I will be "away" for the month of November. It's time to write my NaNo novel. As of midnight tonight I have 30 days to write a 50,000 word minimum novel. My project this year takes place at a grand resort hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. It has an extensive cast of characters and a lot going on with different character's relationships forming and falling apart...so I'll be busy writing in every spare moment I have.
I also have to have a broken tooth extracted November 7th. That will not be fun. It's a molar. Ugh! And Ouch!
I'll try to write here as time allows. We'll see what happens. Last year's novel went over 300,000 words!
Monday, October 31, 2016
Sunday, October 30, 2016
A Bittersweet Moment
Kelly and I usually go out for breakfast on Sunday morning as it's basically the only morning of an otherwise busy week that we have more than a few minutes to see one another.
This morning she initiated a conversation about buying a house for herself. She'll be 26 next June. She currently is crammed into a smallest bedroom in our 3 bedroom ranch, and her floor space is so cramped two people can't walk through the room. Our basement is full of her college stuff plus furniture she bought when she thought she'd be living in central MA, before her current job came through and she moved home to save money.
I'm excited for her, that she's ready to move out on her own. I remember when I moved out pf my parent's home- it was exhilarating to have an apartment of my own and be solely responsible for myself (and my cat that I took with me). I liked having all that room for my stuff, and not having to share a bathroom with anyone else! I liked having an address that was all my own. What took some getting used to was dong my own grocery shopping, coming home from work and having to cook my own meals, but I put together a recipe book of easy things to cook and quick menu ideas and that worked out really well. I went home for Sunday dinner to my parents with the family and often brought home a plate of leftovers for dinner the next day, which might now seem like much, but it helped. Plus Mom usually had cookies or brownies and sometimes whoopee pies that she baked in quantity so we could all take some home to our own places. I'll probably do that with Kelly once she's on her own.
I'm thinking that Revere, her cat, will be 6 years old. He became my cat when she was away at college and he sort of still thinks he's mine, so it might be better if she adopts a kitten or young cat that will be exclusively hers and leave Revere here with his brother Riley Beans- the boys would miss one another if we separated them, and would not adapt well to a new sibling. So I think when she gets a home of her own she should adopt a cat of her own and form that bond she doesn't have with Revere like she did when he was a kitten before she went off to college.
As terrible as it sounds I am gleefully anticipating her move so that I can get her double closet. My current closet is the smallest in the house, the same size as our overstuffed coat closet in the foyer. I will also be thrilled to have my hobby room back. It was wonderful when John first built it for me, but then it gradually became the home to Kelly's N-scale model railroad table, extra furniture, boxes of her books and college things, cartons of trains, plus John's air compressor and power washer. I can't even walk through that room never mind sit at my cluttered work bench!
When she was away at college we had a preview of our empty next years. Now that the time is actually drawing nearer it's a very bittersweet moment indeed to think about her going out on her own...little free bird, I know your wings are strong and will carry you far, but I'll miss you!
This morning she initiated a conversation about buying a house for herself. She'll be 26 next June. She currently is crammed into a smallest bedroom in our 3 bedroom ranch, and her floor space is so cramped two people can't walk through the room. Our basement is full of her college stuff plus furniture she bought when she thought she'd be living in central MA, before her current job came through and she moved home to save money.
I'm excited for her, that she's ready to move out on her own. I remember when I moved out pf my parent's home- it was exhilarating to have an apartment of my own and be solely responsible for myself (and my cat that I took with me). I liked having all that room for my stuff, and not having to share a bathroom with anyone else! I liked having an address that was all my own. What took some getting used to was dong my own grocery shopping, coming home from work and having to cook my own meals, but I put together a recipe book of easy things to cook and quick menu ideas and that worked out really well. I went home for Sunday dinner to my parents with the family and often brought home a plate of leftovers for dinner the next day, which might now seem like much, but it helped. Plus Mom usually had cookies or brownies and sometimes whoopee pies that she baked in quantity so we could all take some home to our own places. I'll probably do that with Kelly once she's on her own.
I'm thinking that Revere, her cat, will be 6 years old. He became my cat when she was away at college and he sort of still thinks he's mine, so it might be better if she adopts a kitten or young cat that will be exclusively hers and leave Revere here with his brother Riley Beans- the boys would miss one another if we separated them, and would not adapt well to a new sibling. So I think when she gets a home of her own she should adopt a cat of her own and form that bond she doesn't have with Revere like she did when he was a kitten before she went off to college.
