Cherie Priest's Blog: It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion, page 16
December 4, 2014
This is what you want, this is what you get
I realize I've been a crappy, intermittent blogger as of late, but I've had a lot going on, and other priorities prevailed. Without going into too much detail, an old friend is in the midst of a (possibly life-threatening) crisis - and a different/mutual old friend came into town to lend a hand. So I've been distracted.
But now that situation is as sorted as it's going to get, and it's time for me to return to business.
Of course, over the last couple of days I've also had to deal with (what turned out to be) a most-of-the-day-eating doctor's appointment (routine but aggravating), Christmas errands to run, and precious little sleep due to a flare-up of our kitty's "senior feline cognitive disorder."
Which is to say, she's old and she's getting senile.
Sometimes she gets lost and confused at night...whereupon the only thing that comforts her/quiets her is for you to wander around the pitch-dark house seeking a small black cat who IMMEDIATELY stops crying the moment she realizes you're looking for her - making her even HARDER to find, especially when your vision is as catastrophically poor as mine. Ahem. Then you have to pick her up and bring her to bed with you. Lather, rinse, repeat - maybe half a dozen times a night.
She doesn't do this All The Damn Time, but she goes through phases and this week has been a bad one. Therefore, my husband and I are exhausted, on top of everything else. [NOTE: We aren't looking for suggestions. Believe me, we've consulted with our vet.]
Anyway, the cat has no trouble sleeping, so there's that.
(Turn up your speakers.)
In other news, Maplecroft has made the LA Times Holiday Book Buying Guide! [:: throws confetti ::] [:: waves pompoms ::] So...many thanks to whoever compiles that list. I'm flattered to be included in such excellent company, of course!
And in OTHER book-related news - Locus Magazine gave Jacaranda a pretty kickass review. It's not spoilery or anything, so I'll just cut/paste it here for your reading pleasure:
In Jacaranda, set in Cherie Priest’s alternate version of late 1800s America – the one she set up in Boneshaker and has dipped back into successfully several times since – there is a hotel on Galveston Island that seems to be murdering its guests. Sister Eileen Callahan, who is not quite as human as she appears, asks for help from a padre and a Ranger, each of whom turns up on the Jacaranda’s doorstep a few days before a massive hurricane. What then unspools is a locked room horror mystery that has a little bit of The Shining and a little more Tarantino mixed in. Of course, it also has a lot of Priest herself, who is channeling her earlier Four and Twenty Blackbirds voice for a deliciously creepy turn in Jacaranda. Those who love a short spook or are Clockwork Century completists (or both, which might be a pretty big intersection on the Venn diagram) will love what Priest has done here.
Don't forget, Publishers Weekly liked it, too. Check my Reviews page for details.
And now for a puppy break. This is the look I got when I wouldn't let him rummage through the neighborhood's discarded pizza boxes on recycling day. Clearly, I am The Meanest Ever.
And now, here's recent progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2633
Present total word count: 88,531
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Taking this big finale a little slower; I need to sit down and plot out exactly what happens in what order, and to whom. Maybe tonight.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; another lunch with a different friend; post office; Walgreens; laundry; some writer business stuff; paid some bills; I don't even remember what else, for I am very tired.
Other: This morning we had an impromptu dog party on Greyson's walk.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 239,909
But now that situation is as sorted as it's going to get, and it's time for me to return to business.
Of course, over the last couple of days I've also had to deal with (what turned out to be) a most-of-the-day-eating doctor's appointment (routine but aggravating), Christmas errands to run, and precious little sleep due to a flare-up of our kitty's "senior feline cognitive disorder."
Which is to say, she's old and she's getting senile.
Sometimes she gets lost and confused at night...whereupon the only thing that comforts her/quiets her is for you to wander around the pitch-dark house seeking a small black cat who IMMEDIATELY stops crying the moment she realizes you're looking for her - making her even HARDER to find, especially when your vision is as catastrophically poor as mine. Ahem. Then you have to pick her up and bring her to bed with you. Lather, rinse, repeat - maybe half a dozen times a night.
She doesn't do this All The Damn Time, but she goes through phases and this week has been a bad one. Therefore, my husband and I are exhausted, on top of everything else. [NOTE: We aren't looking for suggestions. Believe me, we've consulted with our vet.]
Anyway, the cat has no trouble sleeping, so there's that.
(Turn up your speakers.)
