Gotham City

This didn't work as well as I'd hoped...it's the reflection of branches in a mud puddle.

• Wed, 16:18: Yasmine thought you might like to know what it is about vampires that grabs her by the throat ;) - Marc Why... http://t.co/ZqUIkDbHUc
• Wed, 16:30: Menolly is feeling neglected.... http://t.co/jiYaIp1tvT
• Wed, 16:35: Yasmine fancies one of these, but insists on matching shoes to go with it. I suggest a whip and got stared at. -... http://t.co/3zFrZQG00X
• Wed, 16:47: All this talk of vampires today, (and vampy clothing? ;) ) it wouldn't be right without a kitteh :D - Marc http://t.co/Rctl59hhjP
• Wed, 17:28: Speaking of gothy vampy sexy stuff, one of the sexiest vids evah (IMO), from their official Youtube channel.... http://t.co/8hxwujYDD0
• Wed, 21:00: For the evening crew: Why Vampires Put the Bite on Me... on the blog! http://t.co/blC73xiigd
• Wed, 21:10: You don't want to hear my thoughts: MI Right-To-Lifer: Getting Raped Is Like Your Home Being Flooded–Buy Insurance... http://t.co/DCrxOhWJnq
• Wed, 21:11: Hi new Twitter followers. No autofollow but I read all @replies. Not always G/PG rated. Volatile/Opinionated. I like to play in the dark. :)
• Wed, 21:11: Sometimes I talk a LOT, sometimes not. I chat about my cats, work, tattoos, magic, low-carb, clothes, etc. I smash spammers & do NOT debate.
• Wed, 21:11: I'm irreverent, swear a lot, and am guaranteed to offend somebody, somewhere. Follow at your own risk. ;)

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• Thu, 14:53: My #firstpost on Vine is walking the gabstera https://t.co/sgozeqlLXo

I used to write terrible books all the time.

I've talked about this before, my terribleness. I have even posted some of my terribleness on the internet. By the time I went to college, I had over thirty manuscripts in various stages of finishedness laying around my house and ancient computers and word processors.

Terrible manuscripts.

I wrote novels about talking dogs, missing unicorns, IRA men with hearts of gold, enchanters with hearts of gold, missing dogs, missing IRA men, kids in suburbia who were secretly kings and queens, fairies who were secretly kids in suburbia, missing kids and fairies in suburbia . . .

Terrible. They were all terrible.

But like I said. I've talked about all of this before. I wrote a lot of terrible books. Today, however, in honor of Entertainment Weekly sharing the prologue of The Dream Thieves, I am going to share with you a very particular terrible book from my teens.

The Dream Thieves.

Well, it wasn't called that, back then. It was called The Llewellyn Society. And Gansey was an old man. And Ronan was named Sean. And Noah was named Adam. But it was the same. Mostly. Sort of. Except that I wrote this version longhand. Oh, and it was terrible.



Here are some more terrible bits that sort of stayed the same in the real version, only I made them less terrible.





And a typed version from a few months later:



And like I said. Here is the prologue of the real version, and an interview, over at Entertainment Weekly.

I hope you find it not terrible.

(And as a reminder, you can pre-order a signed and painted in version of it over at Fountain Bookstore)

(and here is what I am painting in each of them:
)

The invitation by *hogret on deviantART


Bluebeard by ~JulijaJan on deviantART

19620 / 50000 words. 39% done!

How to recognize when someone is drowning.

It’s not what you think. Before you take your kids or loved ones into the water, read this article.

Mirrored from Twenty Palaces. You can comment here but not there.

I know it’s blasphemy, but argh, there are too. many. books. in this house. Between Christmas and EasterCon, I (we, but I cop to it: *I*) had some significant Bookstores Accidents, and while this is most of the time merely inconvenient because there are never enough shelves, when I’m facing moving, all I can really wonder is why I didn’t bloody well buy digital copies of ALL THESE BOOKS.

I mean, I know why. It’s far, far more satisfying to go browse and buy physical books than it is to do the same with e-books. And the local bookstore from which I prefer to buy books doesn’t have an e-storefront, so I can’t even go browse and then order digital copies and keep the money flowing to Chapters. And I *do* bring loads of books back to the secondhand shop for credit (thus compounding the problem in one way, but nevermind that right now), but right now I have a *ton* of unread books, which obviously are not best for trading in.

