2009/2010

Time for the obligatory end of the year post. It's been a tough year. My family home burned down in April and that takes some recovery. That's the house we built ourselves when I was a kid. My childhood was spent half there and half at my grandparents' house next door. But my parents bought a new house and we just had our first thanksgiving and Christmas there, and it was good. it makes it easier to have spent the holidays there, but I still miss the old house where I grew up.

On a happier note; I completed my first novel this year. I've always been very poor at finishing things, but this is proof that I can. And I will continue to do so. I'm finishing my last round of edits now, and then it will go to my betas. I'll edit for their feedback and then it will be time to query. 2010, the year of the query. *Crosses her fingers*

I'm sure I failed most of my goals for 2009 spectacularly, but, as I said, it was a rough year. Between the fire and family health scares, and moving not once, but twice, it's bee hectic, but life is. So here's to achieving more goals in 2010 than I did in 2009. I'll have to compile my list tomorrow. For now, it is time for a run down of my favorites from the year.

Books:

I did a very poor job of tracking the books I read in 2009. I will keep a log for 2010. But here are my favorite books read for the first time in '09. My top 12 authors in no particular order:

1. Ilona Andrews- Magic Strikes
I can't get enough of Kate & Curran. Just saying. Ilona and Gordon, if you could put out two dozen books a year I'd read them all. My Christmas gift card will be promptly spent on your new series as soon as I can get to the bookstore.

2. Lilith St. Crow- Strange Angels/Betrayals 
If I wasn't hooked before Betrayals, which I was, I most certainly was afterward.

3. Jim C Hines- The Stepsister Scheme/The Mermaid's Madness
A new author to me. Saw he had a signing at my local indie, and was on my TBR list so I picked up the first two in this series. With a blurb like: These princesses will give Charlie’s Angels a serious run for the money, and leave ‘em in the dust. How could I not pick it up? Well worth it. Can't wait for more. Plus Hines is a riot at signings. You can bet I'll be picking up his Goblin series. 

4.Caitlin Kittridge- Street Magic/Demon Bound
ZOMG!!! I've been following this author since her first book came out. I enoy her Nocturne series. I LOVE her Black London series. She's taken her writing to a new level with these books, and it shows. LOVE LOVE LOVE this series. Enough said?

5. Justine Larbalestier- Liar
I don't have many words for this, just wow.

6. Richelle Mead- Thorn Queen/Blood Promise/Succubus Heat
Keep 'em coming, please!

7.Devon Monk-Magic in the Blood/Magic in the Shadows
Fell in love with this series after winning a copy of book 1 and the series hasn't let up.

8. CE Murphy- Walking Dead
I am a dedicated CE Murphy fan. Much along the lines of my love for Kate & Curran, I love me some Jo & Morrison. More, please.

9. Bryan Lee O'Malley- Scott Pilgrim Volumes 1-5
A canadian manga my significant other begged me to read for months. I am certainly glad I conceded. Good stuff. Can't wait for Vol. 6 and the movie, though I'm terribly disappointed that they cast Michael Cera at Scott. 

10. Maggie Stiefvater- Shiver
Lyrically beautiful teenage werewolf angst. 

11. Sherry Thomas- Private Arrangements/Delicious
I don't seek out much straight romance, typically. Though I do have a soft spot for historicals. But this. THIS. It's like historical romance crack. Try it, but don't shoot me when you have to have more.

12. Rachel Vincent- Pride/Prey/My Soul to Take
Faythe is certainly coming into her own as a heroine and I'm glad I've stuck with her. Can't wait for the last two books in the Shifter series.
I loved the debut to her YA series. Great new take on paranormal YA.


Movies
also in no particular order

1. Julie & Julia
Love Meryl Streep. Plus, food porn. Always love me some food porn.

2. Up
I have never bawled in the first 15 minutes of a movie. Pixar, I don't know whether I should thank you or tell you to screw yourselves.

3.Coraline
Loved the book, loved the movie. 

4. Whip It
Saw it for my birthday, and I can't think of a better movie to have seen for it. Amazing women. Roller derby. The way friendship and boys were handled. Could someone please go back in time and show this movie to 15-16 year old me? 

5. Fanboys
I'm infatuated with Kristen Bell and this movie just encouraged that. Thoroughly enjoyable.

6. Star Trek
Perfect movie to follow up Fanboys, right? :) 
Great moving. Visually stunning. Few plot holes, but they can be forgiven for sucking me into the story and not letting me go til the credits.

7. Sunshine Cleaning
Depressing as hell and yet slightly hopeful at the same time.

8. Where the Wild Things Are
Also depressing as hell. Also slightly hopeful. Made me so glad I'm not a kid anymore. Also made me determined to remember how infuriating it can be to be a kid and have nobody listen or understand for when I have kids. Someday. In the very distant future. Very. Distant.

9. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Cheesy, I know, but, Fantastic. 

10. Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes=victorian batman=F'ING AMAZING
Can't say enough good things about this. I know some people believe they're disrespecting the source material, but seriously, have those people read the source material? This movie was written by someone with series Holmes love who sprinkled easter eggs everywhere. Went a little light on the addiction, but I can see why, would be easy for the movie to get bogged down if that was explored too much. Must see this movie again. Plus, RDJ dad House-face. Good stuff.

TV
Haven't watched much this year, but:

1. Firefly
Yes, I know I am REALLY behind the times, but I just watched it all this month. WOW! Will be watching that season over and over. It is now up there with Veronica Mars for my all time favorites.

2. Castle
Because I can't get me enough Nathan Fillion. And I love their chemistry.

3. Bones
Because I also love their chemistry.

4. House
Still loving it.

5. Glee
*squee*

6.True Blood
Haven't read the series, but I will be. Enjoying this quite a bit.