In other news, Maplecroft has made the LA Times Holiday Book Buying Guide! [:: throws confetti ::] [:: waves pompoms ::] So...many thanks to whoever compiles that list. I'm flattered to be included in such excellent company, of course!
And in OTHER book-related news - Locus Magazine gave Jacaranda a pretty kickass review. It's not spoilery or anything, so I'll just cut/paste it here for your reading pleasure:
In Jacaranda, set in Cherie Priest’s alternate version of late 1800s America – the one she set up in Boneshaker and has dipped back into successfully several times since – there is a hotel on Galveston Island that seems to be murdering its guests. Sister Eileen Callahan, who is not quite as human as she appears, asks for help from a padre and a Ranger, each of whom turns up on the Jacaranda’s doorstep a few days before a massive hurricane. What then unspools is a locked room horror mystery that has a little bit of The Shining and a little more Tarantino mixed in. Of course, it also has a lot of Priest herself, who is channeling her earlier Four and Twenty Blackbirds voice for a deliciously creepy turn in Jacaranda. Those who love a short spook or are Clockwork Century completists (or both, which might be a pretty big intersection on the Venn diagram) will love what Priest has done here.
Don't forget, Publishers Weekly liked it, too. Check my Reviews page for details.
And now for a puppy break. This is the look I got when I wouldn't let him rummage through the neighborhood's discarded pizza boxes on recycling day. Clearly, I am The Meanest Ever.
And now, here's recent progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2633
Present total word count: 88,531
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Taking this big finale a little slower; I need to sit down and plot out exactly what happens in what order, and to whom. Maybe tonight.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; another lunch with a different friend; post office; Walgreens; laundry; some writer business stuff; paid some bills; I don't even remember what else, for I am very tired.
Other: This morning we had an impromptu dog party on Greyson's walk.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 239,909
December 1, 2014
She hopes to open shadowed eyes
It's been quite a week over here at Chez Cherie, I tell you what. First of all, of course, there was Thanksgiving - which was smashing. Our orphan's ball ended up at eleven people total, jammed in sideways between our dining table and a folding banquet table I picked up on the fly.
Yes, it was a tad cramped, alas - for although our house is about 2300 square feet, it was built by Victorians...who never passed up an opportunity to subdivide a room. But that was okay. We were all friends, and there was SO MUCH FOOD, YOU GUYS. We sent people home with leftovers, it's been four days of leftovers, and we STILL have a fridge full of leftovers.
Also, we had an improvised bar ready. We know our friends, we do.
(And yes, there was hot butter rum mix in the fridge.)
There is...somewhat less booze left over than food. Que sera.
The next day, we put everything back to normal and dragged out the Christmas tree, which I won't bore you with here. Suffice it to say, it is a very pretty tree, dolled up in a mostly tasteful fashion.
By which I mean, of all the ornaments on display there are only two Batman pieces and just one hip flask that says "CHEERS!" So we still have a ways to go before it's ALL BATMAN AND BOOZE and we achieve MAXIMUM TASTEFULNESS.
Unless I have this backwards.
Anyway.
* * *
You know what it's time for? IT'S TIME FOR A MAPLECROFT ROUNDUP!
[:: throws confetti ::]
Via Matt Golden over at Medium.com - "With its blend of Lovecraftian themes, Grand Guignol history, and sterling craft, the book was right up my alley and I loved it. Highly recommended."
Courtesy of LitStack - "Maplecroft triumphs on virtually every level, and the seamless positioning of fact with macabre fiction is spot on. Regardless of your propensity towards Lovecraftian horror stories, if you enjoy superior writing and well fleshed out characters, you are going to enjoy this novel."
The Passionate Foodie - Lists Maplecroft as one of his top ten novels for 2014!
Over at Backtalk... - Maplecroft is held up as an example of "What's Awesome Right Now!"
And finally, in real life houses - Are you curious about what Maplecroft (the actual, real-life house) looks like? It's recently been bought, and the new owner has plans for a B&B. Click the link to see some shots; it's beautiful in there.
* * *
In other news, I temporarily halted progress on The Family Plot because - as previously noted - I am utter shit when it comes to working on two projects at once, and I really needed to finish the Chapelwood rewrites since that deadline comes first. So I did. I sent off the revised manuscript last night, and I am pretty happy with it.
Somewhat to my surprise, it's the longest book I've ever written - clocking in right around 120,000 words. I assume that some of my epic fantasy friends would laugh at that, but oh well. LAUGH AWAY, FOLKS. Laugh away.
