Halloween Fun

Did I mention Halloween is my favorite holiday. I have a sweet tooth and I love to play dress up. I was MADE for Halloween, Hehehe.
What more could a a girl ask for?

How about a website where you can test out your latest pumpkin carving designs without lifting a knife?

Clarion West Memories

I guess you could say I was the 'jock' of this years CW class -- I did get some pretty strange looks when I arrived with my bike and boat strapped to the roof of my car and did yoga in the mornings (okay so maybe that's a 'jock' California style)...hmmm. Hey, I only went running with Edo once -- Seattle hills damn near killed me.

I think this is an Amy pic -- The basement room was for some a workspace, but I found it way more useful for storage...

Say hi to Betty, my kayak (A Perception PHAT for those of you who are particular about knowing such things) I even took her out a time or two. Gonna have to work on my image as a 'SERIOUS' writer. None of this monkey business in an oversized milkjug.

Damn I am having a Clarion West Flashback Day and it hasn't even started yet. This makes two posts in a day. Sigh. I need to get working.

Bragging Rights

So I know I promised you this blog would be in the "it's all about me" vein of the bloggosphere, but I have to say: keeping up with my CW class has to be the most inspiring thing I've done for my writing since I left Seattle.

Not only are we all still writing (in spite of jobs, families, children, remodels, and other such dramas) we ARE getting PUBLISHED! From an upcoming anthology of letters never sent featuring about half of our class to Random Jane who got a special delivery from F&SF (and not a rejection letter either, bub) this group is slogging it out through the messy reality of "I want to be a published writer" and getting it done.

Aw...Babies all grown up!

Yippee.

Congrats kids - you make a girl proud to be among ya!

NANOWRIMO and then some

I am officially moved in. Thanks to my incredible mom and her gal-pal extraordinare my kitchen is unpacked and homey and my fridge stocked with food. The rest of the house...Well, yeah...That's another story. We did, however, find the curtains. And the TV. No remote yet. T's comment: "Wow, Bj's room is done, the living room is coming together, the kitchen looks amazing...." (then he rounds the corner to my room--s-- ) "well, there's some work to be done here."

Thanks T.

What's a girl to do in the face of enormous mountains of boxes and lost sundries. Start my 2005 attempt at NANOWRIMO -- duh! What is that odd assortment of letters mean, you ask? Its NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth, of course. Check it out!

Why unpack when you can write. What can be more fun than trying to cram 50,000 words in 30 days between a full time job, unpacking a house and paddling the fall flows with my sweetie? (I'm serious, just in case you thought I was being sarcastic, as per usual)

I, the journalist, require a deadline and some stress to be fully productive. Know thyself.

It's tempting to dive into Strange, but I think I might take a side trip to a story I wrote as a bedtime for my sister when we were kids and have since neglected. She's been begging for a rewrite and since I didn't get to it this summer, I'd be fun to have done for Christmas. I'd like to take a few of my "alterna-fantasy" worldbuilding Clarion lessons and put them to use. Starting with the title.

So as of November 1st, I'm off. Workingly untitled "The Good Queen's Daughter."

Keep ya posted.

Bad Blogger, no biscuit!

Has it really been almost a month since I checked in? Eugene reminded me today that I have been severely lacking in the post department.

Updates:
1. I am still "moving." (I find it interesting how the bulk of MOVING is actually spent stationary in one of a three activities: packing boxes, pausing to ruminate on the archeological artifacts of your life as you're TRYING to pack boxes, and unpacking boxes) Thankfully after this weekend I will be moved out AND in. Next comes the making a home. What fun.

2. Strange is revised! Its off to some gentle readers and some readers with big sharp scary teeth and large red pens, so we'll find out how well it works in a matter of weeks.
Goddess bless Tazsa, who said very gently (standing back as if she expected my head to pop): its good, but it feels kind of fragmented. Like its an excerpt of something larger.
Me: well, do you want to read the theoretical missing parts -- is it interesting enough.
Taz: oh yeah! It just feels like there's more there than is, there, right now.
LOL. My 10,000 word novelette that WAS masquerading as a short story is now a novel masquerading as a 10,000 word novelette...All I need is a few thousand more words and it will be totally unpublishable. I could weep -- but I'm strangely happy by the fact that it keeps managing to hold its own weight in spite of the size. That's Strange for you.

3. Echo broke his toe. Yeah. My 80lb tough guy Weimaraner busted his big toe on his right hind paw running down the hill in front of the house. One more reason to be glad we are leaving this place. Oh and the fact that my landlord did an unauthorized walkthrough for a potential new tenant yesterday without notifying us first. SIGH...

Back in a flash...