still not myself, but I am capable of tying my shoelaces, posting blogs, and doing some of the businessy stuff. Still no ideas, but I know they'll come.

3. Feeling a little bit better than that, but not close to normal. I start getting ideas. BOY do I start getting ideas. All over the place. My imaginary friends are all glad to see me again and clamoring for attention, waving their hands shouting "pick me, pick me!" Unfortunately there's not enough focus and brain function to write anything other than dreck and I hop from project to project looking for the "right" one. Of course when I can't write well there isn't a right one, but that doesn't seem to keep me from trying.

4. I am myself. WOO HOO. The brain is working. The fingers are working. Focus is on. And I'm probably behind on my deadlines because I spent so long in steps 1-3 above. ARGH!! I pick a project (generally the one that's um, well, DUE. But if there isn't one of those I pick one.) Since they all appeal to me, it's kind of random which I pick. Sometimes it's "well this one seems marketable" or "I've always wanted to finish this one, and it is more than half done." Whatever. I pick one. And I write, and write and write.

And then I get interrupted.

Edits come in. Life intervenes. Conferences come up.

And I finish it anyway. Because I'm STUBBORN.

But to do it I have to push. Hard. And my body rebels (because I have all this chronic crap that isn't all that serious, but isn't any fun either). And if it's contracted work, I turn it in. If it's not, I send it to the agent for a look-see. But any way you slice it. I push until I'm done. Toast. Incapable of complex thought and somewhat ill.

and we're back to step 1.

****************

Today I am right on the borderline between 3 and 4. I've been idea hopping. Some of the ideas are pretty damned dark. (Okay, more than pretty damned dark. Remember that short story I wrote where the war hero is stuck in his own mind in complete sensory deprivation as a form of torture. Yeah, that kind of cheery stuff. I can do light and fluffy. Most of the time I'm pretty cheerful. But when I go dark, it doesn't get much darker.) Some of them are so light they could float. But nothing is really coming together at this moment. BUT I think they might be in the next couple of days. Which would be really, seriously cool since I have several days off for Christmas holiday and am stuck in town anyway because the transmission hasn't arrived for the truck.

So maybe, just maybe, I'll get the calendars done and out AND get something written. Wouldn't that be cool?

Holly happidays everybody.

Cie

Monday, December 21, 2009

Trivia and Kitties

Okay, today is a little less weepy, although still a bit stressed. You see, the kitties were "too old" and "too shy" so they're back in my yard. But healthy, with their shots and tests done. And I will get them spayed/neutered in the next few weeks as well because I SOOOOOO do not need more feral cats. I am disappointed, but not surprised. They love me, and are affectionate with me, but they've never been around anyone else, so they weren't their usual selves at the vet. But I honestly believe that things work out for the best and God has plans for everything, so we'll just wait and see.

NOW, on to TRIVIA.

In honor of the Christmas season ---

Name as many movies as you can where St. Nick/Santa Claus is a main character. Person with the most Santas wins. Post answers to catadamsfans@gmail.com.

And just FYI right now Suzanne is in the lead.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Today

Okay, today I am feeling ambivalent. LOTS of things going on in my life. Tumultuous. Some good. Some not so good.

Today I took a pair of kitten/cats (adolescents) to the vet for the very first time. They were ferals that I had saved from starving and tamed to the point where they trust me, and allow me to pet them and show my deep affection for them. They went to the vet to make sure they were healthy for a woman who may choose to adopt them. Or not. She will see them tomorrow and make that determination.

I love them. I already am maxed out on animals, so I truly can't take them in. The indoor cats wouldn't tolerate it either. They've been acting out just having these guys come up on the porch. I know it is in the cats's best interest to have them be adopted out. I do. But I love them. And it tears me up to have caged them in the carriers, taken them to the vet and left them. I may very well never see them again. And it breaks my heart. Even though I know it's the right thing to do. And at the same time I worry that she won't want them, or they won't act tame enough, that maybe they'll only respond to me (which sometimes happens with formerly ferals. I have a couple of my indoor cats that just don't like other humans. They love me. They snuggle with me. But nobody else. Ever. Got it!). So I'm worried that they won't be adopted and loved, and sad that they might be, which is a seriously no-win situation.

But I'm pretty sure I did the right thing. I did tell the vet's assistants that if she doesn't want them, I'll take them back, that I'll figure something else out for them. But I hope she does want them. Except then I'll never see them again.

Gotta go or I'm gonna blubber.

Cie

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

A Very Posse Christmas and Pain Dreams

Cathy got the software to make the calendars for the posse Christmas gifts. Now I just have to DO it---and ship them. And we all KNOW how good I am about that. (BLUSH).

Anyway, I've been in some pain (chronic crap that comes and goes). It and the OTC stuff I take to handle the worst of it has been giving me very VERY dark dreams and ideas. Probably not usable (then again, you never know), but definitely too dark and overtly sexual for the YA I'm working on writing right now. I'll get past it, but it certainly is awkward.

ANYWAY, hope you are all well and happy. I've got a ton to do today, so I can't stay and ramble. But enjoy your holidays if I don't get back to you as soon as I'd like.


Cie

Monday, December 14, 2009

Monday Morning Trivia

All right, as long as I'm moving forward and in honor of my previous blog this morning.

For one point -- name the Bill Murray movie in which the primary plot device is a time loop.

For a bonus point -- name 2 other people who acted in that movie.

Answers to catadamsfans@gmail.com . And folks, remember, we're almost to the end of the year and the end of the contest.

Best always.

Cie

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

It's a classic question. It is also completely impossible to answer without sounding snarky. I mean, what do you say? I could act like mom's did in the old days when they didn't want to talk about sex and say "they come from the cabbage patch" or "the stork delivers them" but that's not really true. I think. Not for me anyway.

For example, last night I had an idea. Out of the blue apparently (no stork seen). A woman wakes up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in front of a roaring fire. Looking around she sees the entire place is filled (and I do mean filled) with stuff about time travel. Everything has to do with time travel, from the movies on disc (Time After Time, The Time Traveller's Wife, Back to the Future I, II, and III, etc.), to the books filling the shelves (A Wrinkle in Time, The Butterfly Effect, etc.).

Now, the questions start. Is she an angel? An amnesia victim? A time traveller sent back to stop our obsessive-compulsive cabin owner from actually building a time machine?

Next snapshot in my head. Our girl is now in the cabin with 3 other people. (Don't know when or how they got there. This came in the a.m., post dream). She is trying to explain the concepts of time in a method our three collaborators (Professor, one male and one female student) is going to understand.

(Now this goes into a lecture that is liable to bore the pants off of you if you're not careful, so tighten your belt, or go to a location where pantslessness will not cause you trouble such as job loss or arrest for indecent exposure---you've been warned).

"You're thinking time is linear. It is, and it isn't. The problem is the human brain is wired to think in three dimensions. You need at least five to really grasp the concept." She takes a balloon out of her pocket and blows it up, or grabs an orange, and grabs a magic marker. "First, it's spherical." She presses the pen to the surface and marks a spot. Nodding to the male student. "This is you. You've just graduated high school. You have to make a choice. Do you" she moves the pen a short distance to make a line "go directly to college and onward?" She goes back to the first spot, and moves the pen in a different direction "OR do you skip a year, go with your girlfriend on a trip of exploration."

"This is your girlfriend." Back to the original spot. "She has a similar choice." The pen follows the trip path, then stops. "Now she has a choice. Does she resist temptation, knowing that if she stays with you, you will be the only man she ever sleeps with. Or does she give in, knowing that if you find out she'll lose you entirely?" The pen goes to his spot. She draws his line away from the trip path over to the college path, leaving the second line behind. (The assumption being that the girl cheated.)

"But it's not that simple. Because the surface isn't flat. There are hills and valleys. Just like you move more slowly climbing up a snowy hill than sliding down on your sled. And then there's emotion. Emotion is energy. Concentrated together, it can be like the wind at your back, or in your face. And it affects everything.

"She looks around to see if they're following. They are . . . sort of. Not like they believe her, but they're trying, so she continues. "There's a motivational speaker who says that emotions are nothing more than electrical storms in the brain. Electricity is energy . . . it's power. Concentrated in enough strength it can be deadly."

She grabs one end of the baloon, pulling it tight so that the rubber is thicker on one end than another. "Have you ever had a day at work that seemed to drag on forever? It just wouldn't end." They nod. "Part of that is your emotion. You're bored. You're tired. You stayed up drinking the night before so you're a little hungover. But part of it isn't. Part of it is that in Brazil there are 100,000 screaming fans wound up to fever pitch as the soccer game goes into overtime, and another 100,000 are in Europe in 2002 waiting for the first concert of the reunion tour of one of the greatest bands of all time; and an entire country in 1964 is mourning a president who was shot down in the prime of his life. All that emotional energy is pulling time, affecting it in different ways, distoring how it is perceived."

She sighs. They're not getting it. Which means it's pointless trying to explain how time works differently in space. Not in a space craft --- with its artificial atmosphere and human imposed emotional sequence. But in space itself. Where light and sound exist on their own with little input from humans or other sentient species.

"So you're saying time travel is possible?" The girl asks.

"I'm saying trying it is stupid. A really, REALLY bad idea." She sets down the balloon and walks into the kitchen area. They follow. "There's too much happening. Too many ways it can go wrong. Just here, in this remote spot, there is us, having this conversation. There is a prospector, on his way to California for the gold rush. There is a cave man being killed by a bear. MAYBE you could get lucky." She pulls a glass from the shelf and fills it close to the rim with water before setting it on the counter. She then fills her cupped hand with water and dumps it into the glass. The water level rises to the very rim. "And nothing bad happens. Then again . . ." she fills her cupped hand again, and dumps it into the glass, which overflows onto the counter, making a mess, "maybe not." She turns to them. "One person can make a difference sometimes. She begins quoting Martin Luther King . . . 'I have a dream,'" she pauses, then starts singing, 'Don't cry for me Argentina, the truth is I never left you."