I suppose all I can do is either pack them up or spend the next few weeks reading frantically. I mean, there’re what, maybe 30 books max, I could no doubt read them all–well, in a week, if I could just flop down and read without interruption, but ahahahah.

Maybe I should make a list and have people vote on the order I should read them in. Or maybe I should just START READING.

In the meantime, I really should instigate a rule of only buying one book by an author in hardcopy (because it’s easier/more fun to browse/discover that way), and if I like it, buy the rest digitally. I’m doing that with Rachel Caine’s Morganville books…

(x-posted from The Essential Kit)

Last night, I stayed up late to finish reading the first pass pages of IN3 — which is the last time I’ll get to make changes in the book before it goes to printing. (This isn’t the last time anyone will look over it before printing, though; a team of proofreaders will do second and third passes on it, until it needs no more work.)

Historically, my first pass pages have all been . . . interesting. INCARNATE had HoHugging and similar hilarity. (Not to mention a missing paragraph and migrating dialogue tags!) ASUNDER had these weird symbols wherever apostrophes and quotes were italicized.

IN3 was almost uneventful. The pages were notable only for the absence of those little scene divider images, where scene breaks fall at the top or bottom of the page.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes, though. The pages sticking out to the left are all the pages I’m sending back to my editor, so she can put my changes in the master document that lives at HarperCollins.

First pass pages are printed to look like the book. They’re in the book layout, with the font and chapter headers and all of that. They’re what ARCs — Advance Reader Copies — are printed from. Changes in the first pass stage are supposed to be minor: fixing typos, word rep, HoHugging, spacing, or whatever. A chapter title changed in ASUNDER. My changes are typically very minor at this point, but I know other writers who’ve added scenes, changed endings, etc.

Still, there are quite a few minor things changing in IN3. The ARCs printed won’t reflect these changes. Only the final copy.

I love ARCs — I love getting them and reading them before other people (and the taunting that goes along with) — but I’m going to tell you a true story: I cringe whenever I see someone reading an ARC weeks/months/years after publication, because I know what kind of changes I make between ARCs and final copies. I can’t even guess what other authors do!

I’m really, really excited about IN3 ARCs going out into the world in a few months. And I’m dealing with the fact that advance readers will see that hideous word repetition on page whatever. But I’m really looking forward to final copies in January/February next year, because they will be clean and shiny. (And that sentence — no, don’t look at it! — will be better structured.)

But speaking of IN3 ARCs, have you entered my giveaway to win one of the very first ones?

Originally published at Jodi Meadows. You can comment here or there.

It's a misty, quiet morning (isn't that a song?), and I finished up all my school responsibilities (until the last day, which is one week from today) yesterday. I'm not sure what to do with my time now (ha). I have a list of organizational things which need to be done around the house (a loooong list). The kiddos and I talked about our plans for the summer (the 'schedule' we'll follow), and they're kind of excited, I think. Of course, part of the excitement is simply being on break -- yay!

During the week, I try to follow a similar schedule to the kiddos'. Since I'm having them spend time in reading/writing/math and music, I'll do the same. Maybe I'll actually learn something about the guitar this summer (or maybe I'll just play around on the piano, like I did last summer). I'll definitely use the reading/math/writing time to both read and write (well, let's hope). We'll also be outside for part of each day, playing tennis or basketball or going on a hike. Just like a school day, we stop around 3-ish, and they get 'free' time. ;) It worked pretty well last year, so I'm excited to spend time with them again.

We don't have any weekend plans (yet), though we are heading to Glenwood Springs to visit some caves (E is very excited -- her 'passion' project was on caves) and take a cool hike near there.

So, for any of you who also have charge of kiddos during the summer break, what types of things do you do to keep everyone busy and relatively happy? :)

In the middle of second-pass revisions for Wayfarer, the second Beauty & Madness. I finished this book during the nightmare of buying a house and having everything that could possibly go wrong…go wrong. It’s odd to read it now and remember how I was feeling when I wrote a particular scene, certain turns of phrase bringing back waves of uncomfortable feeling from that time.

