the things we carry

I spent the entire reading of this novel thinking of you.

This is how it might have been...if we were younger...if we’d not been separated by time and space...with a few differences in “incidental” details of the characters’ lives; but broken down to the fundamentals of Beatrice and Jonah’s “friendship,” it was pretty much like reading about the two of us.

I’d recommend it - as a way to understand where I am/was coming from - but a) we no longer speak (thanks to yours truly) and b) I’m not even sure you’d care. One way or another, everything always seemed to come back around to you. Plus, I would have conceived a completely different ending. Oh it was the perfect conclusion for two kids in their late teens - make no mistake. But if you haven’t realized there’s more to friendship than one person dumping their shit on the other’s doorstep, while disappearing and reappearing at will; that having them tell you: "I do nothing but drag you down," might actually be an accurate statement - if those lessons haven't gotten through by your early thirties? You've got much bigger problems than this shithouse philosopher is capable of addressing.

And yet...heartbreaking as How to Say Goodbye in Robot was, as much as I’m choking on the tears thinking of it now - it’s still one I want for my keeper shelf. If I can’t hold on to you, at least I have the memories...

grapemo squee!

(Set to the tune of Goodnight Sweetheart by The Spaniels)
Well it's ten o'clock in the morning...
And baby, I just got it right

And my current word count for the day is *drum roll* . . . . . . . . .

1,023

WHEEE!!!

Okay, so that's a piddly count especially when compared with the numbers many writers (professional and aspiring) rack up; but for me - a member of the Procrastination Royal Court - it's pretty damn good. I do so much better when I set go to bed with the next day's target "in head," then roll out of bed and head straight to the computer - no shower, no coffee, nothing but writing 'til I get those first five hundred words.

While I realize the current WIP isn't War and Peace, won't change the world, and isn't great literature by any measure, I'm having a lot of fun watching the story unfold as my characters come to life. I think one the aspects I enjoy most is learning more and more about their back stories; what experiences have shaped them into the people they are, how that affects their current choices, and what part all of that will play in determining where they're headed in the future.

I'm also thinking this may end up being more of an urban fantasy rather than paranormal romance, 'cause I can totally see my M(ain)C(haracter), Callie, getting involved with the "wrong" - or "less right for her" - guy, before she wises up and makes a better choice. Seeing as that doesn't usually happen in romance, or rather the generally accepted rules of the genre don't allow for that happening, this ms. might fit better in the UF category.

Of course categories/genres aren't something I need to worry about too much at this point, since the first draft is just a matter of getting everything down on the page. This is likely going to be a "trunk novel" anyway, which is why I refuse to stress about quality, genre, etc., at present.

All righty then. I'm off to run some errands and have lunch with Poppy. Then I'll be back at my desk to finish up. Later.

grapemo10 begins

It’s the first day of GrapeMo - young adult author, Jeannine Garsee’s annual challenge for herself and others to set aside one month (February) to focus on and reach as personal editing/illustration/outlining/synopsis/writing goal, with participants reporting (weekly) on their progress.

My goal for February 2010: to write 1,000/day for the entire month on the same project, without giving up/moving on/getting distracted by any number of other bright, shiny new ideas.

Chosen project: Paranormal romance/urban fantasy hybrid ms I started (and abandoned) during NaNoWriMo 09

Today’s word count: 449

Tomorrow’s goal: 1,554

(I had a wee bit of straightening out to do, in terms of character names, plotting - in my head, etc., hence the slow start. From here on out, it’s roll outta bed and hit the key board. The earlier I tackle any project, the better I tend to be about reaching my goals).

As for my promised catch-up post - it’s still in the works, as is my next link-a-licious post (must pick a day of the week for those, since I plan on making it a rega-lar feature). Until I get all the info together though, here’s a peek at how awful I looked during my ER visit a few weeks back...


PS: I finally finished all those pending book reviews. Yay!

i'm in i'm out

Thanks to falkie , I now have a paid account over at LiveJournal for the next twelve months - so I guess I'd best make the most of it - eh? Lots has happened since my last post & I promise an update a.s.a.p. I only have four more (really, really overdue) book reviews to pen & turn in, then I promise to tell y'all what's been happening in my neck of the woods.

Hope everyone had a safe happy/merry Hanukkah/Christmas/Yule/Solstice/Kwanza/R

amadan/nothing at all, and healthy eventful (or quiet, depending on what you enjoy) New Year.

Catch ya's later.


Teaser: Guess what landed me in the emergency room twice in twenty-four hours last week?

happy holidays

Whatever you celebrate (or forgo the festivities all together), I wish all my loyal readers a happy, healthy holiday season, and a brilliant new year. Thanks for reading guys. It means more than I can ever convey with words.

the care and feeding of gomez addams

*Note: I plan to make "Link-a-licious" a regular feature and am currently acquiring sites for what will likely be my last post of 2009.

On with the entry...