As terrible as it sounds I am gleefully anticipating her move so that I can get her double closet. My current closet is the smallest in the house, the same size as our overstuffed coat closet in the foyer. I will also be thrilled to have my hobby room back. It was wonderful when John first built it for me, but then it gradually became the home to Kelly's N-scale model railroad table, extra furniture, boxes of her books and college things, cartons of trains, plus John's air compressor and power washer. I can't even walk through that room never mind sit at my cluttered work bench!
When she was away at college we had a preview of our empty next years. Now that the time is actually drawing nearer it's a very bittersweet moment indeed to think about her going out on her own...little free bird, I know your wings are strong and will carry you far, but I'll miss you!
Friday, October 28, 2016
Power Outage
Nothing stops the world faster than a power outage.
When I got home from work yesterday we had no power in our area due to 3-4 inches of wet snow. The trees with leaves were drooping near car rooftop level along the roads reminiscent of the big 2011 blizzard in October that took down trees and knocked power out here for 8 days, longer in more remote places.
I realized I have some PTSD due to that 2011 storm- stuck in a house with no heat, no electricity, no phone, no gas in the outdoor grill, unable to leave the neighborhood due to roads not being plowed because of downed trees and power lines everywhere. Cold cheese sandwiches and cold cereal for meals, the contents of the refrigerator and freezer in ice chests under the back deck packed with snow, because we had plenty of that! I remember the joy of going to a dark grocery store in Southampton that had opened to allow people to buy what they had for food left on the shelves. I remember the euphoria of being able to get to Denny's in Holyoke on the fifth or sixth night for a hot meal because that area got their power back on. The jobs were jammed with people out buying supplies and looking for hot food.
John had put a leftover casserole in the oven at 4:30PM yesterday afternoon. The power went out at 5:03PM. When I got home it was 5:23PM due to poor road conditions and the need to drive slow, and some difficulty making it up the mountain. Dinner was hot at 5:30PM so before it cooled down we all sat down to eat by LED lantern light.
When our power goes out we lose heat, and phone service. We have Comcast and cordless phones. By 5:30PM my cellphone was at 42% power because I'd taken some pictures of the snow at work. Normally I don't use my phone all day so have about 82% charge left by the time I get home. I don't carry a charger around with me. So my phone was nearly dead. John's phone was off because he has a phone interview today and wanted to conserve his battery. Kelly's phone was about 60% charged.
No phones, no TV, no computers, one LED lantern with a modest residual charge, 4 D cell batteries and a couple of Maglites...doesn't make for a very exciting evening. Kelly read by flashlight or lantern light. The cats ran around the house like maniacs, and Revere spent much of his time sitting on a box staring out the dining room window (he was only 6 moths old during the 2011 blizzard). John and Kelly talked about jobs at UTC. I thought about my NaNo novel and was frustrated that I couldn't see well enough in the near darkness to jot some notes down. And the house cooled from 67 to 61 (at 10:32PM when the power finally came back on).
I went to bed at 8:35PM and was soon joined by Revere who had cold toes. Riley came to bed next. Kelly crashed at 9:40PM...John had just come to bed after my telling him to do so. About five minutes later the power came back on and then he had to get up and reset every clock in the house, start the dishwasher (a fail because this morning it hadn't run so I had to restart it).
The weirdest thing was trying to talk to one another because usually we don't have much to say to one another once we get home from work. We all have different interests and things we do. Conversation? What's that? Technology has disconnected us while we're fooled into thinking it keeps us connected! Not really.
Back to normal today. Snow will melt and be gone. Power's on- the cogs are turning....time to go to work.....
When I got home from work yesterday we had no power in our area due to 3-4 inches of wet snow. The trees with leaves were drooping near car rooftop level along the roads reminiscent of the big 2011 blizzard in October that took down trees and knocked power out here for 8 days, longer in more remote places.
I realized I have some PTSD due to that 2011 storm- stuck in a house with no heat, no electricity, no phone, no gas in the outdoor grill, unable to leave the neighborhood due to roads not being plowed because of downed trees and power lines everywhere. Cold cheese sandwiches and cold cereal for meals, the contents of the refrigerator and freezer in ice chests under the back deck packed with snow, because we had plenty of that! I remember the joy of going to a dark grocery store in Southampton that had opened to allow people to buy what they had for food left on the shelves. I remember the euphoria of being able to get to Denny's in Holyoke on the fifth or sixth night for a hot meal because that area got their power back on. The jobs were jammed with people out buying supplies and looking for hot food.
