suricattus

yay: *quiet travel-related squee*

boo: my knee is borked again. This getting older business? Not designed wwith considerations to joint wear and tear. I do not approve.

boo/yay: a weekend of really frustrating editorial clean-up (revisions and copyedits I disagreed with) is finally done. Boo for it happening, yay for coming out the other side (mostly)

yay: stew is stewing, and the surprise! fajita strips I defrosted with the stew meat has been turned into a sort of-but-not-really orange beef. nom nom nom. And there was cabbage salad, which is also nom. And the last of my Zinfandel from Stephen & Walker/Trust Winery Ltd, which is boo but it was delish so that's a yay.

serious boo: Giants losing the game in the last damned minute.

yay: got my exercise in.

yay: another day avoiding the WFC plague-bug, despite sniffles on waking.

*counts up the score* Yay Day!


How 'bout y'all?

How the HELL did November and December get booked up already? What was I thinking?

Seriously, January? I'm gonna lock the doors and not come out.


To do before Monday:

- e-copyedit for THE HUNTED (the next Anna Leonard paranormal romance)
- author letter for HARD MAGIC
- final pre-editor polish on VINEART 2
- revisions to MUSTANG
- revisions on "Dusted"

oh yeah, and the signing in Ledgewood, NJ on Saturday. And I promised to go to the Interfictions soiree tomorrow night.

Wheee?

Time for more Archie and Nero Wolfe.



*no, really. They participated in a survey for Parksinsons' patients and got those hand-squeezer things in the shape of brains. Squissshy braaaaains!

I guess I really was tired, because I went to bed somewhere around midnight (despite being wired from the trip home), woke up at 6 because Pandora demanded feeding, and then went back to sleep until, oh, about five minutes ago.

I'm still tired, but coffee should take the edge off that.

Meanwhile, congrats to my fellow members of BookView Cafe, on the launch of BookView Press -- http://www.thebookseller.com/news/101627-sci-fi-collective-goes-direct-via-kindle.html Go Team BVC!


Today involves sending off blurbs for some things I read while traveling, laundry, answering publisher e-mails [prep for HARD MAGIC and THE HUNTED], following-up on some loose job-ends, and actually putting some new words on down on the page. And, um, ordering groceries. Yeah.

It is, btw, a gorgeous autumn day, crisp and cool, with sunpools for felines to nap in. Good day for working.

Hi. I'm home.


It was a long two weeks. Some great times, some good times, some times I could have lived without, but overall...yeah, it was two weeks.

*tired grin*

Reminder: I'm still collecting visual evidence of Flesh and Fire in the wild!


I had a dream last night ( details here ) I make no pretense at being able to explain it, that's just where my brain was, last night.

And lo, the book is launched and I move on to other things. My daily to-do list has 12 things on it (that's the max allowed) and none of them are "ten minutes and you're done" items. Best get to't....

Went to see Tosca @ the Met today. Not my favorite opera -- the music is beautiful but the plot holes are terrifying even for opera -- but it was enjoyable. The staging was interesting even if I didn't agree with some of the choices (and I can see why the critics aren't thrilled with it, although I think some of that is "ewww, new cooties! It has new cooties!"

The real problem with Tosca, though, is that I have to fight the urge to recast it w/ Miss Piggy and Kermit. Hard to concentrate on the stage, after that.

(oh come on. Tosca is so totally Miss Piggy. Cavaradossi as Kermit, and Scarpia as... Sam the Eagle's evil brother?)

But anyway. Long day, followed by pesto & sun-dried tomato pizza, and home now not to collapse but work. Because that's how the bills get paid around here....

I've been sort of slapdash here lately -- blame Twitter/Facebook, where it's less guilt-inducing to show up for a line of pithy (or would-be pithy) commentary and then disappear again. I feel like I owe LJ more detailed postings, and I've just not had the brain for it.

Mainly, life has been sucked up by some changes in my personal life, planning for the California trip, the Dublin trip in March, and oh yeah, the writing.

The workload, as it looks from the desk right now:

All extant short stories go out this weekend. Bye bye little stories! Write if you get work!
Pack of Lies -- revisions done and accepted.
Vineart War #2 -- Part 1 revised, part 2 on deck for the weekend. Due 10/15. Um...
Mustang -- revisions due November
Bonnie #3 -- waiting for final approval of outline, need to start writing ASAP
Outline of Vineart 3: um, yeah. Soonish. Yeah.
Vineart 3: not due until next year, thank god.
Werewolf short story -- needs to be done by December. I'm on that, yah.

