A Strange Week

Hi! 

How was your week? Mine was a bit strange. A little topsy-turvy because after almost three weeks, my daughter went back to school.

That means that my brain needed to switch gears before settling into any new projects. My head is just too full of ideas right now to concentrate on just one. Not until I get the chance to make a plan.

So what did I do? My daughter was home on Monday, so of course we watched SIX episodes of Pushing Daisies S2. We're seriously addicted to this show. A show I was going to watch alone but my daughter ended up getting as hooked on as quickly as I did. 

After she went back to school I decided to finish a short story I wrote several months back. That's what I spent most of Tuesday doing. By Wednesday I'd read it one last time and found a few final teeny things to fix.

On Thursday, I finished. I'm really happy with how it turned out, and the final word count is 4,215. I just need to find a market to sub to... 

I also caught up on Siren, which is turning out to be quite a violent and suspenseful show I'm really enjoying. And The 100 is as fantastic as ever. I was a bit worried about how they were going to show what happened to those who went underground, but I LOVED how everything played out. It was so clever.

There was also a lot of walking, plenty of washing, a bit of sorting and even some reading. But not enough planning. That's for next week. Probably.

Anyway, have a great weekend!

ETA: Because we loved Pushing Daisies SO MUCH, we managed to watch the rest of S2 by Friday night. Loved how it ended, even if I was sad it was over. I can't believe such a unique and wonderful show was cancelled. 😞

It's time for an update...

Yeah, I think it's definitely time. LOL.  

I mean, the last time I posted something my daughter had just started school holidays. And now, she's back at school, the public holidays are done, and I (finally) finished my latest WIP. Yay!

So, I spent the last few weeks working on an urban legend short story--spawned from an actual UL I read about online. I managed to write, revise, proofread & even sub it before the end of the month. Which is very cool.

The final word count is 10,852 and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Wish me luck on the anthology sub. (Because I haven't had much luck with submissions lately.)

It's still weird, because everything I had published and available during the last decade via a variety of publishers, now doesn't exist. Even the anthologies I have short stories in are mostly out of print. O.o

Some days I feel like a brand new writer trying to break in all over again. Getting back on this roller-coaster isn't easy, but I won't give up. The amount of ideas crowding my brain need to be told. It's all about the story and the actual writing, getting the story out of my head and hopefully out the door.

Anyway, let's not dwell.

I didn't start anything new yet, but these are some of the things I want to work on:

• the first draft of the other urban legend YA horror idea I got last month. (This time a novel.)
• start revising the YA horror first draft I wrote during NaNoWriMo.
• brainstorm & write some of the short story ideas that keep coming and are half-formed.
• get back into querying
• keep submitting stories to anthologies

Oh, before I forget, we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 the other day and it's freaking awesome. It's so colourful, full of clever SF ideas, packed with heaps of space goodness, and has such great characters. Also, for such a hilarious movie, there sure are many sad bits. There's so much heart, and even made me teary.

I might not have started anything new during the last half of the week, but I read a lot. And you all know how much I love reading. :)

Have a great weekend!

Trying to break a bad (no) blogging habit...

OMG! Asides from book reviews and blog hops, I haven't posted an update since the beginning of June! Can you believe that? O.o

 

Time sure flies when you get stuck into several projects, keep reading good books, enjoy yourself, and take a few weeks off...

 

Okay, the last instalment in my Sierra Fox series, which is called A STITCH ON TIME, is now finished and ready for its October release. I read the final proof a few weeks ago and received the final copies the other day, so I won't be reading it again until I get the print proof.

 

Writing this series has been an amazing rollercoaster ride for both the characters and myself. I LOVE urban fantasy and wanted to write my own series in this genre. And, I've always been fascinated with ghosts, so coupling that with this genre  produced some very freaky storylines. Having the series published by Samhain Publishing was the icing on the cake! Because I ended up working with an amazingly talented editor who helped enhance my story. Holly rocks!