* * *
In yet OTHER news, on Saturday, Greyson and The Cooj had a dog party AND a dog afterparty. An adorable time was had by all.
* * *
And here's recent progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 1846
Present total word count: 85,898
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Actually, almost all of that was back-fill - I figured out some things that needed to be folded in and/or reinforced, so that's what this word-count is about. No forward progress to speak of, just fleshing out.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; lunch with a friend; went to post office; went grocery shopping; did laundry.
Other: Yes, this is a pitiful word count, considering I haven't updated in nearly a week. IN MY DEFENSE...besides the holiday last Thursday, I put down The Family Plot in favor of wrapping up the rewrites on Chapelwood. So that's what's eaten up all my work time since last I posted.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 237,276
Yes, it was a tad cramped, alas - for although our house is about 2300 square feet, it was built by Victorians...who never passed up an opportunity to subdivide a room. But that was okay. We were all friends, and there was SO MUCH FOOD, YOU GUYS. We sent people home with leftovers, it's been four days of leftovers, and we STILL have a fridge full of leftovers.
Also, we had an improvised bar ready. We know our friends, we do.
(And yes, there was hot butter rum mix in the fridge.)
There is...somewhat less booze left over than food. Que sera.
The next day, we put everything back to normal and dragged out the Christmas tree, which I won't bore you with here. Suffice it to say, it is a very pretty tree, dolled up in a mostly tasteful fashion.
By which I mean, of all the ornaments on display there are only two Batman pieces and just one hip flask that says "CHEERS!" So we still have a ways to go before it's ALL BATMAN AND BOOZE and we achieve MAXIMUM TASTEFULNESS.
Unless I have this backwards.
Anyway.
* * *
You know what it's time for? IT'S TIME FOR A MAPLECROFT ROUNDUP!
[:: throws confetti ::]
Via Matt Golden over at Medium.com - "With its blend of Lovecraftian themes, Grand Guignol history, and sterling craft, the book was right up my alley and I loved it. Highly recommended."
Courtesy of LitStack - "Maplecroft triumphs on virtually every level, and the seamless positioning of fact with macabre fiction is spot on. Regardless of your propensity towards Lovecraftian horror stories, if you enjoy superior writing and well fleshed out characters, you are going to enjoy this novel."
The Passionate Foodie - Lists Maplecroft as one of his top ten novels for 2014!
Over at Backtalk... - Maplecroft is held up as an example of "What's Awesome Right Now!"
And finally, in real life houses - Are you curious about what Maplecroft (the actual, real-life house) looks like? It's recently been bought, and the new owner has plans for a B&B. Click the link to see some shots; it's beautiful in there.
* * *
In other news, I temporarily halted progress on The Family Plot because - as previously noted - I am utter shit when it comes to working on two projects at once, and I really needed to finish the Chapelwood rewrites since that deadline comes first. So I did. I sent off the revised manuscript last night, and I am pretty happy with it.
Somewhat to my surprise, it's the longest book I've ever written - clocking in right around 120,000 words. I assume that some of my epic fantasy friends would laugh at that, but oh well. LAUGH AWAY, FOLKS. Laugh away.
* * *
In yet OTHER news, on Saturday, Greyson and The Cooj had a dog party AND a dog afterparty. An adorable time was had by all.
* * *
And here's recent progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 1846
Present total word count: 85,898
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Actually, almost all of that was back-fill - I figured out some things that needed to be folded in and/or reinforced, so that's what this word-count is about. No forward progress to speak of, just fleshing out.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunts with dog; lunch with a friend; went to post office; went grocery shopping; did laundry.
Other: Yes, this is a pitiful word count, considering I haven't updated in nearly a week. IN MY DEFENSE...besides the holiday last Thursday, I put down The Family Plot in favor of wrapping up the rewrites on Chapelwood. So that's what's eaten up all my work time since last I posted.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 237,276
November 25, 2014
I am Superman and I know what's happening
Today the postman brought me awesome goodies - some ARCs of I am Princess X, as well as a kicky promotional mailer!
You guys, I am psyched.
Happydance with me!