And then I'm out from under contract. I am trying really hard not to freak out about that. How's that working for me? not so good, no. Mind you, I know what I want to write next -- Retrievers 7, plus a new Cosa Nostradamus novel, and I have another story in the Vineart universe I'd love to tell, and there's a historical Americana project I'm hoping an editor will adore, and... but right now it's all in that lovely 'holding pattern' that gives writers ulcers.

I keep thinking I should post about that, or about the frustrations of having a bunch of revisions and no new-writing, or even the sort of research I've been doing on Vineart 2, which is leading me to all sorts of stuff I never knew I needed to know... and then I get swamped and my brain crackles, and I post picspam and concert reports instead. For the three of you who come here for actual writing content, I do apologize.


And political ranting. God, there's a whole cargo of that piling up but... I just don't have the energy. But there is one thing I should probably address:

Some of you have noted that I haven't posted here about the Polanski arrest and the pro-Polanski petition. Honestly, I didn't think I had to. If you know me at all you know that I have very strong opinions about both rape (date rape, statutory rape, stranger-rape, or Whoopi's "rape-rape" whatever the fuck that means) and about child abuse. Those feeling are along the lines of "flay him skinless, and then dunk him in salt water." Also: federal fugitive. Shut up and take the repercussions you've been dodging for decades.

And my feelings about those who are apologizing for Polanski, and signing petitions to protest how good a man he is? Disgust, and disappointment, mainly. You can try to separate a person's politics from their performance, but that stepped over a line I'm not able to ignore.

However, I am informed that some of Hollywood has had enough, as well: http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ebernero/2009/10/02/polanski-apologists-dont-speak-for-all-of-us-in-hollywood/ Yay Ed!


And now my single, medically-allowed mug of coffee is ready, and I have to get work done if I want to escape this desk at all this weekend...

So last night was the first of what I've been calling the "Teardown" concerts -- Springsteen and the E Street Band @ Giants stadium, the last shows before the old building comes down (to make way for the new, OMG Ugly stadium).

I'm normally not a fan of stadium shows, but there were two reasons to go to this one -- other than the fact that is was Bruce, I mean. 1. to say goodbye to Giants stadium, and 2. to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first time I saw Bruce, back in 1984.

And a last-minute 3, because he announced his intention to perform, in full, certain albums on certain nights, and we got "Born To Run." That meant that I was assured of hearing my all-time favorite-beyond-any other Springsteen song -- "Meeting Across the River." To many people that's just the intro to "Jungleland" but the combination of perfect piano and smokin' sax, plus the deceptively simple story of a Jersey kid about to make either the best move of his life or the last mistake in a series of mistakes... perfection. And he rarely plays it in concert, more's the pity. [also: Born to Run (the album) was released on my birthday back in 1975, so I have a personal attachment to it. *grin*)

( details for those so inclined )

( and some photos )

We ended up getting home around 1ish (thanks to Bill and Beth who rescued us from the Meadowlands Bus From Hell) and I was slooooow getting up this morning. Party over, coffee's ready, back to work...

Much, much earlier this week, I was told that copies of Flesh and Fire had arrived in the office, and copies would be sent to me via messenger service. When, by Friday morning, the books had not made it the 12 miles from office to apartment, we took matters into our own hands.



(we figured a wine bar was the best place to welcome baby book into the world. That's Raina holding the book, for those who need identifications)

No, the book still won't be in stores for another seventeen days, give or take 24 hours. But two of you lucky winners have copies already on their way...

The guy down the bar from us asked what the fuss was about (after he realized 'his' bartender was now dragged into our conversation.) Turns out he works for ABC News. Yes, he now has my card. Hey, can't hurt, right?

And now I have to go finish V2...

1. Quote from word war: "LEVERAGE fetishizes competence porn. I admire that. A lot." [note: so does CRIMINAL MINDS. And CASTLE, in its own way. I sense a theme to my tv-watching, yes...]

2. My editor is gaslighting me (a copy of FLESH AND FIRE was supposed to arrive Tuesday. It still has not arrived. They sent it 12 miles uptown, people! Twelve miles! How long does it take to bring something twelve miles? Even on foot!)

3. Pandora has decided that her tail is prehensile, and can be used for keeping my in my place (wrapping around my wrist while I'm petting her, to make sure I don't stop). I'm not sure if this development is interesting, or deeply disturbing....


Meanwhile, I am taking a chunk of manuscript and fleeing the apartment, as I've been working at this desk straight, 12 hours a day, four days in a row, and I can't take it any longer. Should I go to Starbucks, the bakery (with the comfier chairs but fattening foods) or risk that Direct Sunlight thing and go to the wee park down the street? Decisions, decisions...

The Tuesday Feline Picspam Caption Contest has closed. I will be putting together the voting list... erm, at some point before Saturday (see header). Vote early, vote often!