Mom vacates for greener pastures (viva Las Vegas) tomorrow to care for TheMaestro and TheCruiseDirector (ages 7 and 4, respectively; formerly known as Thing1 and Thing2), while their mother (my cousin, Emme) gives birth to their half-sibling, Spriggan. Which means I’m in charge of keeping Dad (aka, Gomez) fed, clean, and entertained until his reason for getting out of bed in the morning returns.

No, I’m not be overly dramatic.

Halfway through November, my father turned a pair of big, goggly eyes on Morticia and said: “I miss you already Mommy.” (Dissemination of such tidbits makes Tish want to die of embarrassment, so I won’t be telling her I posted about it info here. Considering my non-revelation of their true identities, there’s no reason to be bashful. I don’t even share their surname anymore).

This means I have to keep a bumper crop of Gomez friendly rentals at the top of our Netflix queue, plan a few meals, make a few grocery store/Trader Joe’s runs, and keep Dad company. Being an extrovert, he tends to become morose and despondent if/when not provided ample attention. Mom shoulders (roughly) 70% of this burden, with occasional fluctuations when she’s had her fill or is experiencing extreme stress. I tend to pick up the slack when she's at wits end, or (even better - *insert sarcasm*) G will seek me out.

All this makes it sound like I don’t love my father, or that I see him as a burden. First we’d have to enumerate all the ways in which I am an albatross to my parents, then we can talk about recompense for fulfilling my family obligations. Seriously though, I do love Dad and enjoy spending time with him. I just wish he was a little more (emotionally/mentally) independent. Left to his own devices for too long and his whole demeanor/outlook starts deteriorating. That can’t be healthy.

I’ll be busier with quantifiable demands until January 1st - something to which I am not accustomed at all; so if you see someone dragging a limp carcass across 2010’s threshold, don’t panic. Prolly just Daddy an’ me.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
North Central
Boston
The South
The Inland North
The Northeast
Philadelphia
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

The Soundtrack of Your Life Meme
1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend your cool...

Opening Credits: A Place Called Home - Kim Richey (Given my druthers, this would have appeared in the “Final Credits” slot.)
Waking Up: Monday Morning - Fleetwood Mac (Fitting I suppose...)
First Day at School: Black Tables - Other Lives (Recalling how melancholy and depressed I was as a child, this one fits.)
Falling in Love: Fuck and Run - Liz Phair (Yikes! Frightening and true.)
Fight Song: Wish You Were Here - Incubus (Wouldn’t this be better as a “Breaking Up” entry?)
Breaking Up: Sway - The Perishers (Yeah - let’s just swish this with the previous result and it’s all good.)
Prom: Rich Girl (Remastered 2003) - Hall & Oates (I’m jiggy w’it.)
Mental Breakdown: Sisters of the Moon (Single Version) - Fleetwood Mac (Right - this makes no sense whatsoever.)
Driving: Ashes - Embrace (Ooooo, yes!)
Flashback: Hunter - Dido (Again - kinda fits, which is surprising.)
Getting Back Together: Welcome to the Jungle - Guns ‘n’ Roses (No comment.)
Wedding: Hey There Delilah - Plain White T’s (Would be perfect if my name was Delilah.)
Birth of Child: O’Sailor - Fiona Apple (*Single head shake* I hate this song.)
Final Battle: Wanted Dead or Alive - Bon Jovi (Not bad. Not bad at all.)
Death Scene: Devoted to You - Carly Simon & James Taylor (Guess it could’ve been worse. See next category...)
Funeral Song: The Man Who Would Be Santa [Edit Version] - Vertical Horizon (Seriously? WTF.)
End Credits: Drawn to the Rhythm - Sarah McLachlan (Dude - there are so many other Sarah songs that would be perfect.)

happy thanksgiving

I'm not usually one for wishing folk happy holidays (partly because I inherently object to celebrations predicated on conquest and genocide), but this year I figured "what the hay?" Get it? 'Cause of the photo...yeah. See, this is why I tend to just keep my yap shut.

*smiles*

Seriously though, happy holidays all.

nanowrimo 09: day fourteen - i never promised you updates*

Better post forthcoming . . . eventually - possibly, if I get around to it. Yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath either.

*Post's title is a play on I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

nanowrimo 09: day one

Ladies and gentlemen . . . start - your - engines!

Uh no - I haven't yet "started my engine," nor did I manage to write and send those TRT book reviews. I know. IknowIknowIknow IknowIknowIknow! Bad. Bad, bad, bad Catie. Look at it this way though, the only person I really hurt here was myself...and *cough* the nineteen authors who've been anticipating their reviews *cough* which is why, once these pieces are done, I'm giving up the job (officially) for good. I may post the occasional, "ZOMG! I love(d) this book and here's why...," but beyond that I'm done.

So after celebrating Halloween with my ladybug-for-a-day, Doodlebug - indeed, there will be pictures - I'll dive into the madness of fast first drafting & gluttonous book reviewing later this morning. Wish me luck!

Image courtesy of thirtyfootscrew.

link-a-licious

Links to interesting/informative posts floating around the blogosphere this week. (If you guys like this type of post, or have suggestions for future blogs, let me know and I'll make it a regular feature).