[:: wiggles it ::]
[:: just a little bit ::]
And here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2385
Present total word count: 84,052
Things Accomplished in Fiction: I know I keep SAYING that shit got real, but now? Now shit is REAL. And henceforth, I must be vague - my apologies, but for the last chunk of the book...I'd prefer to banish all spoilers.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to the liquor store for Thanksgiving wine; went to Walgreens for manila envelopes; got sidetracked and didn't make it to ACE for epoxy and propane, but oh well; got my inbox down to ONE (not as good as ZERO but I'll take what I can get); filled out the last of a massive publicity Q&A document for Scholastic and sent it off to my editor; recorded something funny for Pat Rothfuss and sent it off to him (details to come); filled out and packaged up some tax paperwork - but won't get it into the mail until tomorrow.
Other: Believe it or not, I did start working on the Chapelwood rewrites last night. I'm only about 30 pages deep, but it's better than being no pages deep at all. This will continue to be my afternoon/evening project until next week - when it'll get top billing by necessity.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 235,430
You guys, I am psyched.
Happydance with me!
[:: wiggles it ::]
[:: just a little bit ::]
And here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2385
Present total word count: 84,052
Things Accomplished in Fiction: I know I keep SAYING that shit got real, but now? Now shit is REAL. And henceforth, I must be vague - my apologies, but for the last chunk of the book...I'd prefer to banish all spoilers.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to the liquor store for Thanksgiving wine; went to Walgreens for manila envelopes; got sidetracked and didn't make it to ACE for epoxy and propane, but oh well; got my inbox down to ONE (not as good as ZERO but I'll take what I can get); filled out the last of a massive publicity Q&A document for Scholastic and sent it off to my editor; recorded something funny for Pat Rothfuss and sent it off to him (details to come); filled out and packaged up some tax paperwork - but won't get it into the mail until tomorrow.
Other: Believe it or not, I did start working on the Chapelwood rewrites last night. I'm only about 30 pages deep, but it's better than being no pages deep at all. This will continue to be my afternoon/evening project until next week - when it'll get top billing by necessity.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 235,430
November 24, 2014
Nothing I want but money and time
I wish that the LitStack review of Maplecroft had landed last week so I could've included it in the roundup, but oh well!
Here it is now!
It's a wonderful (and largely un-spoilery) review, by a reader who paid very close attention and really plugged in to what I was shooting for. I am always immensely grateful and flattered when someone goes to this much trouble to discuss one of my books.
Real talk? This is the kind of review that makes the Days of Writing and Writing Business Despair...markedly less despairing.
* * *
Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2426
Present total word count: 81,667
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Just cleaning up one or two of the last possible tasks before making for the trucks and finding a hotel for the night, because to hell with this crazy-ass house. And absolutely no one had a nervous breakdown. Yet.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to bank; went to Target for last-minute Thanksgiving supplies; got lunch; went to Petsmart and picked up more kitty Advantix II and some dog cookies; answered some business emails.
Other: Today I actually deleted a whole bunch of stuff and wrote a lot more than the metrics suggest; I realized last night that I'd gone off the rails vis-a-vis the POV character's handling of the "situation" and I needed to backtrack and adjust before it became unfixable. It took all afternoon, but it needed to be done.
Other Business Other: Yes, I know I said I'd start working on the Chapelwood rewrites this week, and I will. Either in the evenings, or after Thanksgiving. I'll get it all done, one way or another. (>_<)
Number of fiction words so far this year: 233,045
It's a wonderful (and largely un-spoilery) review, by a reader who paid very close attention and really plugged in to what I was shooting for. I am always immensely grateful and flattered when someone goes to this much trouble to discuss one of my books.
Real talk? This is the kind of review that makes the Days of Writing and Writing Business Despair...markedly less despairing.
* * *
Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2426
Present total word count: 81,667
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Just cleaning up one or two of the last possible tasks before making for the trucks and finding a hotel for the night, because to hell with this crazy-ass house. And absolutely no one had a nervous breakdown. Yet.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to bank; went to Target for last-minute Thanksgiving supplies; got lunch; went to Petsmart and picked up more kitty Advantix II and some dog cookies; answered some business emails.
Other: Today I actually deleted a whole bunch of stuff and wrote a lot more than the metrics suggest; I realized last night that I'd gone off the rails vis-a-vis the POV character's handling of the "situation" and I needed to backtrack and adjust before it became unfixable. It took all afternoon, but it needed to be done.
Other Business Other: Yes, I know I said I'd start working on the Chapelwood rewrites this week, and I will. Either in the evenings, or after Thanksgiving. I'll get it all done, one way or another. (>_<)
Number of fiction words so far this year: 233,045
November 22, 2014
Trust in me through closing years
Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2067
Present total word count: 79,242
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Started carrying cameras around almost superstitiously; cautiously got back to work - there's a lot to get done before sundown, when we blow this popsicle stand.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; laundry; lunch with husband; not much else, as I got a late start today.