****************************

Okay, that's where it left off. Now where did it come from? Haven't a clue. I had been sitting in front of the fire eating dinner, so maybe the fire is from that. But the whole space-time continuum and emotion as energy distorting things? I dunno. I mean it. WTH?

I have an odd mind. I'll admit that. But this stuff is a bit out there for me. Probably too dry to use for a story too. But it was there, in my head. And it played out like a movie. And I do find it a bit interesting.

Where do I get my ideas? I dunno. Sometimes something inspires me. A lot of times they spring into my head fully formed, or make themselves known through dreams. Sometimes they're useful. Sometimes they're not. But I try to let them have their way, because even if they're not useful they deserve time and attention.

Besides, just because something isn't workable now doesn't mean it won't be later on, in a different context.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Update.

Hello All

Hi Guys!

Sorry I've been a bit scarce. Life has intervened. I'm okay. A little bummed, but okay. I will probably be dealing with the general hoo ha of paperwork, the holidays and such for a couple more days. But I will return as soon as life lets me. Less than a week for sure.

Thanks for caring.

Cie

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Would you like to see?

Okay, I'm depressed. Lots of reasons, some of them biology. Others, just not having made progress or having backslid on pretty much every one of my goals. But I'm human. I do that occasionally. Never give up. Never, ever, ever give up.

ANYWAY, I didn't get the contest entry sent in time. Would you guys like me to post it as part of the first Double Feature?


Cie

Monday, November 30, 2009

Miss Kitteh Got the Joke.

Okay guys. The trivia this morning was a joke/test, to see if y'all were paying attention. Miss Kitteh was the first to get the joke so BIG good on her.

Cie

Monday Trivia

Good Morning!

I've been sleeping much more and much more soundly since the time change. Don't know why. Just have. It complicates things. Less awake time isn't in the schedule. LOL. Inkspot the Infamous is demanding attention. That's complicating things too. He is a very persistent cat.

ANYWAY, on to the trivia. For five points (because it aint a gonna be so easy).

Name:

First name of director whose middle and last names are Ford Coppolla.
First name of Sam's sidekick on Quantum Leap.
First name of the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
First name of Agent Dunham on Fringe.

And what doggie name it spells.

Answers to catadamsfans@gmail.com .

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial (Delayed)

Okay, I've been spending the day writing a YA that is a lot of fun but is seriously hormone fueled, high-octane angst. To get my head into this I have been watching the teen drama oevre on Hulu. The OC, One Tree Hill, Everwood, Dawson's Creek, etc. This has made it very hard to shift my head to wrap it back around the serial. But I will try.

**********************************

Ohmigod. What to do? "I'm fine. Really." Jen turned to smile at Bonnie. Euphoria was beginning to bubble up within her. It was real. It was really, really, real. Ohmigod. OH MY GOD!

She stuffed the tickets into her purse and pushed the cart out to the car. She needed to keep quiet about this until she could turn in the ticket. The bank wasn't open. If it was she'd be down there in a heartbeat, putting the slip in her safe deposit box. But it was closed until tomorrow. So was the lottery office. Where was she going to hide it where no one would look for it.

She was almost to the vehicle when it hit her. THIS was what they were looking for. Somebody already knew. Had to. But who? I mean, the pool of people wasn't endless.

Oh shit.

What was she going to do?

She practically threw the groceries into the car, her mind racing wildly. They'd already searched the house. They wouldn't look again. Would they? Would they think she had it with her. Oh God, was she even safe?

"Calm down." She told herself as she climbed behind the wheel, immediately hitting the door locks. "Calm. Everything's fine. Jake was with you in Hawaii. He's at the house now. He's a cop. You can trust him. Just breathe. Take it easy. You can't drive when you're like this."

She forced herself to take slow, deep breaths. It helped. She wasn't exactly calm, but at least she was capable of driving. She'd drive home, explain everything to Jake. Tomorrow she'd make the long drive to the Lotto office at the capital, cash in her ticket, and start her new life.

Tomorrow.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Friday Status Check

Hi Guys!

Hope you all had a happy holiday. I did nothing and did it vigorously. Now I am rested, well-fed, and ready to attack the future. RAWR.

This morning I have already done the first draft of a short story for a contest. 1500 words maximum. VERY short. Worked hard to get the entire mystery in and solved. Hope it turned out okay. All I can do is polish, submit, and hope. Just like everybody else.

Today I'm going to work on a second story, by which time I should be warmed up enough to start on the next book. I hope. I still need to exercise, do some e-mails, thank you cards, and pay a couple of urgent bills. Then there's the housework. But I feel pretty good about things because I HAVE been sending out applications. I am feeling physically better, and I am writing

SO, how are you all doing?

Thursday, November 26, 2009

HAPPY THANKSGIVING and STUFF

Good Morning All!

Happy Thanksgiving!

One year ago today I was flying out to Denver for a job interview. Wound up that I didn't want the job, and I stayed here another year. I'm thankful I didn't take it. But at the same time, I'm still in Texas, which is a bit frustrating. Still, I do believe that things work out the way they are supposed to. There's a reason for everything. I just don't know what it is.

SO, TEN THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR (because if I go for more than 10, I'll wind up droning on forever, and I do want to do something besides post on Thanksgiving.)

1. God.
2. My son and the rest of my family.
3. My friends (including all the four-legged friends and 1 bird who've ever lived with me).
4. My home.
5. This beautiful earth. (This includes things like starry nights, sunsets, the sound and smell of rain.)
6. My writing career.
7. Laughter.
8. Music.
9. My 6 senses. (Yes, I said six. Don't ask.)
10. The talents I have been given.

Obviously I could go on forever. I have that much to be grateful for. But I'm stopping here.

I wish you all joy and success over the next year. Be happy, be well. When times are hard friends and family can be the rope that pulls you through.

Best always.


Cie/C.T. Adams

Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday Morning Trivia

Okay guys, this is a little different. You want your 5 points, you'll have to pull a couple of rabbits out of your hat. :)

Three questions. In order. First letter of first word of each spells out the trivia answer. We're featuring

JoAnne Baldwin's career is as a ____________________. (From one of author Rachel Caine's series.)

The first name of the were-bear who worked as Charles bodyguard. (From our Sazi series.)

Name of the Kingdom in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. (by C.S. Lewis.)

As always, answers e-mailed to catadamsfans@gmail.com with TRIVIA in the re.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Saturday (ahem, not-so-morning) Breakfast Serial

Hi Guys. Sorry I'm late.

***********************

Jen was almost out the door when the thought hit her.

Nah. Couldn't be.

Could it?

I mean, she'd bought a ticket.

But, no. No way. Bonnie knew her numbers. She'd have looked, would've known.

Still . . . it wouldn't hurt to check. I mean, the ticket was right there in her wallet.

Apologizing to the person behind her, she turned her cart around and made her way back to the checkstand by the service desk where Bonnie was waiting, grinning, extending the little slip of red and white paper that held the winning numbers.

Feeling sheepish, she took the paper from her and glanced down. One quick look would tell her for sure.

She stared. Stunned.

No. She must be reading it wrong. Bonnie must've run her a new ticket for the next drawing or something.

She looked more closely. No. It said "Winning Numbers" and the date from last Saturday clear as day, right at the top.

She read the numbers again, her breath growing ragged.

"Honey, are you all right?" Bonnie looked up from the customer she was assisting. "You don't look soo good."

Jen didn't look up. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the slip of paper in her hand. "Oh. . . my . . . God."

Friday, November 20, 2009

Friday Status

I'm here. A little flaky, a little tired. But I'm hanging in there. Trying to get the house clean and relax enough that I have enough brain cells working to write. We'll see.

Hope you are all doing well. Thank you to everyone who has been encouraging. I'm going to keep moving forward. Hope you are all doing well and are happy. Be sure to post.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

See you tomorrow for the serial. :)

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Status

Status

Okay, 4:18 a.m. and I'm up and at it.

Had things I was going to do yesterday that got eaten by the relocation crisis. BUT I got a call on a job. And in order to GET the job I had to take one of those pre-employment computer tests at the branch office in a town about an hour/hour and fifteen minutes from here -- after the day job. Which pretty much shot my evening.

I took it. And I have NO idea how I did. I hate those kinds of tests. It's all subjective, and depends a great deal on the rules of the company. (Which of course I don't know, not having been hired and trained. LOL) Questions with answers like "offer a discount" may not work if the employees don't have the authority to offer discounts. And in jobs where there are no stated positions do you count your raises as promotions? UGH.

But I took it. And if I did well I have a good chance of getting a job. So fingers crossed, send up your prayers.

Cie

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Ah, JOB HUNTING

Ah, job hunting long distance in a recession era. Aint it grand (NOT!).

Anyway, got up at 4:00 and came in early to send out applications. Got a few done.

May I say that the whole apply over the internet thing is definitely a mixed blessing?
Good -- I can apply from home or office in Texas without having to actually haul my butt up to Denver.
Bad -- They don't give you any room for comments or individualization and it is impersonal as hell.

I have a very colorful and complicated life. My resume is a little odd-looking because of it. But when there's no room to comment, it's hard to explain that "Yes, the dates overlap. I always worked at least two jobs and wrote books at the same time. I'm an insomniac."