 

I love Sierra & Co. so the final read was bittersweet. But I know I won't be leaving this world entirely just yet, because I've got a few spin-off novels I'd like to write and even a secret story that I've been working on but will not talk about. *whistles*

But enough about that.

Hubby went back to work yesterday, and my daughter went back to school today. They both had a 2-week break, and it was AWESOME! We hung out together and went to a few places, enjoyed many walks, and they were home to celebrate my birthday on the 7th. Yay. It was SO much fun that I didn't want it to end. And even now, it feels weird to be alone with Loki. Actually, even Loki showed some signs of confusion. I think he got used to having hubby home and didn't want him to go back to work. Can't say I blame him. LOL.

Anyway.

Now that everything has gone back to normal and winter seems to be in full swing--it's so cold right now--I guess I should start making some goals. Well, not this week. This week I want to take it easy and get back into the swing of things. I'll catch up on some reading, update some online stuff, write a synopsis, and maybe even take some notes for future projects. I also need to start scheduling a few guest blog spots for the upcoming release of RECAST, Volume 1 and Sierra Fox #5.

I think 4 days should be enough to get my frame of mind back on the writing/revising track. Well, it better be because I intend to spend next week reading the 50k story I finished last month one last time before subbing it. That's my main goal for this month! Next month, I'm actually hoping to get stuck into some new writing. Fingers crossed.

Okay, that's it for now. But like I mentioned in the title... I really have to stop neglecting my blog. There used to be a time when blogging here was part of my daily schedule. Wonder what changed? *scratches head and thinks of Twitter*

See ya!

MIA because of stuff

So, how's everyone doing? Wow. Long time no post.

 

I mean, I've been posting book reviews and a few other bits and pieces, but definitely no updates. :/

 

Hubby had annual leave all last week and it was my daughter's last week of school holidays, so we wound up going to the movies to watch THE MAN OF STEEL and PACIFIC RIM. I loved both of them. We also caught up on a bunch of other movies we've had at home for a while--a few turned out to be duds. But I really enjoyed LOOPER.

 

I also got a bunch of reading done.

 

It was a really nice break from everything. Hubby hadn't taken any time off in ages, so it was awesome!

 

Then this week everything went back to normal. Hubby went to work, daughter back to school, and I hit the ON PINS AND NEEDLES print galley. I actually finished today. It was nice to catch up with the characters and story again and I really didn't find too much to add to the correction/changes sheet. But you know what the most exciting thing is? Now that the galley is done, the next time I see this story is in paperback. I can't wait. It's due out next year. So exciting.

 

Anyway, I'm really glad that the weekend is here again. And most importantly, that I got the chance to finish everything I wanted to get done this week.

 

See ya!

Well...

This week started out with my daughter still at home, and a little last-minute tweaking on the edit I completed last week.

But when Tuesday came around, it was time for my daughter to go back to school. I spent most of that day sitting on the couch reading. It was nice, though a little intense because I was reading the conclusion of a zombie book. Love 'em! ;)

Yesterday was a little different.

I started out with the intention of spending most of the day reading this book, but ended up listening to some Linkin Park (the new album) while adding bits & pieces into my Sierra Fox Series Bible. I even opened up the first draft doc and created a second draft doc so I could make a few (slight) changes. And tidied up the series files. Nothing huge, but essential. The little things need to be kept up to date.

Today will probably be more of the same. I've got a few things to research, some notes to take, a timeline to set, and some reading to do. I wish I could just sit on the couch and do nothing but read because I'm enjoying this book, but Sierra's world just keeps spinning around inside my head. And when that happens, it's best to just get everything down on paper before my brain explodes. LOL.

Well, that's what I've been up to lately. It's nice to get a breather, though. No deadlines for this week means I can relax a little, which feels good after some intense work. :)

See ya!

Hello, it's the weekend!

So what am I doing blogging? I don't usually blog on the weekend, right?

Well, I'm shaking things up a bit this week. lol.

I hope you've all had a great week. Here in Sydney, the weather's been playing up again. We had a nice and super hot summer day on Monday, and then the rain settled in for the rest of it. Not. Impressed. At. All. This is turning out to be the worst non-summer ever.