Other: Would you like a peek inside the real-life Maplecroft? Apparently someone just bought it, and plans to turn it into a B&B. Pictures here . What a lovely place. :: sigh ::
Number of fiction words so far this year: 230,620
Dog sneeze.
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2067
Present total word count: 79,242
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Started carrying cameras around almost superstitiously; cautiously got back to work - there's a lot to get done before sundown, when we blow this popsicle stand.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; laundry; lunch with husband; not much else, as I got a late start today.
Other: Would you like a peek inside the real-life Maplecroft? Apparently someone just bought it, and plans to turn it into a B&B. Pictures here . What a lovely place. :: sigh ::
Number of fiction words so far this year: 230,620
Dog sneeze.
November 21, 2014
Stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead
First up, the long-promised (threatened?) Maplecroft roundup!
The Nameless Zine tackles the book - "What Priest really captures, however, is Lovecraft’s talent for documenting the descent into madness from tampering in things best left unknown..."
Kameron Hurley names it as one of her must-read picks - "It’s all that stuff you loved about Lovecraft (including the weird nightmares after you read it) without the constant facepunching. I don’t read books very fast as a rule, but I plowed through this in just a couple of days..."
A wonderful hairy arm talks about Maplecroft - Via TikiFire Book reviews. Seriously, I love this review - even though (maybe because?) he sounds so surprised that he enjoyed it so much...
I know it's just a Goodreads review BUT - It's from Felicia Day!
[:: happydances ::]
And then there's THIS. Wherein the marvelous Mr. Wheaton is kind enough to chat about it in the Tabletop gag reel.
And here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2025
Present total word count: 77,175
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Re-calibrated plans once more because things are basically beyond fucked up at this point, but they can't leave yet. (For actual reasons, not lame horror movie reasons.)
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; cleaned my bathroom; unclogged my tub; vacuumed the whole house (even the cobwebs in the corners, not that they won't be back next week); dusted/wiped down everything but the kitchen/husband's bathroom, as those are *his* responsibilities; returned yet another loose dog to his people - but this round was pretty painless.
Other: Today's unexpected dog-guest was named "Tucker," and he was adorable. He showed up on the other side of our fence, trying to play with Greyson - who was all, "MOM, CAN MY FRIEND TUCKER COME IN HERE AND PLAY?" and I was like, "Sure, hang on." Tucker was towing a massive locking D-ring caribiner attached to a metal cable lead ... which he had chewed straight through in order to make his escape.
Furthermore Fuzzy Other: He was wearing a harness with a handle, for easy catching - as well as a collar with a large name-tag. When I say "large" I mean this name-tag was big enough to hold his name, three phone numbers, and a street address. Something told me this was not Tucker's first time fleeing his yard for giggles.
Resolution to Other: Long story short, Tucker's mom dashed over from work to collect him. In fact, he is a MASTER escape artist - but his family gets an "A" for effort. For real, I'm not judging; I'm just glad it wasn't (a). Rufus for the 9th time, or (b). some other pooch with no tags, running loose like a happy maniac. Dogs are wily, man. Shit happens. Be prepared.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 228,556
Dog friends
In other news, the kitty's lab-work came back this afternoon...and the news is good! There was no sign of anything untoward in the cyst's contents, and she gets a clean bill of health [:: throws confetti ::]
If I understood the vet correctly (and she talks really fast, so maybe, maybe not), it seemed to be a benign cyst on her endocrine duct(?). Not dangerous, and now that it's drained, it's likely to stay gone. Hey, better to know for certain than to wonder why your cat suddenly looks like she's smuggling M&Ms in her lower lip.
That's what I say.
And in closing...
....bonus dog friends!
Enjoy :)
The Nameless Zine tackles the book - "What Priest really captures, however, is Lovecraft’s talent for documenting the descent into madness from tampering in things best left unknown..."
Kameron Hurley names it as one of her must-read picks - "It’s all that stuff you loved about Lovecraft (including the weird nightmares after you read it) without the constant facepunching. I don’t read books very fast as a rule, but I plowed through this in just a couple of days..."
A wonderful hairy arm talks about Maplecroft - Via TikiFire Book reviews. Seriously, I love this review - even though (maybe because?) he sounds so surprised that he enjoyed it so much...