ANYWAY, I hope I hear. Because I heard from my landlady, and the home where I've been living may not be available much longer. CRAP.

Keep me in your prayers!


Cie

Monday, November 16, 2009

Monday Trivia & Posse Stuff

Okay, I'm going to cheat a little. ;) I want y'all to read the posted chapters over on the joint blog (assuming you haven't already. If you have, you get attaperson points--10 BIG attaperson points.) SO, the trivia question is based on the posting.

What does Celia use to seal the breach in the perimeter?

Answers to catadamsfans@gmail.com with TRIVIA in the RE.

***************************************
Oh, and FYI, getting a good response on the Creature Feature; Double Feature; and Amateur Hour as proposed. SO, it looks like it will be a go. Eventually. When I get my act together a little more (i.e., get myself a 2010 calendar so I can keep better track of when who is doing what for how many cookies.)

Oh, and Posse Members -- Send me birthday greetings in the next week with an updated address (if it's changed, or if you don't trust me to keep track of it without an assistant---and you might not be able to. You know how I am.) so that I can send out the Christmas goodies. I'm actually going to try to get them out before Easter. ;)

And I am still taking applications for new posse members. Posse members get the best goodies (eventually) and generally get lavished with lots of attention by yours truly, the Not-So-Evil-Overlord. Send your application (grovelling is ALWAYS appreciated) and your preference as to: Lackey/Minion/Synchophant (only for those with rhythm enough to do a truly spectacular happy dance)/Other along with any special qualifications and your snail mail address for the forwarding of schwag.

Answers to catadamsfans@gmail.com with POSSE in the RE.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial Catch Up

OKAY, I'm back. Hope you haven't "starved" in the meantime. So, first off, if you want a sneak peek at the first chapter of the first book in the new series go to the joint blog. It's posted.

Are you back? GOOD. Now, if you want to see the first chapter of the upcoming Sazi book, I BELIEVE (thank you Webmistress!! Thank you Webmistress!!) it's available on our website. You can go there.

Back again? WOOO, you're REALLY into this aren't you? Okay, here's the re-run of the first part of the serial since you've probably forgotten it all by now. Posts are separated by asterisks. New stuff is at the bottom.

*****************

"Wow Jen, think you've got enough suntan lotion? And whoo hoo, look at the bikini. Yowsa!"

Bonnie, the checker at the local discount store looked over at one of her favorite regular customers. "I'm guessing somebody is headed out of town on vacation. Maybe even with that handsome state cop she's been dating? Hmmmn?"

Jen laughed, "Guilty as charged. We're headed out to Hawaii," she paused for effect "to meet his family."

Bonnie goggled, "Ohmigod, the big family meet and greet. Is it really that serious? Already?"

Jen squirmed uncomfortably. "Maybe. I think so. But I don't want to rush into anything." She really didn't. Her divorce had been finalized less than a year. She was over Todd. That wasn't the question. She just wasn't sure she was ready to be with someone else. And she really didn't trust her judgment when it came to men. After all, Todd had been handsome, and charming, and all sorts of wonderful---right up until the day they said their "I dos." Now she desperately wish she hadn't. But hindsight is ever 20/20 as they say.

"Oh, don't fret. You'll do fine. Just take your time. Enjoy yourself." Bonnie gave a saucy wink as she ran Jen's items over the price scanner. "Not that I have to tell you to do that, what with that handsome hunk you'll be travelling with. He is fine."

Jen couldn't argue with that. Jake was really, truly, all that and a bag of chips. Not only handsome, he was smart, funny, and seemed to instinctively know not to push---to go slow. Jen was almost positive he was as nervous about this whole meet and greet as she was. But his baby sister was getting married, so it seemed logical . . .

"When are you leaving?" Bonnie's question brought Jen back to the present.

"Day after tomorrow. First thing in the morning."

"Ah, then you probably want to buy your ticket now?" The lilt in her voice made it a question.

"Oh, yeah. I should, shouldn't I." Every week, without fail, Jen bought a single lottery ticket, cash option, same numbers every time. It was her little ritual. Probably silly, but worth the money if for no other reason than the number of fantasies she'd had thinking what she would do with the winnings from the prosaic, setting up a family trust, to the exotic, quitting her boring job and going on a world cruise. Not that she ever would win. But then, you never know. Which was the point, after all. "Let me dig out my numbers."

"You're kidding, right. As if I don't know them by heart after all this time." Bonnie waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and walked over to the machine. "9, 15, 27, 32, 48, 54, right?"

"Right." Jen blushed a little, feeling foolish. Just how much money had she spent on tickets over the years that the cashier could rattle the numbers off so easily? Then she shook herself. It was cheap. It was fun, and it didn't hurt a thing. In fact, if the ads were to be believed, she was helping fund the state schools and park maintenance.

Bonnie hit the buttons and the small square of red and white paper popped out of the machine. Handing it across the counter she said, "Now you put that in a safe place. It could be the winner the way you're luck has turned around. I mean, really, a handsome man and a trip to Hawaii? I am sooooooo jealous."

Laughing Jen pulled out her wallet. Folding the ticket in half she stuck it in the coin purse, then pulled enough bills from the wallet section to pay for her purchases. Who knew what could happen? She was certainly feeling lucky.

*******

Jen stared out the window over the wing of the plane. Ohmigawd! That was the ocean. The Pacific. This was really happening. All her life she'd wanted to travel and Hawaii had been at the top of her list. Even the words were exotic. Aloha, luau, lava-lava. Her stomach flip-flopped and she told herself it was excitement and not fear of flying. This was her first time on a plane. She'd never really gotten to travel anywhere. Even her honeymoon "hadn't worked out." The ex had been supposed to make the travel plans, but they fell through because . . . well, honestly, because her ex was her ex. But she was going now.

"You okay? You're looking a little pale." Jake touched her hand, drawing her attention away from the window. He wasn't faking his concern, she could tell.

"Fine." Jen smiled at him. "Just a little nervous. This is my first time on a plane and I'm going to meet your family. It's a bit much, but I figure you'll make it up to me." She winked at him and was rewarded with a heart-stopping smile.

"I'll do my best." He paused, "You really don't need to worry about my family Jen. I know they're going to love you. Almost as much as I do."

She blushed with pleasure at his words, but didn't necessarily believe him. If there wasn't some basis in truth to them the legends about mother-in-laws wouldn't have survived this long. Her own mother was no saint. In fact, she'd been decidedly chilly to Jake. Then again, she loved Todd and was still holding out hope for a reconciliation.

"We'll see."

Sensible man that he was, Jake decided to distract her. It was a long flight, and it'd be no fun for either of them if they sat here worried and brooding. "So, is your mom watching the house and taking care of Obsidian for you?"

Jen pasted a smile on her face. She'd asked her mother. It had been a mistake. Her ears were still blistered from the response. "No, Wendy's watching him."

"Wendy?" Jake shook his head. "Are you sure that's a good idea. I mean, I like your sister, but she's a little bit of a . . ."

"Flake." Jen sighed. "Yeah, I know. I love her, but she is who she is. And Obsidian will be fine. He's not that social of a cat to begin with. I left out a huge roasting pan filled with hard food, and the toilet seat is up. So if she flakes out and misses a day he'll be fine." Actually, her huge black tom cat would probably be fine for a week considering how much kibble she'd left him. And he wasn't particularly social with anyone but Jen and surprisingly, Jake.

"I don't even mind her so much. But her husband . . ." He let the sentence trail off unfinished rather than say something irretrievable. But Jen could guess what he meant. Kevin was a serious creep. Then again, every man her sister dated was, one way or another. Wendy just knew how to pick em. There could be 100 really great guys in the room and one loser, and she'd gravitate to the loser every time.

When Jake and Kevin had met at the family holiday cookout there had been the kind of instant animosity that you see with large, dominant dogs. It hadn't gotten ugly, but only because Jen and Jake had left before it could. But it had been a very close thing. Of course it didn't help matters that Kevin was Todd's best friend in the world.

What a mess. Jen looked at Jake for a long moment, leaned over, and gave him a quick kiss. Nothing big, just a peck. But he'd earned it. Her life was such a mess. But he never complained, never did anything but make her feel safe, loved, and laugh. Lord how he made her laugh. She'd almost forgotten how it had been so long. Now she wouldn't give it up for anything.

"What was that for?"

"For being you." She smiled. Taking a deep breath, she said the words she knew he'd wanted to hear, but she'd never been ready to voice. "I really do love you, you know."

*******

Todd stared up at the television in the corner of the bar. The Lakers had lost. The game hadn't even been close. There went another hundred bucks. Dammit. He knew he shouldn't gamble, but it was a habit. And what the hell else did he have to spend his money on now? He shook his head. She was gone. With JAKE. In HAWAII. Where she and Todd had been going to go on their honeymoon. Until he lost the money. Of course that wasn't what he'd told her. He'd lied. She'd believed him. She'd even seemed to take it okay. Until suddenly one day, she just didn't. And it was over, and there was nothing for him to do except sign the divorce papers and come down here to the bar and get drunk with Kevin.

Kevin came back to the table carrying a pair of beers and two doubles of whiskey. Neither of them needed it. They were both well past tipsy and on their way to wasted, but Todd didn't want to think clearly. Not tonight, knowing she was there, with Jake.

The commercial break came on and the lotto box appeared on the screen with its bouncing numbered balls. Todd watched the screen as individual balls popped out to be placed in a row. Damn those numbers looked familiar. Why? What was special about 9, 15, 27, 32, 48, 54?