Anyway, my daughter went back to school this week. She's now in her last year of primary school and seems to be happy with the class she's been put in. Although she was a bit hesitant about going back. Yeah, six weeks of holidays can do that to ya, I suppose.

Me? It's taking me a while to get into the swing of things too, so I took it easy this week. After a January that was filled with edits, promo, school holidays, and stuff, I was glad to settle down and relax for a bit. I pretty much spent most if it reading these:

PURE by Julianna Baggott

NINTH GRADE SLAYS by Heather Brewer

TANTALIZE: Kieren's Story by Cynthia Leitich Smith

ENTANGLED by Cat Clarke

XVI by Julia Karr

They were an awesome selection of YA books, and I enjoyed all of them!

I also spent some time brainstorming the rewrite I'll be working on next week. I had a bunch of notes I had to take, things that kept whirling around inside my head and I didn't want to forget. I've also managed to figure out what I think was missing from the story. I think. No, I'm pretty sure I have. ;)

Well, that's about it. Oh, no, hold on... there is one other thing. I've seen the cover draft for the first Sierra Fox book, and I have to say: Wow! I can't wait to get the final so I can share it. I keep checking my Inbox a thousand times a day... Soon, I hope.

Okay. Have an excellent weekend! I'm looking forward to hubby coming back from work. Yeah, I know. It sucks that he's working on a Saturday, but he should be back after midday. So that's not so bad.

See ya!

Hey, it's a new week!

And almost February. Yikes!

My daughter went back to school yesterday, so I'm still trying to get myself into the swing of having the whole day to myself. I wound up finishing the book I was reading and writing a review for it. I know, very productive. Not. ;)

Remember how I made this voodoo pincushion for my daughter a few weeks ago? Well, I forgot to post a photo of the second one I made for her...

<--- So, here it is. What do you think? I like it more than the first one. But I suppose the more I make, the better they'll turn out, right? Maybe. Still, I really like this one. :)

Oh, on Friday night hubby, daughter, and I went to the MCR concert. OMG. It was fantastic! My ears were ringing for a few days and I kinda lost my voice because I was singing along so much, but it was so worth it. They were awesome, and we had a lot of fun! Now we've seen our two favourite bands live in concert. So very cool. And my daughter's only 11. LOL.

We were all on such a high after the concert and having a 4-day weekend with hubby, that it was hard to settle back into a normal working/school week yesterday. O_o

Anyway. Today, I'd like to do some brainstorming on the R&R I'm going to be working on next. That's my first project for this year. I really want to make this story stronger, make better sense of it, as well as setting a more romantic mood in it. It's going to be a lot of hard work, but I believe in this story and want to do it justice. So, that's what I'm hoping to make some headway on today...

Well. I hope you all have an awesome day!

Trying to get back on track

Yep. I'm in zombie-reading territory again, and I'm lovin' it. :)

Well. My daughter went back to school yesterday, but I had several things that I needed to do, and didn't have a chance to squeeze in any blogging. It's been happening a lot lately. Which I don't like.

But the last few months have been super-busy with so much stuff, and I don't think things are going to slow down because I've still got edits coming, and plan to write several more stories during this second half of the year. Plus, don't forget all the real life stuff, etc.

Yeah, there's not enough time in the day and all that. lol.

Today, I've got a small to-do list which consists of answering some interview questions, getting some snail mail ready to send this afternoon,  cutting some chicken breast for tonight's dinner, reading more of EAT SLAY LOVE, and getting some more laundry done.

So, I better get to it! See ya later.

Rain, rain, go away!

As you can probably guess, it's still raining here in Sydney. :(

Seriously, every time I think it's going to stop because the sun makes an appearance, the next time I look out the window it's dark again. And it's not just a little drizzle either, it was pouring down this morning.

I think I ruined my sneaker/boots the other day because I stepped into so many puddles. Boo! I've had enough of it. I just wish it would go away. I miss the sun so much.

Anyway, enough crying about the weather.