I know it's just a Goodreads review BUT - It's from Felicia Day!
[:: happydances ::]
And then there's THIS. Wherein the marvelous Mr. Wheaton is kind enough to chat about it in the Tabletop gag reel.
And here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2025
Present total word count: 77,175
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Re-calibrated plans once more because things are basically beyond fucked up at this point, but they can't leave yet. (For actual reasons, not lame horror movie reasons.)
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; cleaned my bathroom; unclogged my tub; vacuumed the whole house (even the cobwebs in the corners, not that they won't be back next week); dusted/wiped down everything but the kitchen/husband's bathroom, as those are *his* responsibilities; returned yet another loose dog to his people - but this round was pretty painless.
Other: Today's unexpected dog-guest was named "Tucker," and he was adorable. He showed up on the other side of our fence, trying to play with Greyson - who was all, "MOM, CAN MY FRIEND TUCKER COME IN HERE AND PLAY?" and I was like, "Sure, hang on." Tucker was towing a massive locking D-ring caribiner attached to a metal cable lead ... which he had chewed straight through in order to make his escape.
Furthermore Fuzzy Other: He was wearing a harness with a handle, for easy catching - as well as a collar with a large name-tag. When I say "large" I mean this name-tag was big enough to hold his name, three phone numbers, and a street address. Something told me this was not Tucker's first time fleeing his yard for giggles.
Resolution to Other: Long story short, Tucker's mom dashed over from work to collect him. In fact, he is a MASTER escape artist - but his family gets an "A" for effort. For real, I'm not judging; I'm just glad it wasn't (a). Rufus for the 9th time, or (b). some other pooch with no tags, running loose like a happy maniac. Dogs are wily, man. Shit happens. Be prepared.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 228,556
Dog friends
In other news, the kitty's lab-work came back this afternoon...and the news is good! There was no sign of anything untoward in the cyst's contents, and she gets a clean bill of health [:: throws confetti ::]
If I understood the vet correctly (and she talks really fast, so maybe, maybe not), it seemed to be a benign cyst on her endocrine duct(?). Not dangerous, and now that it's drained, it's likely to stay gone. Hey, better to know for certain than to wonder why your cat suddenly looks like she's smuggling M&Ms in her lower lip.
That's what I say.
And in closing...
....bonus dog friends!
Enjoy :)
November 20, 2014
Show me how you do that trick
Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2345
Present total word count: 75,150
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Started at the attic with plans to work our way down; plans were derailed by a ghost that looks like a boy, but isn't; got chased downstairs by something awful; found a safe spot, sort of; made new plans.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to Walgreens re: a prescription; went to the bank; got lunch; did some writer business.
Other: I don't know what the big deal about crying doves might be, but I tell you what, it's funny as hell when dogs sneeze.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 226,531
Speaking of dogs, mine is basically the handsomest thing ever.
True fact.
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2345
Present total word count: 75,150
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Started at the attic with plans to work our way down; plans were derailed by a ghost that looks like a boy, but isn't; got chased downstairs by something awful; found a safe spot, sort of; made new plans.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to Walgreens re: a prescription; went to the bank; got lunch; did some writer business.
Other: I don't know what the big deal about crying doves might be, but I tell you what, it's funny as hell when dogs sneeze.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 226,531
Speaking of dogs, mine is basically the handsomest thing ever.
True fact.
November 19, 2014
Pull the blinds and change their minds
Today you get an evening post - for the kitty had an afternoon vet appointment, somewhat on the fly. A few days ago, I realized she'd suddenly developed some kind of cyst on her lower lip/jaw...a rather big one, much larger than the little sebaceous skin tags she's been known to develop. I'm talking about the difference between a grain of uncooked rice, and an M&M.
I tried to be cool and patient, and temporarily let it go - thinking maybe it was a kitty-zit or a small injury that'd go away. But it wasn't going away.
Maybe I overreacted, maybe I didn't. But she's getting on in years*, and she's been my little buddy for well over a decade. I worry. So I took her in to the fabulous Dr. Toumayan at the Chattanooga Cat Clinic **, where she's been going since we arrived back in Tennessee. (It is a most excellent clinic, for what it's worth. Can't recommend it enough.)
Long story short...Dr. T. drained the cyst and sent the results off for lab work, and in doing so, she actually got rid of it. She said the fluid was all clear, and she's optimistic that this is no big deal. I'm going to go ahead and be optimistic, too.