"Holy shit. Those are Jen's numbers." He hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"Really?" Kevin got a look on his face. Something about it bugged Todd. A lot.

"Too bad she's in Hawaii and didn't buy herself a ticket." He forced himself to smirk. "Serves her right. " He raised his beer bottle, as if toasting the bitter words. Kevin clicked bottles. But the expression on his face didn't change.

*******
Jen checked her watch, did the math, and decided that it was probably a decent hour to call her sister. There really wasn't ever a "good" time. Wendy kept very irregular hours. She did shift work, and it changed a lot. But she also partied---hard. It was how she'd met Kevin. Jen had always hoped her sister would "grow up," but thus far there'd been no sign of it. Of course, she thought Jen was a horrible "stick-in-the-mud" because she didn't party any more. Hell, she hadn't done it much even back in the day. It just seemed such a waste to get wasted. Why work that hard for a paycheck and then blow it on one night so that you had to struggle and scrape just to get by?

Jen shook her head. She was doing it again, being judgmental. Her sister was doing her a favor. She needed to focus on being grateful. Because she was. Wendy's helping out made it possible for her to be here with Jake having the time of her life. And she was: romantic walks on the beach, playing in the surf, playing in the hotel room. Oh it was wonderful. The wedding yesterday had been gorgeous, and so romantic. Every one of Jake's family seemed to like her too. They were being so much nicer than her family had been to him. Of course they might just be on their best behavior because of the wedding, but she really didn't think so.

She dialed the number to Wendy's cell phone from memory. It rang four times before a very sleepy-sounding voice came on the line.

"'Lo?"

"Wendy, it's Jen."

"Right, Jen. Hang on a sec', 'kay?" Jen heard Kevin grumbling, then her sister fumbling around in the background, finally there was the sound of a door closing, and Wendy's voice came back on the line. "I'm back." Wendy announced, following it up with a huge yawn. "So, how's Hawaii with hunkalicious?"

"It's wonderful. I'm having the time of my life! Thanks so much for agreeing to watch Obsidian. How's he doing anyway?"

"Um, Jen . . . about that . . . "Jen's stomach clenched at the words, and she closed her eyes, praying silently that her cat was all right. Wendy would never deliberately hurt him. But oh Lord, if anything bad had happened . . .

Wendy started in on one of her long, rambling explanations. "See, I would'a sworn I hung the key on the hook. But when I went to get it, it wasn't there. But I mean, I knew I had to take care of the cat. I mean, you're counting on me. So, I figured I'd just go in through the window. No harm, no foul. But it broke. And while I was waiting for the guy to come replace the glass . . . he said he'd bill you for the work . . . I'm really sorry Jen. But, um, the cat . . . well, he got out. I've seen him. He's still hanging around the house. But he won't let me get near him. So I moved the pan with his food outside. And I'm still going by in case I can get him to come inside."

Jen didn't pound her head against the wall, but she wanted to. Dammit, dammit, damn it! Obsidian was up to date on his shots, and he was smart and tough. But there were raccoons in the neighborhood, and she'd heard an owl hunting just a couple of nights before she left. DAMN it.

"Jen? Say something. Please? I'm really, really sorry. I know you were counting on me. But I'm sure he's all right. And you're coming home tomorrow. He'll come in for you."

"It's all right." Jen lied. It was not all right. She was furious and hurt, and worried. But there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it and there probably wasn't anything Wendy could do. Because Obsidian wasn't going to come to her. No chance of that at all.

"You're mad."

Hell yes she was mad? Why wouldn't she be? Wendy'd lost the key to her house, broken a window, and let the cat get out. The only thing that she could've done to screw up worse was burn the place down or leave it unlocked so that burglars . . . oh shit. "Wendy, sweetie" Jen took a deep breath, fighting to make sure her voice was calm, pleasant even. "Did you lock the house back up when you left? Maybe get mom's key to let yourself back in?"

"Mom's got a key? Why didn't I think of that?" Jen actually heard her sister smack her palm against her forehead. "I'll go get it from her. Then I can lock the place up."

She hadn't locked up. Jen counted backwards from twenty-five. It was supposed to calm her down. It wasn't working. She felt more like she was counting down to lift-off.

"You're pissed. I can tell." Wendy's voice was accusatory. "You're breathing funny. You practically sound like an obscene caller."

Of course Jen was pissed. Why wouldn't she be? It's not like she'd asked her sister to do anything hard.

"Look, it's not like you live in a bad neighborhood or anything. The place is nice. Your neighbors are sweet little old ladies. Nothing's going to happen."

******
Nothing's going to happen. Famous last words. Well, maybe not last words. Although at the moment Jen would gladly and happily strangle her sister she wouldn't actually kill her. Probably. No. She wouldn't. She loved Wendy. She really did. She just needed to remind herself of that over, and over until she calmed down.

"Are you all right?"

Jen gave her boyfriend a look that would've curdled milk."Okay, admittedly a stupid question. " He shook his head. "God, what a mess." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory. The police station, of course. Jen only half-listened as he reported a break-in and presumed robbery.

The place was a wreck. It was as if a tornado had come threw. The contents of drawers were dumped on the floor, her bookcases emptied, their contents strewn everywhere. Her couch cushions and throw pillows had been shredded with a knife. There was broken glass everywhere. And that was just the living room. Jen hadn't even looked at the other rooms in the house. It was too damned depressing. Outside she heard a faint, plaintive mewling.

Obsidian! He wasn't in the house! Oh thank God. He could've been hurt, even killed.

Jen pushed past Jake to stand on the front porch step. "Obsidian. Here baby. Come here. It's all right now. I'm home."

She saw a twitch of movement in the bushes, and the mewling grew louder. Crouching down, she clucked her tongue and started making the little squirrel sounds that never failed to draw him out. Sure enough, he began his approach, warily at first, but crossing the last bit of space in a rush.

"Oh baby, I've missed you too." She petted him, tears stinging her eyes. He was a mess. leaves were tangled in his long, black fur, and there was a long scab running diagonally across his nose. Jen sank into a sitting position, taking him into her lap. As she finger-combed his hair she felt the purr rumbling through his body.

Jake came over and sat down beside them. "The police will be here in a couple of minutes." He told her. "Hey big guy." He reached over, letting the cat sniff his fingers before scratching behind the cat's ears. "Looks like you've had an adventure while we were gone. If only you could talk."

"Next time, he stays at the vet. I don't care how much boarding him costs." Jen's voice was unsteady. "If he hadn't been outside . . ."

"Don't think about it. He's fine. He's safe. You're safe. That's what's important."

"But my house." She felt so violated. And oh God the work it was going to take cleaning that mess up. It made her tired just thinking about it. The vacation had been fun, but it hadn't been restful. She was already exhausted. Damn it! The tears that had been threatening began falling in earnest.

"I know. I know." Obsidian squirmed out from between them as Jake took Jen in his arms, holding her close. "It's going to be all right. It sucks. And it's not the homecoming we would've wanted for you. But we'll get through this."

She felt like such a baby. She was all right. Her cat was fine. There was nothing in the house that couldn't be replaced. Not really. She'd taken all of her jewelry with her, and she didn't have much else valuable. Even her TV was a crummy old 19 inch.

"You know baby, it looks as if the intruder was searching for something. Any idea what?"

"No clue. I mean, I don't have anything worth hiding."

"Well maybe he just got mad and destroyed things because he didn't find anything he could fence." Jake's voice was soothing, but his expression was doubtful. "Are you sure there's nothing . . ."

"Not a thing. I don't keep anything valuable at the house. It all goes in the safe deposit box at the bank. The jewelry is going back there first thing Monday morning." She rummaged in her purse for a tissue. "Why would somebody do this?"

Why indeed.

*******

The police had come and gone. They took her statement. Spread yellow dust around getting fingerprints. They'd also talked rather urgently (and privately) with Jake. That bothered her a bit. Actually more than a bit. Because he'd spent the rest of the time he'd been here looking very worried, and more than a little angry.

He'd tell her whatever it was eventually. He wasn't the secretive type. Unlike someone she knew. But in the meantime there was a ton of stuff to do. First of which, she had to go to the store and buy cleaning supplies and one of those disposable cameras so that she could send pictures to her insurance agent along with a copy of the police report to file a claim.

She'd get reimbursed for most of the damages . . . well, at least the part that was over her deductible. But that didn't help her today. No, today she was going to have to rack up her credit card right to the limit.

The bathroom wasn't too much of a mess, so she cleaned it up and locked Obsidian inside. Then she climbed in the car and drove over to the Discount Palace.

###

"Hey Jen. Welcome back!" Bonnie gave her a huge smile, "Look at the tan on you. Have fun?"

"Oh the trip was wonderful." Jen forced herself to smile. "It's coming back that's hard."

"Isn't that always the case." Bonnie gave a sympathetic sigh.

"Yeah, but this is worse. Somebody broke into my house. They completely trashed the place."

"Oh NO!" Bonnie stared at the overflowing shopping cart. "That's awful! You called the police, rigiht?"

"Yeah, they've come and gone. And I'm making a claim on my homeowner's insurance. But it's so awful. I mean, it's my home. And now I don't even feel safe. Why would somebody do that? It's not like I have anything worth stealing."

"People." Bonnie harrumpfed. Grabbing the first item from the counter, she began scanning Jen's purchases with practiced speed. "Changing the subject, have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Somebody won the big lotto jackpot! They haven't claimed it yet. But rumor has it they bought their ticket here. They told us because the store gets a bonus for selling the winning ticket. I'm so excited. Somebody I know is a millionaire! How cool is that? And who knows, I may have even sold the ticket! Hope they remember me if I did, you know what I mean."