Regular spring weather has returned, and the rain makes me happy. In the old house, you could hear every drop hitting the roof. In this one, it takes a reasonably heavy downpour to whisper inside, and I was curled up warm and safe in bed with Miss B and the Mad Tortie, who has taken to sleeping in my room lately. (Odd Trundles prefers his crate, and given his habit of emitting…certain smells…at night, it’s probably best.) It was by far the most content I’ve felt in a long while. The new cat–long story–can be coaxed upstairs during quiet times, but prefers the basement. Probably because that’s where the kibble and litterbox are located, and because Odd can’t negotiate the inside stairs. (Too topheavy, poor thing.) She would like very much to come upstairs, though, judging by her yowling at certain points. Eventually she’ll get lonely enough to creep upstairs at other times, and we will welcome her.

They took out a tree at the house behind us, so the crows have moved into my firs. They don’t quite taunt the dogs–for one thing, Miss B is pretty unflappable–but they do comment upon all sorts of things, all day. The old house had mourning doves that weighed in on every event, gossiping like bored elderly men, but the crows take a more direct approach, yelling about pretty much everything and keeping the entire neighborhood updated. Also, I caught Josephine!Squirrel building a nest the other day.

Yes, I’m looking at reclaiming my squirrel stories. And that’s all I’m saying about that at the moment.

Anyway, today is going to be gray and damp, thank goodness. Miss B needs a nice hard run to settle her nerves, and so do I. Then it’s time to dive back into the revisions and layer in more description. I can see everything I’m writing so clearly inside my head–a sort of total-body hallucination–that I often forget the reader can’t, and so an editor’s gentle reminders that they can’t see inside my skull are pretty priceless.

I suppose that’s all the news that’s fit to blog.

*wanders off whistling to breakfast*

Mirrored from Ragged Feathers.

I'm actually shocked at the response to Ms. Kaur's reply.

We're talking about Gini Koch's latest Alien novel, Alien in the House, over at the DAW Books blog (dawbooks)! Swing on by and see what all of the fuss is about in this wild, fast-paced, action series.

Yesterday was my turn to cook here at Rio Hondo. I made momos, with a substantial assist from David Levine and Carrie Vaughn. In the kitchen cooking, which takes a while, my feet gave out. There's no other way to describe it. @dratz came to my rescue, took over the cooking and final meal prep on my behalf, while I lay on the couch. Even sitting at the table eating dinner with my feet on the floor was painful, so I retreated once more to the couch before going to bed early.

The best I can describe it is that the skin irritations produced by Vectibix sometimes express themselves as very tender, painful calluses on my feet. Being on my feet so much yesterday afternoon put so much pressure on those calluses that I could not be on my feet any more.

Next Monday, I start Regorafenib, a medication which is much harder on the feet (and hands) than Vectibix. This is only a taste of things to come.

Cancer erodes me, piece by piece, until there will be nothing left of me but laboring breath and the last guttering sparks of my will to live.

Originally published at MSUFaL. You can comment here or there.

The workshop at work

( Photos under cut for f-list mercyCollapse )

Photos © 2013, Joseph E. Lake, Jr. and Carrie Vaughn



This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. and Carrie Vaughn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Your Thursday moment of zen.



Barbed wire, Washington state. Photo © 2008, 2013, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.



This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Relay For Life — Robin Silver raises funds to fight cancer.

Kicked out of the mall — for an anti-cancer hat — The most insensitive mall cops ever aggressively escort out two teens who just lost their mom. That's family friendly, alright. (Via shsilver and others.)

The 5 Ugly Lessons Hiding in Every Superhero Movie — Interesting. (Snurched from Andrew Wheeler.)

German software firm recruiting autistic workers — German software firm SAP is recruiting autistic workers. To help the company hire autistic workers, SAP has hired Specialisterne. Together, SAP and Specialisterne will recruit individuals with autism that can work as software testers, programmers and data quality assurance specialists.

Pavlof Volcano, Alaska Peninsula — Oooh, pretty.

What the State Birds Should Be — Seven cardinals but no hawks? Come on! (Via JL)

Bitcoin Hits the Big Time, to the Regret of Some Early Boosters — The first major conference for the digital currency suggests it is gaining legitimacy, but in a manner disappointing to some early enthusiasts.

Why French Kids Don't Have ADHD — (Snurched from Freakonomics.)

Tornadoes and Global Warming: Is There a Connection? — Will the future bring more twisters to Oklahoma and Tornado Alley? The science isn't clear yet, on account of unlike politics, science doesn't make up its mind in advance of the evidence.