At present, the little monster is curled up next to me on the new heated throw I've added to the couch. She does not seem particularly traumatized by her visit, and she's smug about her electric night-time cuddles.
And here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2124
Present total word count: 72,805
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Organized a plan of action from a day-job (salvage) standpoint; decided to lie to Dad; patched up a broken window, and did not see any ghosts while doing so. This time.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; fretted a lot about the cat; made a routine doctor's appointment for myself; took care of a little writer business.
Other: Fingers crossed for clean lab-work for a little old kitty, eh?
Number of fiction words so far this year: 224,186
* We adopted her in February of 2002; at that time, she'd been at the shelter for over a year - and she'd arrived there as an adult, so her exact age is a little iffy. The vet at the time guessed she was perhaps 3-4 years old. At any rate, she's at least 15 years old...more likely, a little older than that.
** Yes Greyson and Spainy have different vets. The cat clinic only treats cats, natch. And the marvelous Allison Gussack at Vet2Go comes to our house to take care of the pooch. I recommend both docs equally, for they are both 100% awesome.
I tried to be cool and patient, and temporarily let it go - thinking maybe it was a kitty-zit or a small injury that'd go away. But it wasn't going away.
Maybe I overreacted, maybe I didn't. But she's getting on in years*, and she's been my little buddy for well over a decade. I worry. So I took her in to the fabulous Dr. Toumayan at the Chattanooga Cat Clinic **, where she's been going since we arrived back in Tennessee. (It is a most excellent clinic, for what it's worth. Can't recommend it enough.)
Long story short...Dr. T. drained the cyst and sent the results off for lab work, and in doing so, she actually got rid of it. She said the fluid was all clear, and she's optimistic that this is no big deal. I'm going to go ahead and be optimistic, too.
At present, the little monster is curled up next to me on the new heated throw I've added to the couch. She does not seem particularly traumatized by her visit, and she's smug about her electric night-time cuddles.
And here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 2124
Present total word count: 72,805
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Organized a plan of action from a day-job (salvage) standpoint; decided to lie to Dad; patched up a broken window, and did not see any ghosts while doing so. This time.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; fretted a lot about the cat; made a routine doctor's appointment for myself; took care of a little writer business.
Other: Fingers crossed for clean lab-work for a little old kitty, eh?
Number of fiction words so far this year: 224,186
* We adopted her in February of 2002; at that time, she'd been at the shelter for over a year - and she'd arrived there as an adult, so her exact age is a little iffy. The vet at the time guessed she was perhaps 3-4 years old. At any rate, she's at least 15 years old...more likely, a little older than that.
** Yes Greyson and Spainy have different vets. The cat clinic only treats cats, natch. And the marvelous Allison Gussack at Vet2Go comes to our house to take care of the pooch. I recommend both docs equally, for they are both 100% awesome.
November 18, 2014
Fate smiled and destiny laughed
Here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 1425
Present total word count: 70,681
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Took a phone call; found a trunk; read some old letters with an interesting story hidden in the margins.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to lunch; went and got my hair did; applied to be a guest again at DragonCon again in 2015 - because hey, if they'll have me back...I'll go back! With bells on, baby.
Other: The hair appointment ran a little longer than expected (no biggie) but that's partly why I'm posting a low(ish) word count for the day. Also, filling out the DragonCon guest application took longer than expected - because I had to update my bio, and account for all the stuff coming out between now and then. It's the little things that eat your day right out from under you, I swear.
Hand-Flappy Other: You guys - I poked my head into Goodreads (as I do from time to time, to answer questions and such) ... and I saw that Felicia Day left me a kickass review for Maplecroft !!!! :: does a little dance :: Many, many thanks to her for taking the time :)
Shameless Other: Speaking of Maplecroft - I will spare you a roundup of reviews FOR NOW but I was thinking, you know, Amazon.com reviews are awesome and it sure would be super-cool if someone could push me over the edge to 50. Or past that. I mean, if anyone were so inclined. [:: puppydog eyes ::]
Number of fiction words so far this year: 222,062
Speaking of puppydog eyes...
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 1425
Present total word count: 70,681
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Took a phone call; found a trunk; read some old letters with an interesting story hidden in the margins.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Neighborhood jaunt with dog; went to lunch; went and got my hair did; applied to be a guest again at DragonCon again in 2015 - because hey, if they'll have me back...I'll go back! With bells on, baby.