"Bet they will." Jen forced herself to smile, even though she didn't feel like it.

Bonnie hit the button to total Jen's purchases. Jen winced. She had enough on her card to pay for it. . . barely. She ran the little plastic card through the machine, then signed on the line showing on the screen.

"I'm really sorry about your house honey." Bonnie passed over the receipt. "Things are bound to get better eventually."

"God I hope so."

Friday, November 13, 2009

SCHTOOF/STATUS

Okay, got quite a lot more done. The packages WENT. (Insert Hallelujah Chorus here). BUT because I am a cheapskate ($11 as opposed to over $30 as an example) they are mostly not going out with the quick delivery. SO, I'm changing my offer of getting yelled at. If you don't receive them in 1 month THEN on 12/15 you get to ream me a new one. :)

If you are interested, the joint blog has the first chapter of the first book in the new series. I believe that the first chapter of the upcoming Sazi book is on the website. Go, look, enjoy.

Tomorrow, barring disaster, I will have a re-posting of the newest serial thus far and a new addition.

Until tomorrow, be well, be happy.

Status Check

Good morning friends and neighbors.

All righty then. For a status check thus far this morning.

__X__ Up. Out of bed.
__X__ Teeth brushed, showered, and generally not physically offensive to the public.
__X__ Shopping done to purchase TP and minutes for phone, cleaning products, and stuff for the critters. Groceries put away.
__X__ Walking done for exercise.
__X__ Minutes loaded on phone.
__X__ Breakfast eaten.
__X__ Posts to internet re status.
_____ Clean out fridge, clean litter boxes and trash out before garbage guys get here.
_____ Find addresses and prepare all shipping labels
_____ Bank for money to pay for postage.
_____ GOTO San Angelo to mail all packages; buy ink so I can produce bookmarks, etc. Start Christmas shopping. (ARGH)
_____ Second pass edits on Book 2.
_____ Copy addresses from ruined address book into new one.
_____ Clean out old purse and shift to new one. Old purse into washer.
_____ Calls/E-mails to writer buddies about possible "Creature Feature" and "Double Feature" entries.
And that my friends, is my day. I'm halfway there at 7:08 a.m. (not really. I mean, the first half items were pretty easy, but I'm thinking positive. SEE. I CAN be positive!!!)

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Have You Ever Failed at Something?

Stupid question, right? Everybody fails at something sometime. And yet, silly me, I expect myself to be perfect. To just not screw up. And when I fail, or screw up, I indulge in the kind of self-flagellation that doesn't do anything but make myself feel worse, and certainly doesn't fix the problem. Which is stupid. Which I realize. So I beat myself up about that.

I don't know where that particular brand of guilt/stupidity came from. Nor do I really care. I just wish I could get over it. Life is hard enough without making things worse for yourself.

But there you go. I'm turning fifty very soon. I haven't gotten past it yet. I may not ever. But dammit I am going to try!

OKAY, on to the next thing. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?

I am committing to doing more with the blogs again now that I'm less ill and less depressed. SO, some of the things I'm considering:

STARTING A NEW THING that is the "CREATURE FEATURE" or sometimes "DOUBLE FEATURE." This would be done randomly where I post an excerpt from an upcoming book with notes from the author. Would you like to have me do this?
1) On Friday, actually post some progress.
2) On Saturday doing a catch-up replay of the new Serial thus far plus the new installment.
3) On Monday catching up the points and doing a new trivia.

And I am hereby asking not only for opinions, but for the posse members to write me and give me encouragement. I need it. A lot. Please. Put RAH RAH in the Re.

catadamsfans@gmail.com


I AM VERY SORRY FOR THE DELAYS!

AND TO THOSE OF YOU TO WHOM I OWE PRIZES -- THE TRUCK IS FIXED. I CAN GO TO THE POST OFFICE IN SAN ANGELO TOMORROW. (WHICH SAVES SEVERAL DAYS OFF OF DELIVERY TIME). SO IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK YOU GET TO YELL AT ME. SERIOUSLY. I'll even PM you a temporary telephone number (for a burn phone--appropriately enough) where you can give me hell.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Transmission Trouble

Had some work done on the truck. It is an old truck (but a good one). I am very fond of it, and all things considered, it has run very well for a very long time. BUT the transmission is going. They've done some work that will extend its life, but are now going to have to look for a used one. (Truck is old enough that new parts would be worth more than the vehicle.)

Sigh.

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Vampire Elimination and Other Weirdnesses

Okay, I didn't post the serial yesterday. In fact, didn't do much online yesterday. Went on a run to the city with the co-author and discussed a lot of important stuff and even more not-so-important stuff. The time off has been good for me. Still haven't completely pulled my head together, but it's slowly improving.

The topic of the day is the weird crap that writers discuss. For example. Vampire elimination. No, not the elimination of vampires, (either in fiction or life) but the "if your vampires can only drink fluids, and they use the blood they drink to replace their own, DO they eliminate? Liquid only? Have their digestive tracts died and become useless.

Now seriously guys, who else but a writer would get into a vigorous discussion about (literally) vampire sh** or the lack thereof? Hmnn?

And we wonder why people treat us like we're weird.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Back in the Saddle Again

Okay, I've been sick, and pooped, and I am so far behind on EVERYTHING that it is truly terrifying. There are edits that HAVE to get done and the animals are being VERY needy because I've been ill and not able to fuss over them like I normally do. Lucky the Wonder Dog, in particular, needs lots of love, attention and EXERCISE. She's been getting the first two, but not the third, so she is RESTLESS. UGH.

I've been feeling like crap: physically, mentally and emotionally. Sometimes the best you can do is just keep moving forward. (Quote of the day -- If you're going through hell, KEEP GOING.) But I wonder sometimes if I should just play Pollyanna in public -- Everything is FINE, wonderful, etc.? I mean nobody really wants to hear me whine. They have their own problems, many of which are MUCH worse than mine. Also, one of my goals is to help people and encourage them. How encouraging can I be when I'm moping? Seriously.

But I try to be honest. And I don't care who you are, or how many wonderful things there are going on in your life, there are always going to be some not-so-wonderful things and times that get you down.

So the truth? I guess so.

1) Weight loss? Don't make me laugh. You would think with the food poisoning that the weight would've come off and stayed off. Came off abruptly, but not for long. Still, I'm finally feeling well enough that I did my walking this morning.

2) Depression -- still there.

3) Writing -- Lots of wonderful things happening here, but as is the case with the publishing industry they are happening . . . . s . . . l . . . o . . . w . . . l . . . y. Patience is not my best thing, so this is just a teeny bit frustrating. (And yes, I have been nominated for Queen of Understatement. How did you guess?)

4) Move to Denver -- Stalled. I have been trying to find employment at a day job. (All right, here's a bit of truth. The writing pays pretty darn well, but the checks come too far apart and I have to take out my own taxes as self employment and don't have health insurance or retirement. A good day job can take care of this. It also gives me the opportunity to run into people. Interacting with others gives me ideas and helps me with things like dialogue and rhythms.). In this economy at my age it is a little bit tricky. I haven't given up. But I haven't made progress either, which is depressing, distressing, and lots of other essings.

5) Finding a good job. See previous.

6) Catching up on all of the crapola like mailing things, working up the newsletter, etc. Stalled.

Not exactly a passing scorecard. But today is a new day. I'm here. I'm posting. I'm listening to kick-ass music and getting the animals snugged, exercised, etc., the house clean and the edits done. And maybe, if I do I'll be able to be less hard on myself and be just a little less down. Because while I know I'm not perfect, I really do expect myself to be.

Now, how are the rest of you? Be honest. If I have to own up to all this crap you should too. Fair's fair.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Thoughtful

I'm trying to figure things out. I've gotten a little lost along the way. Life has changed, and I have changed, and it's not a good fit right now. Also, I'm getting old. Didn't expect to. Kind of a shock.

Note -- the kitties do not like it when I am depressed. They fret quite a lot. But they also snuggle which is really quite nice.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Exhaustion, Vampire Anatomy, Depression and the Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial

Hi all.

It's been a while since I've posted. I'm going to try to make up for that by giving you a nice, long post. Assuming I can stay upright that long.

Once upon a time I was diagnosed with an Unspecified Chronic Fatiguing Illness. It was pure hell for about two years, then it went into remission. (WHOOO FREAKIN' HOOOO!!) Most of the time I'm fine. Sometimes it nails me. If I take care of myself the bad spells usually don't last too long any more. The trick is taking care of it. Also, weird things can kick it in. Travel is hard on me. A case of the flu can do it. In this case, it was the food poisoning.

It wasn't a bad case by any means. I was functional after the first day. But I'm dealing with the whole exhaustion thing now and it sucks. So if I don't post periodically, forgive me, just figure I'm getting my rest.

***

One of the panels I was on at MileHi involved Paranormal Research. We got a complaint part-way in that we were talking about regular research and not paranormal. But it really is the same thing. Research is research. Not sexy, but true. You need your regular facts to be perfect if you want your readers to believe the paranormal. . . to take that leap of faith. Also, if you are working with an existing mythos, you need to know what you're doing and be respectful. Yes, you can tweak the rules, but you have to know what they are first.

***

Which leads me to a discussion I had with Cathy on a different occasion regarding vampire anatomy. (1) Why can't they eat solids? (2) Are the teeth hollow and used for absorbing the blood, or are they solid and just open the vein and the rest of the mouth is used for sucking purposes? (3) Do they swallow the blood or absorb it?