And that is the year for me. Happy New Year's all!

Ashes to Ashes

Originally Posted 04/17/2009


So, I need to get some thoughts out before I can even think about sleeping.
There are some amazing human beings out there. And some others that just suck!

My parents house burned down today. A neighbor did something that started the surrounding woods on fire. Burned 70 acres of land. And my parents house. To the ground.
The house that we built is gone. I mean, my family cleared the land, dug the basement, built everything. The only thing we didn't do in that house was hang the drywall (and we only didn't do that because my parents didn't have time because they had to take my brother to a children's hospital in Detroit for major surgery). And now it's a big pile of ashes, along with everything that was in it. The only thing left of the house is two feet of a wall in the garage. I think I'm still in shock.

But there's this thing I have to say, have to get out of me. A couple of people brought money, food, blankets, shoes. Because everything is gone. Everything except what my parents wore to work. And at least one of the people barely knew us. And that's great, it makes me happy that there are people like them in the world. But then there were the others. 

My parents live in a secluded area past a small city of the outskirts of the suburbs of one of Michigan's larger cities. They live in the boonies, but within 30-45 minutes of a major city. So it was covered by the news from the major city. A lot. And all night long people came to gawk at my parents' pile of ashes. Car after car looked up how to get there (because when I say secluded I mean a private drive in the middle of BFE) and drove there after the 8-9 fire departments/100 firefighters that responded (no, I'm not exaggerating, they called in EVERYONE because they were afraid it would spread to the other hundreds of wooded acres surrounding it) had left. My parents had to park their car across the drive way to block it off so people would stop trying to pull up the drive to see it. So they just parked and walked up instead. People came and took pictures with their cell phones. One family brought their four young children to see. And then when they'd gotten their entertainment for the day they left without so much as a word to us. Just stared at my parents like some kind of animals in the zoo and like that pile of rubble and ashes was some weird habitat they came from. After I got there 3 teens parked, walked by the car blocking the way, went to take a look, and came down the driveway laughing as they walked by my sister and I. Who does that?! My family lost EVERYTHING, this was a tragedy for someone, not some god damn FUCKING CIRCUS!!! Who laughs at this? Who goes out of their way to drive by? I would say 30 or more cars did last night. And it just makes me so freakin angry.

I couldn't go up there until this evening, so I spent the afternoon refreshing my browser and looking at the news website as they posted more pictures of my home burning down. I don't live there now, but I did for many years. It was my home and it was gone and I watched from a news website. And that's heartbreaking and it feels weird. Someone recorded it burning down with their cellphone and broadcast it to the news website. Everyone could watch the hosue burn down with us. And for the people that watched it all as entertainment, I just have to say, fuck you. I'm sure you'll never read this, but I have to say it, because it burns in my chest and I just want it out so I can sleep and try to forget for awhile that it's all gone. At least I can breath easier knowing that my family is safe and still here, even if our stuff is not.

2009

Originally Posted 01/03/2009


Only two days left until Oliver starts the new job and our lives get back to normal. I'm glad that we'll have that source of income, but after spending 3 months of being with the one I love all day long every day, I'm going to miss him. On the other hand, I'm the type of person that needs space/alone time, so maybe it will be good for us. :)

I spent the last few weeks of 2008 playing around with some tentative writing schedules for 2009, as well as my resolutions for the new year. I think with some touch-ups yesterday I got things more or less figured out.

In an effort to treat my writing more like a job and less like a hobby I've created a set up to treat it more like a 9-5. 
My plan is:

• Write 2,500 words/weekday.
•  Weekends and holidays (New Year's, February 2, March 20, Oliver's birthday, Easter, May 1, Memorial Day, June 21, July 4, our anniversary, August 2, Labor Day, September 22, my birthday, October 31, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, December 21, Christmas Eve, Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year's Eve) off.
•  For every 5,000 words I write I accumulate 1 vacation hour and 1 sick hour to be used as I like. 8 sick or 8 vacation hours may be redeemed for a day off in which I am not obliged to write, edit, or do anything involving my writing.

I know it seems like an awfully complicated system for something I should just do, but I figured if I treated it like this, gave it a concrete system, it would be easier to keep myself accountable to my writing. Making myself accountable for what I do or do not do is a large part of what I'm trying to work on this year.

2009 Goals:write 12 short stories
write 4 novels 
program my placeholder website
submit short stories at least 20 times
send out at least 150 queries
blog at least 3 times/week
type all the longhand writing in storage
write a short synopsis for each idea
keep notebook on me at all times 
develop an idea for a comic
read at least 100 books 
walk 1000 miles
drink less than 3 glasses of soda/week 
drink 64 oz. water/day 
stop using plastic bags 
stop using plastic water jugs
stop using incandescent lightbulbs in my home 
start recycling once I have a car 
get an oil change every 3,000 miles 
check tire inflation at least once/month 
say at least one nice thing/day 
stop and think about the thing I'm about to say before I let myself say it
put 5 cents in a jar for each time I swear

I have a few things to finish up on Queen of Freaks, then I'm going to do a round of edits for the things I already know need to be fixed. After that it will be all set to finally go out to the betas. I'm thinking that will be about the 16th or so. When I get it back from then I'll do a round of edits to fix any problems they catch, then it's going in a drawer for a month before I do my final edits. When the final edits are done I'll send out my queries.

In the interim I'll be working on PDA1, which really needs a title, but I can't think of anything. Maybe while I'm working on the zero draft I'll think of something. I think the zero draft will go quite quickly, since I've taken the time to plot the whole book in advance, unlike Queen of Freaks. It's also had time to simmer and develop. The last three months have been very unproductive as far as word count, only about 10,000 words, but PDA1 has developed nicely. Now I just have to ship Oliver off to work and get back to work myself.