Other: The hair appointment ran a little longer than expected (no biggie) but that's partly why I'm posting a low(ish) word count for the day. Also, filling out the DragonCon guest application took longer than expected - because I had to update my bio, and account for all the stuff coming out between now and then. It's the little things that eat your day right out from under you, I swear.
Hand-Flappy Other: You guys - I poked my head into Goodreads (as I do from time to time, to answer questions and such) ... and I saw that Felicia Day left me a kickass review for Maplecroft !!!! :: does a little dance :: Many, many thanks to her for taking the time :)
Shameless Other: Speaking of Maplecroft - I will spare you a roundup of reviews FOR NOW but I was thinking, you know, Amazon.com reviews are awesome and it sure would be super-cool if someone could push me over the edge to 50. Or past that. I mean, if anyone were so inclined. [:: puppydog eyes ::]
Number of fiction words so far this year: 222,062
Speaking of puppydog eyes...
November 17, 2014
Fame, Liquor, Love - give it to me slowly
Today I finished wrapping up revisions on an (unsold) YA project and its proposal/summary - a full day or two ahead of schedule. I'm honestly delighted with this project and I want to see it find a good home, so it's off to my agent for now, as per her request. It's about time. I've been sitting on it for entirely too long.
I had to get it off my plate sooner, rather than later...because my editorial letter for Chapelwood landed on Friday. I have until December 15th to turn around a clean draft on that one, and get it back to the editor. This shouldn't be a problem, but I need to clear my schedule of some of these secondary things. (Like the YA thing.)
I also have some reading to do, some notes to draw up, and some fiddly bits of the writing business to manage this week - but I want to nail down at least 10k on The Family Plot, too. I've got some decent momentum and I'd like to keep it rolling; so I'll wait until next week to begin the Chapelwood revisions.
That still gives me three weeks to clean it up, and the editor was pretty happy with the draft - so it shouldn't be too bad.
Anyway, this is the plan.
Today I didn't get much done in the way or word metrics, but then again, I didn't expect any (since I was working on that other thing). But hey, some is better than none.
So here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 1219
Present total word count: 69,252
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Went to a cemetery and found some of what we were looking for, but not all of it; phoned home; had a morning beer.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: [Since last post] Neighborhood jaunts with dog; grocery shopping; Walgreens; went to the bank; did a bunch of laundry; cleaned house; started planning for Thanksgiving.
Other: Monday night TV! Gotham and Sleepy Hollow and (if I'm not too tired to stay up for it) Castle! Mondays are not all bad.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 220,633
Puppygram.
I had to get it off my plate sooner, rather than later...because my editorial letter for Chapelwood landed on Friday. I have until December 15th to turn around a clean draft on that one, and get it back to the editor. This shouldn't be a problem, but I need to clear my schedule of some of these secondary things. (Like the YA thing.)
I also have some reading to do, some notes to draw up, and some fiddly bits of the writing business to manage this week - but I want to nail down at least 10k on The Family Plot, too. I've got some decent momentum and I'd like to keep it rolling; so I'll wait until next week to begin the Chapelwood revisions.
That still gives me three weeks to clean it up, and the editor was pretty happy with the draft - so it shouldn't be too bad.
Anyway, this is the plan.
Today I didn't get much done in the way or word metrics, but then again, I didn't expect any (since I was working on that other thing). But hey, some is better than none.
So here's today's progress on my modern gothic ghost story about a salvage crew trapped in a doomed southern mansion - now with a crunchy murder ballad center and Bonus! clandestine cemetery where the stones don't match the bodies (and were never meant to). As inspired by a (semi)true local legend:
Project: The Family Plot
Deadline: January 15, 2015
New words written: 1219
Present total word count: 69,252
Things Accomplished in Fiction: Went to a cemetery and found some of what we were looking for, but not all of it; phoned home; had a morning beer.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: [Since last post] Neighborhood jaunts with dog; grocery shopping; Walgreens; went to the bank; did a bunch of laundry; cleaned house; started planning for Thanksgiving.
Other: Monday night TV! Gotham and Sleepy Hollow and (if I'm not too tired to stay up for it) Castle! Mondays are not all bad.
Number of fiction words so far this year: 220,633
Puppygram.
It's awards season, so here comes the shameless self-promotion
Hello everyone! It's awards season and this is my job, so please click through and take a peek if you are so inclined. Don't worry - it's short! I only published a couple of things this year, and I in
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