So we're discussing this (No wonder people stare at us oddly and eavesdrop so voraciously. Our conversations are MUCH more interesting than some others. At least on the weird scale.).

With regard to the solids -- I'm asserting/assuming that the death of tissue when a vampire ceases being human includes the esophageal muscles. Obviously not the tongue, or they couldn't talk, suck or swallow properly, but the esophagus is the set of muscles between where the tongue lets of and the stomach, etc. If it atrophied solid food would get "stuck" about mid-chest.

IF the teeth are hollow, I would assume they basically have a hollow root system that dumps into the throat where the blood can then be swallowed or absorbed. (My personal take would be swallowed with blood being absorbed much the way alcohol is -- only more so. Which would lead to research on HOW alcohol is absorbed by the body.)

On the other hand, my personal take is that the teeth are TEETH, that they are used for puncturing and tearing with the mouth muscles and tongue used for sucking and swallowing. (See above re absorption.)

But you have to decide what your rules are, research so they make sense, and then ABIDE BY THEM.

***
Depression

I have it. It sucks. Generally it gets worse when I'm exhausted and feel like crap (situational and hormonal triggers). Big shocker there. I'll work through it. I always do. But I'm not feeling particularly cheery. I can and will get past it. But if I sound grumpy, it's not you, it's biology.

***

And now with regard to the Serial. I'm pooped. I spent all yesterday doing the edit pass for the first book of the new series. (Recreating everything I lost when the computer crashed and I lost both the original and back-up copies). Cathy is going over it now to catch everything I missed and it will go to the editor at the beginning of the week. But I repeat, I'm POOPED. So I will ask you to forgive me, and to tune in Monday when I will hopefully feel better and can create something worth reading. Right before I launch into the second draft of the second book of the new series.

Until then.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN or whatever holiday you favor. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

And good night.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Home to the Critters

Okay, I'm back and sufficiently recovered to post something.

The con was wonderful except for the food poisoning. That sucked. And it put me WAAAAAAY behind on a lot of things I had hoped to accomplish. So I spent a whole lot of money on a lovely trip and spent most of the time in the bathroom. Yes, it was a very nice bathroom---granite countertops and lovely decorative tile with subtle wallpaper accents all of it in nice, warm, golden and brown tones. If I ever need to describe the toilet in a high-end hotel room in exquisite detail I will now be able to do so.

But that wasn't precisely what I had in mind.

Still, I did get to visit some friends (if ever-so-briefly) and with my son (less briefly, but with potty breaks), and be on some panels. Mile Hi Con is definitely on the let's do it again list.

Rather than let myself be annoyed about all the things I didn't get to do I am focusing on the positive. Like the fact that my being indisposed launched my diet goal with a bang. I mean, seriously, I'm still a little hesitant when it comes to food. I've had one or two actual meals since Friday night (the first one coming from sheer desperation---I was weak and had the shakes from low blood sugar after having been so ill), but for the most part portion control and milder foods are a serious necessity. And now that I'm a little stronger, I've started walking again. Not far yet, but at least it's a start. The weight work and machine will have to wait until I'm feeling a little stronger.

All this from a MILD case of food poisoning.

I want to thank the fans that showed up. It was really great to see you. And thank you for the gift. It's very sweet of you to think of me like that.

I got to meet some cool authors, which is always fun, and discuss the nuts and bolts of the industry. Also a very good time.

Apparently I didn't pack quite right for the trip home, a couple of things got broken. (PFFFFT). But my laptop arrived intact as did the jump drive with the revisions, which really was the biggest thing. I think I'd lose it utterly if the revisions got lost again.

Special thanks to Cathy's husband Don for watching the critters for me. They are all a little needy right now. They do not like me going on trips. But things will settle down soon.

Now I have to get to the day job. Have a wonderful day all.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Even Mild Food Poisoning Sucks

I think the above is self-explanatory. Something was fishy about my fish. I am not feeling well and I've got too much to do to baby myself for long.

7up and Crackers are on the shopping list for as soon as I'm able/willing to leave the hotel room.

Ugh.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Mile Hi Con

Hi Guys!

I've arrived in Denver and am at the hotel. I have a million things to do while in town, and am very excited to be here. Cons are always fun and this is a good one. But I've also got a lot of work to make up for. I'm off now to buy a keyboard for the laptop because the one included is a little uncomfortable.

Everyone have a great weekend. I would love to say I'll post faithfully, but I don't know if I can or not. Life is a little busy this weekend.

Best always.

Cie

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Putting Things in Perspective

All right. I spent all yesterday (from before 7:00 a.m. until at least 7:00 p.m. I didn't really check) going through the edit letter and making the edits to the draft of the book. I kicked ass. Then I re-read the 1st and 2nd edit letters crossing things off, making sure what I'd gotten done and noting what I'd missed for working on it today. I was probably 80% through the edits. I had been good. I saved early and often because the computer has been on the fritz. I am waiting for the cheap Compaq desktops to come out toward the end of this month and will be replacing it.

I went to bed feeling pretty good about the whole thing. Tired, but good. I could get it finished and off before the trip EASY.

Then, middle of the night I got a call from my son.

His roommates (a couple) had gone on a dream trip out of the country. The man was going to propose. There was a terrible accident. His fiancee drowned. She's dead. Emily was an incredibly sweet woman. One in a million. Smart, funny, and genuinely nice. I only met her twice, but I remember her well and fondly. She was that kind of a person.

I spent time comforting my son---although there really isn't a lot of comfort to be had in those kinds of shocking and horrible situations. I have my religious beliefs, but that is cold comfort to a 27 year old man who has just lost a dear friend and another whose lost the love of his life on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of it.

It took a long time to get back to sleep, and I didn't sleep all that well. I kept trying to think of what I could say or do that would bring any comfort at all, and coming up dry.

I got up this morning, determined to go back to the edits. Get to work. Get it done. Time and toil wait for no man.

Due to a computer glitch the file is corrupted. Everything after page 10 is gone. Backup is corrupted too. It's gone.

Normally I would be angry, pissed off, mad at myself and the world. That isn't happening today. I'll re-do the edits. Yeah, it's a PITA, but I'll get it done, before the trip, while I'm washing clothes, packing and doing all that happy crap. It'll get done. It's my job, and I'm pretty good at it. But it's not what's on my mind. Because, ultimately, it's just a nuisance, not that big of a deal. Especially when you put it in perspective.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Monday Trivia

Okay, I only have a couple of minutes (literally). So this is going to be quick. Respond to catadamsfans@gmail.com.

Name three televisions shows in which Eliza Dishku has/had a recurring or starring role.

Okay, on to the next thing. Got some questions sent to me on MySpace and thought you'd be interested. I didn't get permission to list the questioner's name, so I'm keeping it anonymous, but the questions are asked of me fairly often, so I figured I'd go ahead and post the answers here. Remember, my answers are just my opinion based on my personal experience.

That said:

Answers from Cie

1) How do you get an editor?
2) Do you have to go to school to be a writer?

First we'll answer (2). You don't have to go to school as such, but you have to know certain things. They can be self taught, but they're important.

A -- Basic vocabulary, grammar, spelling and punctuation. You're communicating in writing. You need to know how to write. These are your tools. Trying to be a writer without knowing how to use them properly is like trying to build a house without a hammer, saw, or screwdriver. It might be possible, but I wouldn't bank on it.

B -- How to take criticism without going overboard. Everybody's work can improve. Nobody's work is perfect. Ever. So people need editing. Some people find critique groups helpful. Some don't. But when somebody gives you advice, look at what you've written without the rose colored glasses. Would it improve it? BUT don't take every bit of advice from everyone until you don't have your own story, you have "word stew."

I would suggest you look at a couple of books on writing. Steven King's "On Writing" is a no-nonsense, to the point book that I found helpful. You might also look at Jim Butcher's blog. He has some excellent advice there.

As to question (1), you will be assigned an editor at the publishing house when the book is accepted for publication. NOTE -- this happens in the professional circles. If you self-publish through any of the various options available you will probably not get an editor. I don't recommend this at all for the beginning writer. You NEED to be edited by a real professional that knows what they're doing.

There are pay-for-editing services out there. They are expensive and the quality ranges from excellent to horrible with everything in between. I would recommend you do a LOT of research before you hire anybody. There's no point in paying for advice that isn't likely to be helpful.

DO YOUR RESEARCH ANYWAY. This is a career, it is serious, and you should take it seriously. There are a million scams out there for people who want to be in the business. I would hate to see you get sucked into one. "Preditors and Editors" is a place to start on research. ....http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/.... .....There's so much more to say, because it's a huge topic. But this is a start.

3) What about an agent? What do they do?

An agent will help you to find the right publisher for your work, and will submit it and negotiate contracts for you, etc. A number of the larger houses don't accept unagented submissions. (You need to check ahead before submitting, but you need to do that anyway. It's part of doing your homework--checking to make sure the house is a good fit for your work, is accepting submissions, what format they want it in, etc.).

You can look for an agent a number of ways. (1) By looking in The Writer's Market. (2) By looking in the acknowledgments page of books in the same genre by authors you admire. Normally they will thank their lovely agent "John Doe" there. (3) By setting up an agent "pitch" session at a conference or convention (They schedule these at the RWA Convention and sometimes at RT, I don't know about others. You'd need to check; (4) By personal referrals if you know someone who has an agent and has offered. (It is, however, considered rude to ask them to. Either they offer, or they don't.)

Then look on the agent's website and/or in The Writer's Market to see if (a) they're accepting new cllients; (b) what they're representing; and (c) their requirements.

Good luck!

4) Last question. Does age matter?

