Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 125

After much delay in the daily progress, here’s today’s forward momentum on the alternate-history battlefield adventure about a widowed nurse from a Confederate hospital aboard a west-bound train pulled by a Union war engine — now with military intrigue, steampunk Texas rangers, undead political separatists, murderous plots, bushwackers, bandits, sabotage, and epic scenes of mayhem:

Project: Dreadnought
New Words: 3475 (pretty good!)
Present Total Word Count: 65,143 words
Goal: 120,000 words (revised

Just got back from a drawn-out luncheon with Psynde and Caitlin (Cap Hill crew represent), and now I ought to be working but it’s lovely warm in here and I don’t wanna. The wall thermometer in my hanging file* says it’s 84 degrees in here and I, for one, am quite happy about this development. But because I am a loving wife. I suppose I’ll turn on a couple of fans in advance of Aric’s coming home. It won’t change the temperature much, but it’ll get the air moving. Bless his heart.

(For what it

And the winner is … erm … nobody, to date. As sometimes happens, the wee girlie inspired her own name. I was feeding her yesterday, watching her slide around under the surface, and I was struck by the faint silver streaks on her back/sides. So I started mumbling, “Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack, all dressed in black, black, black, with silver buttons, buttons, buttons, on her back, back, back …”*

Then I thought “Merrimack” would be a fun name for a fish, and I can still call her “Mary Mack” and sin

(Fish name news must wait for later. Though I’ve heard many things I liked, I’m not 100% sold on anything yet, so the contest shall continue through this afternoon, at least.)

Road Trip of the Living Dead, by Mark Henry. If you have a wicked sense of humor and a hankering for revoltingly hilarious zombie fiction that’s super-smart and utterly unafraid to cross any line of decency, then start here. Or, for double your pleasure, double your fun, start here.

Street Magic, by Caitlin Kittredge. Not yo

This morning, after lovingly disposing of Howard the Fish I took all of his things — his tank, his plants, and his rocks, as well as all his implements and whatnot — and I disposed of them as well, just in case. I don’t know why he died, but it seemed to be sudden, perhaps of old age. It’s been pointed out that he was likely a full adult (of at least a year) when I first took him home about 2-1/2 years ago, so as likely as not he was simply old, and finished with this business of flaring at the

I regret to inform his legions of fishy fans, but sometime overnight Howard the Fish rather mysteirously died. He was fine yesterday, and he looked fine this morning. He may have simply been old, or perhaps the recurring tank mank (of which there was no sign) finally got to him — although it never seemed to bother him before. At least it seems to have been quick.

He was several years old, and all of his time spent with me was of the fondly spoiled variety. He was a peculiarly personable dude w

Here’s today’s progress on the alternate-history battlefield adventure about a widowed nurse from a Confederate hospital aboard a west-bound train pulled by a Union war engine — now with military intrigue, steampunk Texas rangers, undead political separatists, murderous plots, bushwackers, bandits, sabotage, and epic scenes of mayhem:

Project: Dreadnought

New Words: 3834 (huzzah!)

Present Total Word Count: 61,668 words

Goal: 120,000 words (revised goal)

Things Accomplished in Fiction: All aboard

I’ve been trying to cut myself a break on weekends and only do 2K total, instead of my stated goal of 2K a day. Sometimes this works out better than others.

Here’s the progress on the alternate-history battlefield adventure about a widowed nurse from a Confederate hospital aboard a west-bound train pulled by a Union war engine — now with military intrigue, steampunk Texas rangers, undead political separatists, murderous plots, bushwackers, bandits, sabotage, and epic scenes of mayhem:

Project: D

I learned of this late. But some of my long-time readers may recognize the name Wilma McClarty; I’ve blogged about her before, back when I was in Tennessee and still saw her from time to time.

In the fall of 1994 my freshman comp teacher was this tiny woman, maybe an inch or two shorter than me and about a hundred pounds, soaking wet with rocks in her pockets. Everything she wore matched. Everything. From her makeup down to her shoes. She always looked spiffy and she never stopped moving.

Dada dada dada dada dada dada dada dada WORD COUNTS.

Here’s today’s progress on the alternate-history battlefield adventure about a widowed nurse from a Confederate hospital aboard a west-bound train pulled by a Union war engine — now with military intrigue, steampunk Texas rangers, undead political separatists, murderous plots, bushwackers, bandits, sabotage, and epic scenes of mayhem:

Project: Dreadnought
New Words: 3216 (pretty good!)
Present Total Word Count: 56,646 words
Goal: 120,000 words (rev