Portland, Oregon rejects drinking water fluoridation by wide margin — Public health measure goes down amid vague concerns about safety and purity. Even progressives can be idiots.

Pope Francis Says Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics — Why does any religion get to claim the good done by non-believers. Christ really didn't die for me, or for anyone else who isn't a Christian. While I surely appreciate the gesture of tolerance, it encloses a spike of arrogance. (Thanks to Danny Adams.)

Atheist lawmaker opened with Carl Sagan quote instead of prayer — (Via shsilver and others.)

Ken Cuccinelli Loses Petition To Uphold Anti-Sodomy Law — Yeah, pushing for a ban on oral sex is certainly one way to make the GOP more popular.

Dear Oklahoma: We Feel for you, we love you, but do us some favors — Shorter version: As you sow, so shall you reap. Unfortunately, the rest of America also reaps what you sow. So, sow better.

Reaching the 'weather weapon' stage — [T]he guy raising the specter of Obama using "weather weapons" to kill Oklahomans is the same guy helping influence several Republican policymakers in 2013. Another of the many reasons why rational human beings everywhere think American conservatives are absolute lunatics. The GOP and its politicians embrace this kind of mind-melting insanity instead of rejecting it out of hand. (Via shellyrae.)

QotD?: Eaten Tibetan lately?

---

5/23/2013
Writing time yesterday: 0.5 hours (WRPA editing, otherwise on workshop time)
Hours slept: 8.0 hours (solid)
Body movement: n/a
Weight: n/a
Number of FEMA troops on my block scamming disaster aid slush funds: 0
Currently reading: Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

www.urbexersagainstvandalism.com/page.php

This, for what it's worth, is a petition against vandalism of urbex sites. It's actually in guestbook format; what does everyone think about signing it?

Ginger Snaps
3/4 c vegetable shortening
1 c sugar
1/4 c molasses
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 c flour

Melt shortening in a large pot over a low heat. Cool a bit, then add sugar, molasses and egg. Mix well (it won’t completely mix together). Stir in spices, then add the flour and mix thoroughly. Chill in fridge until completely cold. Form 1 inch balls, roll in white sugar, and bake at 350/175/gas mark 4 for 8-10 minutes. Cool & store in an air-tight container for maximum snappiness. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

Chef’s notes:
It’s actually very important to cool the dough completely. I spread it on a cookie sheet and put it in the fridge, which makes it take not too long.

On snappiness:
These are ginger snaps, but they are not as snappy as storebought ones regardless of what you do. So far the only kind of shortening we’ve found that actually makes them *snap* is Crisco. (If anybody in the UK/Ireland knows of a direct correlation to Crisco over here, I’d be grateful.)

It’s also very important, if you want cookies that actually snap, to make the dough balls no more than 1″ in size. Bigger than that and they won’t snap. Dunno why, they just don’t. And you can make these with butter and they’ll be gorgeously delicious but not snappy.

(x-posted from The Essential Kit)

Last night Maura McHugh and Lynda Rucker launched the inaugural Laydeez Do* Comics event in Dublin. It was an enormously successful launch, with 3 excellent speakers (Sarah McIntyre, Alan Nolan and Maeve Clancy) and around 15-20 attendees. I saw people I knew, met new people, and met some people who knew me. :)

As always, going and talking to people about comics makes me desperately want to do them. In my copious free time. *agonize* I have this ever-growing pile of script ideas, and just aaguuuugh! I know people who would draw for me, if I could just get scripts written! Waughghgh!

Of course, all three of the speakers are writer/artists, which makes me feel like I should be DOING WEB COMICS AND PRACTICING DRAWING. (No, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. There’s probably a medical term for it, though.) And of course I think “God, no, it would be too humiliating to show my pathetic drawing skills,” but then I think of the first page of Questionable Content compared to today’s strip and I think well, that’s no excuse… Anyway, my personal neuroses aside, it was a terrific evening and I’m very much looking forward to the next one in September.

Oh. *laughs* Also, I brought homemade gingersnaps, which I figured would go over well, but I wasn’t expecting the rhapsodies I got. I was asked for the recipe twice. And I heard someone ask who’d made the cookies and someone else responded, “The woman in the front row with the long hair,” which is just so not how I ever imagined myself being described… :)

*Ladies do, not Lazy Do, which is how I persist in reading it… :)

(x-posted from The Essential Kit)