John had put a leftover casserole in the oven at 4:30PM yesterday afternoon. The power went out at 5:03PM. When I got home it was 5:23PM due to poor road conditions and the need to drive slow, and some difficulty making it up the mountain. Dinner was hot at 5:30PM so before it cooled down we all sat down to eat by LED lantern light.
When our power goes out we lose heat, and phone service. We have Comcast and cordless phones. By 5:30PM my cellphone was at 42% power because I'd taken some pictures of the snow at work. Normally I don't use my phone all day so have about 82% charge left by the time I get home. I don't carry a charger around with me. So my phone was nearly dead. John's phone was off because he has a phone interview today and wanted to conserve his battery. Kelly's phone was about 60% charged.
No phones, no TV, no computers, one LED lantern with a modest residual charge, 4 D cell batteries and a couple of Maglites...doesn't make for a very exciting evening. Kelly read by flashlight or lantern light. The cats ran around the house like maniacs, and Revere spent much of his time sitting on a box staring out the dining room window (he was only 6 moths old during the 2011 blizzard). John and Kelly talked about jobs at UTC. I thought about my NaNo novel and was frustrated that I couldn't see well enough in the near darkness to jot some notes down. And the house cooled from 67 to 61 (at 10:32PM when the power finally came back on).
I went to bed at 8:35PM and was soon joined by Revere who had cold toes. Riley came to bed next. Kelly crashed at 9:40PM...John had just come to bed after my telling him to do so. About five minutes later the power came back on and then he had to get up and reset every clock in the house, start the dishwasher (a fail because this morning it hadn't run so I had to restart it).
The weirdest thing was trying to talk to one another because usually we don't have much to say to one another once we get home from work. We all have different interests and things we do. Conversation? What's that? Technology has disconnected us while we're fooled into thinking it keeps us connected! Not really.
Back to normal today. Snow will melt and be gone. Power's on- the cogs are turning....time to go to work.....
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
The Hour of Phantoms
While assembling the stories to be included in 13 I came across a piece I wrote a few years ago titled The Hour of Phantoms. I'd forgotten about it but rediscovered it while picking and choosing from what I had in my files and what was recently written that would go well together in the new collection.
I will be reading The Hour of Phantoms on Saturday night during Ghost Stories LIVE at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA. The event runs from 7PM-9PM.
I was originally going to do a reading from McCleary's Haunt from Miss Peculiar's Haunting Tales, Volume III. It's a ghost story set in an Irish pub.
Then I was asked to read The Fly In The Ointment that I included in a folder of materials I handed out at my author event. It's what I classify as a little piece of psychological unease prose. It's the little voice in one's head talking and it's not a very nice voice. It's a little flip, a little creepy, a lot disturbing, and rather belittling.
Then I came cross The Hour of Phantoms which is a classic-type ghost story. I emailed it to Russell Atwood who is hosting the event and put together the companion anthology that will be available that night. The anthology will include McCleary's Haunt. However, I heard back today that I have the green light to read The Hour of Phantoms instead of The Fly In The Ointment.
All I can say is that it's creepy- about a woman rising from her bed to go to a cemetery where she is possessed by multiple spirits who dance with her during the hour of phantoms and nearly steal all her energy before returning to their graves.
I'm glad I didn't have to choose among the real ghost stories I could tell- I'll leave that to my brother if attendees are allowed to tell their own ghost stories. He lived in a haunted apartment and a ghost materialized and actually passed right through him! He can tell his own story!!
Ordered proof copies of 13 for the final read through because I've learned from past experience not to trust the digital proofreader- it's better to have a print copy to mark up with blue pen. I know Kelly can't wait to attack the interior copy- she loves to circle all her mother's comma errors!
I will be reading The Hour of Phantoms on Saturday night during Ghost Stories LIVE at Blue Umbrella Books, 2 Main Street, Westfield, MA. The event runs from 7PM-9PM.
I was originally going to do a reading from McCleary's Haunt from Miss Peculiar's Haunting Tales, Volume III. It's a ghost story set in an Irish pub.
Then I was asked to read The Fly In The Ointment that I included in a folder of materials I handed out at my author event. It's what I classify as a little piece of psychological unease prose. It's the little voice in one's head talking and it's not a very nice voice. It's a little flip, a little creepy, a lot disturbing, and rather belittling.