There have been kids in high school who have gotten published, and so have little old ladies and gents. The trick is having something to say and saying it well enough to catch the eye of a publisher. So, I guess not.


Later kids!

Best always.


Cie

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Well . . . . Crap

Well, crap. The Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial is being called today on account of edits. The book requires a seriously quick turnaround, and my head is so deep in that world that I honestly can't change gears without stripping something fundamental inside my head. I apologize, but there you go. It's not a weakness to know your own limitations.

Alas, got the car worked on, but the brake light is still flashing. Which means the brake shoes weren't the whole problem. I'm hoping it's not something big like the master cylinder (If they even still have those in the brake systems on vehicles. They did on my classic Camaro, but that was a VERY long time ago.) At any rate, that rules out running all of the out-of-town errands until it gets looked at. UGH.

Cie

Friday, October 16, 2009

Brake Shoes, a Lawn Mower and Schtoof to DO

One of the great constants of adult life is errands. There are ALWAYS things you need to get done. Most of them during business hours when, normally, you have to work. So that you either have to take time off to do them, or they don't get done. This is particularly true in a small town where everything closes at lunch, so you can't get things done on your lunch hour.

Since I've switched to part time temporarily, you would think I'd be on top of all this crap. WRONGO. The errands have multiplied to fill the available space and then some.

It's like laundry. Unless you do laundry in the nude, there is a never-ending supply. You are dirtying more AS your doing it. Sigh.

Today, for example, I have on my list:

Car to shop to get brakes fixed;
Car to inspection shop to get inspection sticker (which has expired);
Pack all items for shipping;
Items to post office for shipping (out of town so they go faster);
Pay IRS;
Pay power bill;
Order books online that are needed for research;
Send birthday card to friend;
Laundry (particularly the bedding the cat threw up on---UGH);
Mow lawn with new lawn mower;
Renew post office box;
Grocery store for bread and milk;
Exercise;
Go run errands while out of town for friends;
Buy birthday gift for mother;
Look for gifts for agent, editor, and various other dignitaries;
Get online and post and answer e-mails;
Edits to book;
Start Christmas shopping;
Prepare for trip next weekend;
Apply for jobs in hopes of scheduling interviews while in Denver.
Arrange with Vet for dog to be boarded during trip.
Ask friend to cat sit during trip.

I'm making progress. But it's not even noon and I'm completely exhausted. UGH.

But onward with the motivation post.

Do I feel motivated? No. Too pooped.

Am I making progress? Maybe. On some things anyway. Weight, not so much. I actually GAINED a bit when my back was too hurt for me to exercise. Ticks me off too.

Did send out resume and letters of reference for a good job in Denver. Cross your fingers folks.

Well, that's it. Sorry it wasn't exactly an exciting post. But I've got to get things accomplished today. Tomorrow you can at least look forward to the serial.

Oh, and I do have one bit of good news. I'm starting to have creative thoughts again. Book plots and worlds are starting to run through my brain. When I'm too stressed, tired, and angry the whole creative part of my brain shuts down. So WOOO HOOO!!!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

If at first you don't succeed . . .

There's an ancient proverb (I'm guessing Chinese, it seems like that sort of thing). Fall down nine times, get up ten.

It is amazingly hard to change the habits of a lifetime. It's possible, if you're truly motivated and work at it. And the longer you're able to change it, and the more often you follow the new behaviors the easier it gets --- right up until you get severely stressed. Then the old stuff sneaks up on you. You're watching the crisis du jour, and the bad habit takes advantage.

So you start over.

I am not a spring chicken. Hell, I'm not even a SUMMER chicken. It's late autumn. The habits are pretty entrenched. And I've been stressed out of my freaking mind. So I should not be surprised that I backslid.

Self destructive stuff - check
Screw up the old checkbook - check
Depression and self anger - oh freakin' check.

But oddly, it's not all bad.

First, I noticed it. And most of it is fixable at this stage.
Second, some of the things that came up in the process are hugely important and are not a product of my 'mood'. My mood just amplifies it.

I do a lot of self-improvement stuff. I know there are people it doesn't work for. It works for me. So I do it. When I feel like I'm sinking fast, I pull out the book by the guru, the CDs (I've been doing this long enough that I even have the program on cassette tapes. Like I said, late autumn.) One of the reasons I've been recognizing the symptoms is that I've started doing the program again.

It's a cycle. Start moving forward. Screw up. Backslide. Groan and complain. Gather myself back up. Start over.

But that's pretty much the average human learning curve. Nobody gets it perfectly right the first time and just keeps executing it perfectly. (Okay, maybe there's an exception that proves the rule, but I don't want to hear about them. How incredibly annoying THAT would be.)

Now I don't like to think I'm average. I've always been "different." (You will note I didn't say special. Special connotates better. Different is just not the same; and can, in fact, be perjorative if you ask the right/wrong person.) But when it comes to the learning curve, I'm just as fallible as the next guy/gal/goat. (Hell, sometimes I think the goat learns quicker. It doesn't do the endless self-flagellation and arguing about what should work logically.)

SO, while it sounds like a broken record, (again with the ancient tech-speak that shows my age,) I am picking myself up. Dusting myself off. Taking 2 minutes to curse, swear, and generally feel sorry for myself. Then I'm trying again. Fall 9,999,999 times . . .

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial.

Nothing's going to happen. Famous last words. Well, maybe not last words. Although at the moment Jen would gladly and happily strangle her sister she wouldn't actually kill her. Probably. No. She wouldn't. She loved Wendy. She really did. She just needed to remind herself of that over, and over until she calmed down.

"Are you all right?"

Jen gave her boyfriend a look that would've curdled milk.

"Okay, admittedly a stupid question. " He shook his head. "God, what a mess." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory. The police station, of course. Jen only half-listened as he reported a break-in and presumed robbery.

The place was a wreck. It was as if a tornado had come threw. The contents of drawers were dumped on the floor, her bookcases emptied, their contents strewn everywhere. Her couch cushions and throw pillows had been shredded with a knife. There was broken glass everywhere. And that was just the living room. Jen hadn't even looked at the other rooms in the house. It was too damned depressing.

Outside she heard a faint, plaintive mewling. Obsidian! He wasn't in the house! Oh thank God. He could've been hurt, even killed.

Jen pushed past Jake to stand on the front porch step. "Obsidian. Here baby. Come here. It's all right now. I'm home."

She saw a twitch of movement in the bushes, and the mewling grew louder. Crouching down, she clucked her tongue and started making the little squirrel sounds that never failed to draw him out. Sure enough, he began his approach, warily at first, but crossing the last bit of space in a rush.

"Oh baby, I've missed you too." She petted him, tears stinging her eyes. He was a mess. leaves were tangled in his long, black fur, and there was a long scab running diagonally across his nose. Jen sank into a sitting position, taking him into her lap. As she finger-combed his hair she felt the purr rumbling through his body.

Jake came over and sat down beside them. "The police will be here in a couple of minutes." He told her. "Hey big guy." He reached over, letting the cat sniff his fingers before scratching behind the cat's ears. "Looks like you've had an adventure while we were gone. If only you could talk."

"Next time, he stays at the vet. I don't care how much boarding him costs." Jen's voice was unsteady. "If he hadn't been outside . . ."

"Don't think about it. He's fine. He's safe. You're safe. That's what's important."

"But my house." She felt so violated. And oh God the work it was going to take cleaning that mess up. It made her tired just thinking about it. The vacation had been fun, but it hadn't been restful. She was already exhausted. Damn it! The tears that had been threatening began falling in earnest.

"I know. I know." Obsidian squirmed out from between them as Jake took Jen in his arms, holding her close. "It's going to be all right. It sucks. And it's not the homecoming we would've wanted for you. But we'll get through this."

She felt like such a baby. She was all right. Her cat was fine. There was nothing in the house that couldn't be replaced. Not really. She'd taken all of her jewelry with her, and she didn't have much else valuable. Even her TV was a crummy old 19 inch.

"You know baby, it looks as if the intruder was searching for something. Any idea what?"

"No clue. I mean, I don't have anything worth hiding."

"Well maybe he just got mad and destroyed things because he didn't find anything he could fence." Jake's voice was soothing, but his expression was doubtful. "Are you sure there's nothing . . ."

"Not a thing. I don't keep anything valuable at the house. It all goes in the safe deposit box at the bank. The jewelry is going back there first thing Monday morning." She rummaged in her purse for a tissue. "Why would somebody do this?"

Why indeed.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Friday Status Check

Inkspot the Infamous is trying to perch on my keyboard. I moved him aside, but his fluffly black tail keeps getting caught in my fingers. Love the animals, but they don't always make work easier.

ANYWAY, status check.

Threw out the back/rib area again. Pain in the . . . um . . . ribs? This has limited the walking and the OTC stuff I took for the pain has helped (as did the long, hot bath) but I'm still not 100%, and no exercise for me. This sucketh, but there you go. The weight seems to be going down, but very slowly.

Mood is pretty good. Glad I didn't make the friendship totally explode. Not sure if the logistics behind the underlying problem are fixed or not. Only time will tell. Good intentions on both sides definitely help though.

I'm not in Denver yet, but the trip is coming up shortly to MileHi Con, and my schedule is such that I should be able to do quite a bit of job hunting. While I love hanging out at the Con and would like to do it, moving is my primary goal. SO, job hunting it is. I have been able to talk a bunch of folks into donating signed books for my basket for the charity auction. The basket will include signed items from: Us (DUH), Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, Shannon Butcher, Rachel Caine, Sylvia Day and possibly others. COOL. Hope it makes them lots of $$$.