• The Big Idea: Nicole Peeler - Nicole Peeler
• Book-a-holic - MG Braden
• Equal, But Separate? - Angela T
• Kindle Numbers: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing - J.A. Konrath [thanks to The Galaxy Express]
• Let's Start a Link Campaign! - Maria Zannini [My apologies for not getting around to doing so yet Maria!]
• On My Desk: Creative Folk Share the Stuff on Their Desks [Coolest blog ever!]
• So Many Books: A Confession - Diana Peterfreund
• To Develop Your Writer's Intuition, You Must First Read Like a Maniac - Justine Musk [thanks to Kaz Mahoney]
• Typealyzer: What Personality is That Blog?
• What Obama's Doing with FOX News - John Scalzi [Warning: May cause severe heart issues for right-wing nutbags.]
• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack - Peggy McIntosh [PDF version]
  

*Icon courtesy of zo-cat.

i'm all for freedom of expression, but . . .

From Jane at Dear Author:

First, Dear Author is not a blog devoted to authors or author causes or author issues. We are a reader blog and our focus is for the readers, from the reviews, to the giveaways, to the opinion pieces. We are not author advocates and yes, often our reader interest is at odds with the authors. We do not exist to advance any author position nor any particular author. If it appears that we do, it is because we have an interest in an author topic or a particular author, not because we exist to do service on behalf of authors and their self interests. To state it more bluntly, we at Dear Author owe you, the author, nothing.

Ouch - tell us how you really feel.

yeah i went and lost what was left of my mind

"We're gonna need a bigger boat."

Note to self: buy more coffee.

Anyone else feeling nutty enough for jumping into the fray? Friend me.

we were almost seventy-four degrees today*

I feel like channeling my oldest nephew The Maestro (formerly known as Thing 1) and repeating: "Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry--I'm sorry!" in rapid succession. I've been a Very Bad Blogger this week. To be honest, I've been a very bad writing blogger for more than two years now, but that hasn't kept my fingers from tap-tap-taping the keys, has it?

Spending time with Doodlebug and the Hollingpepper contingent always takes the stuffing out of my turkey. Not because I don't have a good time, but because I usually have too much fun. 'Course anyone who's ever chased after an eighteen month old child can testify to the massive quantities of energy required for the job. Couple that with rising at four in the morning to make the three hour drive from the Addams Family Manor to Hollingpepper east, clocking in a fraction of my usual down time while we're in house, the stress of dealing with T-Bone's sunshiny demeanor, and arriving home with 200 photographs to upload, edit, disk, and email - yeah, you get one worn out Cat(ie). Still, I'd travel to the ends of the earth if it meant spending time with my girl.

In SQUEE NEWS: I scored an advanced copy of Nicole Peeler's debut paranormal romance following the adventures of half-selkie shapeshifter Jane True, Tempest Rising. I've been dying to read this one ever since Ms. Peeler hit the pending publication author scene last year. Personally I was surprised about the controversy surrounding TR's cover. I think Sharon Tancredi did a spectacular job giving visual life to Ms. Peeler's work. Of course, I've long been a fan of artist Tara McPherson whose work is very much in the same vein. I don't know. The intent people read into certain pieces of art blows my mind sometimes.

In addition to that luscious goody - which was more than enough to tide me over 'til New Years - Morticia entered my office yesterday with a "special delivery." Anyone care to guess what that was?

Okay, I'll tell you. An ARC of Lauren Kate's second teen novel Fallen. (Her debut, The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, arrives in bookstore a month before Fallen's December release). I totally forgot entering my name over at Random House in the hopes of being a recipient! What a fantastic surprise - 'course this also means I need to buckle down, read both these copies and write up reviews; but in the grand scheme of things, not such a high price to pay for early peeks at books I really, really, really, really, really wanted to read.

I know I had more squee-worthy news, but for the life of me I can no longer remember what it was. Which means it's a wrap for this post boys and girls. I hope all is going well for my very quiet readers. Yeah, I'm only teasing. I don't mind that you're lurkers seeing as I'm guilty too most of the time; just knowing you're out there warms the cockles of my black little heart. *smiles* Until next time folks.

*Gomez with the daily "weather report." *eye roll*

jaws

Doodlebug has a new nickname courtesy of yours truly...

"Gotta watch out for that little one - she bites."

Not only did she get kicked out of her (maternal) grandmother's informal version of daycare for biting Auntie Droop, but she's also saying a word that sounds suspiciously like "shit." Can't imagine where she learned such language - *cough* looks towards potty-mouthed twenty-four year old cousin T-Bone *cough*

Since Gomez, Tish and I are headed to Hollingpepper Manor later this week, we'll get to see Bug all kitted out in the ladybug costume mommy (Angel) found. *le sigh* I only wish we lived closer so our visits weren't so infrequent.

No word yet on what Thing 1 & Thing 2 are going to be for Halloween. Hopefully Emme and The Prince will take photos.


*Click here for larger image.