Then I came cross The Hour of Phantoms which is a classic-type ghost story. I emailed it to Russell Atwood who is hosting the event and put together the companion anthology that will be available that night. The anthology will include McCleary's Haunt. However, I heard back today that I have the green light to read The Hour of Phantoms instead of The Fly In The Ointment.
All I can say is that it's creepy- about a woman rising from her bed to go to a cemetery where she is possessed by multiple spirits who dance with her during the hour of phantoms and nearly steal all her energy before returning to their graves.
I'm glad I didn't have to choose among the real ghost stories I could tell- I'll leave that to my brother if attendees are allowed to tell their own ghost stories. He lived in a haunted apartment and a ghost materialized and actually passed right through him! He can tell his own story!!
Ordered proof copies of 13 for the final read through because I've learned from past experience not to trust the digital proofreader- it's better to have a print copy to mark up with blue pen. I know Kelly can't wait to attack the interior copy- she loves to circle all her mother's comma errors!
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Total Makeover for 13 Last Night
So, I finished the big proofread and uploaded the revised file on CreateSpace for 13. Then I looked at the cover and literally gagged. It was awful. So, at 11:10PM when I should have been thinking about going to bed because I had to get up at 6AM for work, I instead redesigned the entire cover, front and back, adding the back cover copy I'd more or less skipped the first time around, choosing a new picture (a luna moth-they are like miniature supernatural beings when you see them in nature). I ditched the votive candles. Then I changed the cover colors from orange and yellow(too candy corn) to black and luna moth-green. It made a huge difference.
Off to review the whole project now. Making huge progress for having just sat down this past Saturday afternoon needing a distraction from a novel that was derailing.
Off to review the whole project now. Making huge progress for having just sat down this past Saturday afternoon needing a distraction from a novel that was derailing.
Monday, October 24, 2016
One Last Story to Edit and 13 will be done
13 is coming closer to being published. I spent the whole weekend working on it, tinkering with it here and there. A couple of the stories/pieces in this book are outside my comfort zone but every writer needs to take risks now and then. I have 2/3s of a longer story to finish proofreading, and then back to Create Space to upload the revised file and write the back cover copy and it'll be done!
Spent my lunch break today copying notes for Spindrift into the ocean blue moleskin journal to travel with when writing in November at various locations. Will probably do the same tomorrow until all the info is transferred over into the journal from the larger book with notes taken afer various stories were written- the pink book of reminders.
Definitely feels more like autumn out there today. I can tell when the colder weather has arrived when my husband and my daughter don't want to go out to get the newspaper from the box at the end of the driveway- too much effort for them to put on a coat and a pair of shoes. Forget the lazy days of summer, around here it's the laziness of fall & winter!
Back to 13....(13, incidentally is the age I was when I wrote two books of poetry. They are the oldest "books" I still have of my early writing!)
Spent my lunch break today copying notes for Spindrift into the ocean blue moleskin journal to travel with when writing in November at various locations. Will probably do the same tomorrow until all the info is transferred over into the journal from the larger book with notes taken afer various stories were written- the pink book of reminders.
Definitely feels more like autumn out there today. I can tell when the colder weather has arrived when my husband and my daughter don't want to go out to get the newspaper from the box at the end of the driveway- too much effort for them to put on a coat and a pair of shoes. Forget the lazy days of summer, around here it's the laziness of fall & winter!
Back to 13....(13, incidentally is the age I was when I wrote two books of poetry. They are the oldest "books" I still have of my early writing!)
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Coming Soon...13
Well...I have totally gone off plan and put together a volume of thirteen tales of ghostly hauntings, the supernatural, and psychological unease. Some of these stories were going to debut in Miss Peculiar's Haunting Tales, Volume IV, but I've decided to start a new series. Therefore 13 will be the first book in this new series. I've created the cover and put together the interior. I'm doing the final edit and proofread now. I just threw it together yesterday on the spur of the moment because I was frustrated with the direction Black Knight. White Rook had taken, and that usually means I'm on the verge of scrapping the entire book and starting over. I'm 77,000 words into it.so that is a discouraging thought.
I should have 13 ready by the end of the week in time for Halloween/All Soul's Night.
And then it will be time to start my NaNoWriMo novel.
Just have all this energy flowing through me at the moment as I gear up toward NaNo...had to do something. 13 is that something.
I should have 13 ready by the end of the week in time for Halloween/All Soul's Night.
And then it will be time to start my NaNoWriMo novel.
Just have all this energy flowing through me at the moment as I gear up toward NaNo...had to do something. 13 is that something.
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