I am now on Twitter -- CTAdamsauthor is the handle. Come and follow me. :)

OK, off to the races. Bestest.

Cie

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Good Friends are a Wonderful Thing

Good friends are a wonderful thing. They get it. They forgive you for being awkward and a duf and cut to the chase. This is something that is extremely great for those of us whose social skills . . . ahem . . . could stand a bit of improvement.

Headache is gone. Back is improving. Mood is lifting. Weight is finally starting to go down. I'm excited about a bunch of upcoming things in my life and we're going for the gold.

Best to all of you today.

Cie

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Migraine. My own fault too. Stress of my own manufacture.

As you all know I've been having my ups and downs. Part of it is hormonal, part situational. I decided to make a move in hopes of improving things, and with my usual grace and skill managed to blow the whole situation up AND offend, piss off and hurt somebody who matters a great deal to me. So there's going to be fallout. I knew it was possible, even probable. I'd hoped otherwise.

And now I have a migraine. I took a pill, and am going back to bed for a half hour. Then I have to get up and go to the day job one way or the other.

Later.

Cie

Monday, October 05, 2009

Monday Trivia and Fun and Games

Okay, I need to add up the points. I will try to get that done this afternoon. In the meantime, here is your chance to earn more of them.

What is the name of the bondage club in the Laurell K. Hamilton book where Anita, Richard and Jean Claude "marry the marks?"

and a bonus point for anyone who goes to Shannon Rose's blog and writes something nice in the comments.

Oh, and as usual, answers go to catadamsfans@gmail.com

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Shannon Rose/Please Play With Me!!

Okay, here's what's up. I kept reading in those thrillers (and seeing on the few TV shows I watch on my computer) about "throw away" phones. Cheap pay for your minute cell phones (very much like the one I use--because I'm cheap and I don't make a lot of calls) that they set up anonymously and then throw away after a call or two.

SO, I had this situation come up. My phone has a LOT of minutes, double minutes plan, a Denver number I've sent out to prospective employers, all of my contacts, some pictures that I took (some of my foot accidentally, but a few actually on purpose!) and an expiration date out in the waaaaaaaaaay distant future because I've bought minutes so many times. I did not want to lose it. But I couldn't FIND it. So I needed to call it. From the house. While I was AT the house. Which doesn't work since it is my only phone. SOOOOOOOOO I decided to spend 20 bucks and do a little research for future romantic suspense books (and the Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial, which is about to get . . . shall we say, tense.)

So, I created the fictional Shannon Rose to be the shell owner of this throwaway phone and CRAPOLA you really CAN set it up just that easy. I did have to set her up an e-mail account too. But that wasn't any harder. HOLY MOLY BATMAN.

ANYWAY, now that we HAVE Shannon Rose in existence, I was thinking. Perhaps I would actually USE her as a character. Give her a full work up, set her up a blog, let you guys e-mail her. Whaddaya think? Ya wanna?

Oh by the way. I called myself with the test phone (it comes with 20 minutes) and, lo and behold, found my "real" phone with just two calls. (In the closet, in the pocket of one of my jackets).

But back to Shannon Rose.

Her birth date is March 17, 1964. (A St. Patrick's Day baby. :) )
Her favorite color -- GREEN (DUH)

But we're taking votes on the rest of this. Put your preference in the comments.

Ethnicity?
Hair color?
Eye color?
Height?
Weight?
Religion?
Feisty to sweet ratio? (1 sweet = 10 feisty)
Kick ass to 'Oh crap why does this always happen to me?' ratio? (1 oh crap = 10 You wanna piece of this?)
Education level?
Family status? (Orphaned? Parent with Alzheimers? Any kids?)
Romantic entanglements? (Married, divorced, single, VERY single [as in "I'ma PLAYA baby"]
Where does she live? (Urban, small town, out in the middle of frickin' nowhere rural?)

Send your answers to: shannonrose1@yahoo.com

Now I am really hoping y'all will come out and play with me on this. I really am. But ultimately, since I'm the one who's gonna write the story, I get veto power.

The bio for Shannon will appear on this blog. On HER blog, and in the newsletter. Once we've got her up and rolling, we'll see about writing her story in HER blog. (Sort of an ongoing breakfast serial as it were.)

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

PS. Shannon now has her own blog. http://buildalifefromscratch.blogspot.com/
Please sign up to follow it so she doesn't feel horribly lonely and unloved. :)

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Saturday Morning Breakfast Serial & Stuff

Okay, going to start with the "stuff" portion of the broadcast.

I need an assistant. I just do. I am SOOOOOO far behind on mailing out stuff. I have lackeys and minions without packets (and I am still in the market for more lackeys and minions if anyone is feeling in the mood.) I have prizes that people won AGES ago sitting ready to mail but not out. I have stuff around the house that is really disgustingly overdue, and STILL I have no time because I've got the day job, the writing, the promo, and oh yeah, LIFE and the animals to take care of. I'm not whining. I love my life. I love writing (and even folks who love their jobs will tell you they don't love EVERYTHING about their job every DAY). I need to really hit the job hunting HARD and I haven't even had time to do that.

Where is the time going? I'm not even sure. But I know that I'm going to try to focus and do better, because until I move to Denver I can't FIND an assistant (no point in getting one here and going there---besides which, I want to use that money to move). So I suspect things will still be behind for a while. But be kind (rewind---and how out of date is that saying already. Little kids don't even know about VHS any more. Sad.) be patient, and don't hurt me for being so late getting things to you. PLEASE?


And now to your serial.
******************************
Jen checked her watch, did the math, and decided that it was probably a decent hour to call her sister. There really wasn't ever a "good" time. Wendy kept very irregular hours. She did shift work, and it changed a lot. But she also partied---hard. It was how she'd met Kevin. Jen had always hoped her sister would "grow up," but thus far there'd been no sign of it. Of course, she thought Jen was a horrible "stick-in-the-mud" because she didn't party any more. Hell, she hadn't done it much even back in the day. It just seemed such a waste to get wasted. Why work that hard for a paycheck and then blow it on one night so that you had to struggle and scrape just to get by?

Jen shook her head. She was doing it again, being judgmental. Her sister was doing her a favor. She needed to focus on being grateful. Because she was. Wendy's helping out made it possible for her to be here with Jake having the time of her life. And she was: romantic walks on the beach, playing in the surf, playing in the hotel room. Oh it was wonderful. The wedding yesterday had been gorgeous, and so romantic. Every one of Jake's family seemed to like her too. They were being so much nicer than her family had been to him. Of course they might just be on their best behavior because of the wedding, but she really didn't think so.

She dialed the number to Wendy's cell phone from memory. It rang four times before a very sleepy-sounding voice came on the line.

"'Lo?"

"Wendy, it's Jen."

"Right, Jen. Hang on a sec', 'kay?" Jen heard Kevin grumbling, then her sister fumbling around in the background, finally there was the sound of a door closing, and Wendy's voice came back on the line."

"I'm back." Wendy announced, following it up with a huge yawn. "So, how's Hawaii with hunkalicious?"

"It's wonderful. I'm having the time of my life! Thanks so much for agreeing to watch Obsidian. How's he doing anyway."

"Um, Jen . . . about that . . . "

Jen's stomach clenched at the words, and she closed her eyes, praying silently that her cat was all right. Wendy would never deliberately hurt him. But oh Lord, if anything bad had happened . . .

Wendy started in on one of her long, rambling explanations. "See, I would'a sworn I hung the key on the hook. But when I went to get it, it wasn't there. But I mean, I knew I had to take care of the cat. I mean, you're counting on me. So, I figured I'd just go in through the window. No harm, no foul. But it broke. And while I was waiting for the guy to come replace the glass . . . he said he'd bill you for the work . . . I'm really sorry Jen. But, um, the cat . . . well, he got out. I've seen him. He's still hanging around the house. But he won't let me get near him. So I moved the pan with his food outside. And I'm still going by in case I can get him to come inside."

Jen didn't pound her head against the wall, but she wanted to. Dammit, dammit, damn it! Obsidian was up to date on his shots, and he was smart and tough. But there were raccoons in the neighborhood, and she'd heard an owl hunting just a couple of nights before she left. DAMN it.

"Jen? Say something. Please? I'm really, really sorry. I know you were counting on me. But I'm sure he's all right. And you're coming home tomorrow. He'll come in for you."

"It's all right." Jen lied. It was not all right. She was furious and hurt, and worried. But there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it and there probably wasn't anything Wendy could do. Because Obsidian wasn't going to come to her. No chance of that at all.

"You're mad."

Hell yes she was mad? Why wouldn't she be? Wendy'd lost the key to her house, broken a window, and let the cat get out. The only thing that she could've done to screw up worse was burn the place down or leave it unlocked so that burglars . . . oh shit.

"Wendy, sweetie" Jen took a deep breath, fighting to make sure her voice was calm, pleasant even. "Did you lock the house back up when you left? Maybe get mom's key to let yourself back in?"

"Mom's got a key? Why didn't I think of that?" Jen actually heard her sister smack her palm against her forehead. "I'll go get it from her. Then I can lock the place up."

She hadn't locked up. Jen counted backwards from twenty-five. It was supposed to calm her down. It wasn't working. She felt more like she was counting down to lift-off.

"You're pissed. I can tell." Wendy's voice was accusatory. "You're breathing funny. You practically sound like an obscene caller."

Of course Jen was pissed. Why wouldn't she be? It's not like she'd asked her sister to do anything hard.

"Look, it's not like you live in a bad neighborhood or anything. The place is nice. Your neighbors are sweet little old ladies. Nothing's going to happen."