Today is all about a to-do list eleven items long. Wheeee. When the easiest thing on your list involves calling a NYS government office to clarify something, you know you need the full pot of coffee, yes.

Thanks for everyone's conga-rats yesterday. I'm quite pleased with the pre-launch lead-up...now I will be under my bed until the book actually hits readers' hands...


Also? Lake Champlain peppermint crunch dark chocolate FTW. Nom.

Although the turnout was light for the first-ever NJ Writers Conference, the energy and enthusiasm was high, and people really got into the "Blending Genres" workshop, although I may never get the image of a vampire Nazi tooth fairy out of my mind. *shudder* Signed/sold a bunch of books, and did a reading from FLESH AND FIRE that had people coming up to get info on the release date, so yay!

[October 13th, in case y'all haven't been paying attention)

Then Gary and I fled the premises and made our merry way to Atlantic City proper, where I had atypical bad luck -- but was seated next to very cute boys in suits, so the view made up for the cards -- followed by a stroll on the boardwalk,and thence -- at 1am -- to Denny's where I had serious flashbacks to several episodes of my misspent youth. It was, however, a surprisingly clean, well-lit, friendly and people-staffed (as opposed to zombies) Denny's, with nary a Garth Brooks fan in sight (in-joke for otterdance)

This morning I grabbed breakfast and headed out for the Road Trip portion of the weekend -- wending my slow, very relaxed way back north via back roads filled with flea markets, antique fairs, and oceanfront zen, wherein I spent a few hours spent reclaiming a part of my past.

My zen, let me show you it.


And now the mind is clear, the well refilled, and I'm looking forward to a rather, erm, busy week, including having a story shredded by the crit group, doing a video interview @ S&S, and various social whirls....

EtA: cats don't know I'm going away next weekend, too. Slowly getting them ready for the Big Leave...

So. A Steady Rain. New play from Keith Huff. Hugh Jackman. Daniel Craig. Opened for previews tonight on Broadway.

There were a lot of people waiting on line to get into the theater who had no idea what the play was about -- all they knew was "hey, Jackman! Craig! Yum!"

I'm very curious to know how they felt, coming out of the play afterward.

"A Steady Rain" is the story of two Chicago cops, partners and best friends, who retell the events of a single summer. Two men, stripped down set, 90 minutes. To tell more would be to lessen the impact of the play, I feel, and you don't need to know more other than this is a dark, unflinching play, and there isn't a happy ending, as such -- but the resolution is, IMO, painfully satisfying.

As is often the case in previews, both men were slightly shaky -- Craig flubbed several lines, although in a way that merged into the character rather than being glaring, and Jackman missed one and blew at least one mark that I noticed (unusual for him). For all that? Amazing evening, from the opening second (literally) to the very end. Mr. Huff's work impressed the hell out of me, as a writer. The play is tight, extremely layered and nuanced, and the words all rang true, even when they weren't (there's a lot of unreliable narrative in this play). The actors...

I will give them the highest compliment I can give 'celebrity' actors: I forgot who they were while they were on stage. There was no "Jackman" and "Craig," just the two cops, telling their story.

[although I will say that it should be illegal for either one of them to roll up their sleeves while they're on stage, because, okay, guh. I was prepared for Jackman's famous backside but I'd forgotten about Craig's forearms. Although Craig's backside and Jackman's forearms are something to write home about, too. Okay, GUH moment over, moving on now]

The voices were just right, the body language was near-perfect, the staging was impeccable.... once they have this baby polished, it's going to be gut-wrenchingly beautiful. I really hope they tape a performance, because I'd watch it again on PBS, without hesitation. Not an easy play, not a gentle play. But a damn good one.

Bravo, Mr. Jackman. Bravo, Mr. Craig. Bravo, Mr. Huff



Note: the language would make Mamet nod approvingly. Entirely story-approppriate, but not for the delicate of ears.

I decided this morning that it was too nice to spend all day chained to the desk. So I grabbed the manuscript, a pen, and a brown-bag lunch, and went to Central Park. Because that's what freelancers can do.

( my day in pictures )

( thoughts on why I love living in the city )

Woke up this morning snuggled into bed, the temperature a lovely 58 degrees. High today is supposed to be 80. My brain and my body are both "Yes! Let's DO something!" I LOVE this weather. I LOVE autumn. Have I mentioned recently how very much I'm NOT a hot weather person?


On the less happy side...
Sheila Lukins is a name you probably won't recognize. But if you do, you know why I am sad at the news of her death. The Silver Palate Cookbook was a major step for me from 'capable in the kitchen' to 'foodie' and although I rarely look at those cookbooks now, the stepping stone is still valued....


And, for those of you wondering why your authors are all particularly cranky this week, Kat Richardson's take on the Google (mis)settlement deadline. Yeah.