This week has been a little strange. My daughter didn't go back to school until Thursday, and although I intended to work on a novella revision, I ended up spending most of the day reading. lol. I was just too exhausted from the school holidays. So I've had a chance to catch up on some reviews I owed. Only have a few left now. Cool!

I did, however, get stuck into the revision yesterday and got it finished this morning. Yay! The total word count ended up being 34,694, which fits perfectly into the guidelines. I just need to write a synopsis (hate writing those things!) and then, submit it. I'm hoping to have it done by the end of next week.

I've now managed to get a bunch of stuff off my to-do list, so I think it's time to schedule a new one for the next few months...

Well, have a great weekend!

Ah, another day

Today was my daughter's first day back to school. Yep. It's the start of term two, and she seemed to have a good day. Though she didn't seem very excited to be going this morning... I guess it's hard to get out of that holiday mood sometimes. Lol.

Anyway. I was a bad girl and ordered some more stuff from Vista. Man, that place is so addictive. The prices for most of their stuff can be pretty steep, but if you take advantage of their offers, you can get a whole bunch of stuff and only pay for postage. That's what I like to do. :D But this isn't a great place to visit for someone who loves stationery. ;)

I wasn't planning to, but after I got all my internet stuff done last night, I grabbed another book from my TBR pile. Wow. I'm really loving it. So far I'm up to page 90, I think. The story's fascinating, the lead character intriguing, and the pace... I love the pace! So much has happened so far. I gotta say, I'm really enjoying it. Can't wait to see what else Jax gets up to. Man, even her name is cool! If you want to read more about this tale and author, check out her website here. Awesome!

As for my own writing, I got started on another revision. I didn't get much done, but 11/63 pages isn't too bad. :) I'll get stuck into some more later tonight. And hopefully squeeze in some more reading too. Have a nice day!

Today was the day!

Can you hear the very long sigh of relief? Yeah, that's me. Oh, and the kitty. We both had a quiet, relaxing day together. Man, it's good to be back into the swing of (writing) things.

*sigh*

So, what did I do today? I've been itching to start that dark urban fantasy/cyberpunkish novel. The first chapter is already inside my head. I just have to write it. And you know what? A few other things I hadn't expected kinda popped in as I was writing. I love it when that happens. But you know, it's why it makes it so hard for me to plot a tale from start-to-finish.

Of course I've always got a beginning, and sometimes even an end. Or at least an idea of what the end might be. Bits and pieces of the plot are also there. Sometimes more solid than others. This tale's pretty solid inside my head. I know exactly what's motivating the characters, and what drives them together and apart too. There's going to be some emotional damage here. A little betrayal and selfish motives. Many bleak moments and a bizarre revelation.

Anyway, here's how the progress meter's looking after today's efforts:

Lol. Still got a looooong way to go. But I don't mind. Hopefully I can add another 1k to the story after my daughter goes to bed. Or get the first chapter finished. Whatever comes first. If I do 3-4k every single day, I'll be happy. :D

As you know, Australia likes to fall behind on American TV shows. Or at least, play them way late. :/ There's this new show on one of our channels called Burn Notice. Y'know, I like watching/reading stuff with spies in 'em. So I was kinda interested when I saw the trailer. Then I found out Bruce Campbell was in it. So, of course that was the hook for the hubby and I.

Anyway. Here's a trailer I found on YouTube:

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical. Thinking it might end up being crappy... well, a few minutes into the first episode, I was laughing my head off. The main character, Michael, is so smooth and he has this cheeky little smile and a laugh that's contagious. Lol. I love the voice-over comments too. His ex is a tough chick, his friend's a rat and his mother's a drag. Gotta love it. Can't wait to meet his psycho brother.

In the end, we watched the first two eps and loved them! It's so cool when that happens. I'm looking forward to finding out why he got a burn notice in the first place, and who was responsible. Looks like the plot is going to thicken. And Bruce Campbell's so awesome. He's a legend. ;)

Okay, I better go now. Got some thinking to do about my story. I'm just so excited to be writing again. It felt as if something was missing from my life during the last few weeks.