Blog

Travelogue of Japan begins with
Fukuoka. So far, the gallery is florally heavy.

This week I’ll be at Portus, moderating the Portus YA Series, and reading Neville Longbottom and the Heroic Journey. If you’re in the area, feel free to stop by the Hilton Anatole.

On Saturday, the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading at Wiscon had 15 attendees. Three of us read our work, and it was well received. Yup, enjoying the author life…

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I’ve posted the next installment of Blood is Thicker than Water over at Las Habladoras.

Getting ready for Portus this week…

Catherine

I’m thinking about writing workshops. I’m thinking about applying for Viable Paradise in 2009, provided I can get some material together after I’ve written Hulk Hercules. I think, if I were accepted, I could get the college to cover the majority of Viable Paradise.

I think about the idea of joining a writing group, but I think that to some extent it would get in the way of my writing time, so I think maybe that’s not my best idea while I am day job writer(TM).

Another thing I would be interested in is a writer’s retreat. There’s this really interesting workshop called Blue Heaven that would be a good model for one. Again, it would be good to write first, and organize later. So no, I can’t plan a workshop. Stop it!

I’ll just think about Viable Paradise, then, and try to take some anti-inflammation medicine for my Type A gland, which is trying to swell into the time I’ve carefully carved out for writing.

Can anyone weigh in on Viable Paradise, or Clarion West, or Blue Heaven? What do you think of these kinds of workshops? Have you found them useful as writers? I haven’t been in a writing workshop since 1987 during graduate school, so I’m a bit rusty!

Catherine

(actually, this is the I’ve been in Japan, catch up version, and encompasses more than one week!)

The prologue to my Victorian Action adventure novel Blood is Thicker than Water is now live.

Cat posts her 4 Seasons pictures!

Jenn talks about I Should Be Writing, Mur Lafferty’s podcast, Scrivener, and Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King.

Yo discusses amusement at the office, and well, naked defense.

Go on over! Here!

Catherine

Catching up with some stuff on the Internet…

Julie Rose has her interview with Mark Teppo up at Writers and Their Soundtracks. It’s a mighty fine interview, given by someone who actually thought about their questions. Darned that Mark Teppo! Makes me want to raise my intellectual bar. Or something.

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I mentioned this before, but now it’s time to get down to brass tacks. Members of our creative group have formed a blog called Las Habladoras. The name comes from Spanish, and it means the chatty ones. I’ll try to update you when our group posts something, but let me tell you about our cast of posters.

Jenn Racek: Jenn will be talking about writing education, tools and tips, a particular passion of hers.

Yolanda Joosten: Yo is going to be focusing on character development and humorous stories from her work as a lawyer.

Cat Horsfield: Our resident artist will be talking about her artwork, both finished and in progress.

Julie Rose: Julie is currently thinking about her angle, but in the past she’s done interviews, vocabulary, and mythic information, so I expect something similarly caliber. We all owe Julie for setting up the site (*bows* we’re not worthy!)

Catherine Schaff-Stump: Serializing a Victorian action adventure novel, first in writing, and then via podcast.

We’re planning on posting, each of us, once a week, and we hope that you’ll stop by.

Speaking of posting once a week, I’d better do something about that. 🙂

Catherine

Are you going to be at Convergence in Minneapolis this weekend?

I’ll be participating in a Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading on Saturday at 3:30. I’ll be reading an excerpt of Sister Night, Sister Moon, soon to be released from Drollerie Press. Check your program book for final details, but we’re supposed to be in LL Lit.

I’ll also be participating on the YA Literature Panel in room A6 at 9:30 on Saturday.

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At Portus in Dallas next weekend, come see YA authors read both Friday and Saturday at the YA Reading series in Grand C from 10-12. I’ll be there facilitating and introducing. Also, the authors will be signing autographs in the vendor room from 2-4 both days.

On a more academic note, come hear the Neville Longbottom paper from 11:30-12 in Obelisk A.

Okay. That’s enough pimpage.

Catherine

ETA: Rejection from Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill

Back home! I’m not too jet lagged yet, because I’ve been keeping busy sorting, unpacking, that sort of thing. Most notably, I’ve gone through two weeks worth of mail. The government sent our rebate check. That’s nice, because Japan was expensive. And there was some good writerly news.

Another agent asked for a partial. That’s two partials and one full out there. Okay, then. I’ll take it. As usual, I’ll let you know the whole poop once we have the whole story.

Meanwhile, here’s the list of rejections.

Matthew Bialer of Sanford J. Greenburger
Jill Grinberg of Jill Grinberg
Marcia Wernick of Sheldon Fogelman
Jodi Reamer of Writers House
Robin Straus of Robin Straus (which gave the material a considered reading)

So, I’m off to send out the partial and finish up unpacking. Back to being a writer type tomorrow in earnest.

Catherine

In Japan, Scribe Agency found me to say no. 🙂 I’m sure there’ll be lots of rejection updates when I get home.

Home. The thought of soft beds and not sitting on the floor makes me feel all sniffly. 🙂

Catherine

I’ve been email-less until Tokyo this trip. That’s the problem with staying in charming old Japanese tatami rooms.

At any rate, alive and well, and ready to go home. Been reading loads on bullet trains, and will probably work on manuals on the flight back. The Neville paper is done.

Look for a travelogue eventually over at my awelkin journal. Since we jump into Convergence and Portus right after we get back, it’s going to be hasty for a bit.

Lots to say about the flood too. I’m interested in getting back and seeing how much our world will have changed in Eastern Iowa. Writerly, it’s now going to be several weeks until the FACF chapbook comes out. Given that the entire shelter was evacuated, of course.

Hope you are all safe, warm and dry. I’ll be home in two days.

Catherine

That sound of drilling and hammering and vacuuming that is coming collectively from my basement is the sound of progress. Mark and Michelle, if it floods in our absence, leave it alone. The going theory now is that it shouldn’t, but if it does, it tends to swell up to merely the water table, which is just below our water heater and heater critical damage stage.

Looks like we may begin our trip El Norte sooner than I could have hoped. Getting up at 5 this morning paid off. Yes, our basement is still seeping like a teabag in a torrent.

*deep sigh*

Catherine

Have you been watching the news? Cedar Rapids, that Iowa town that just flooded beyond all expectation and record, is 25 miles to my east. I work there. Needlesss to say, the college where I work has been closed since Wednesday afternoon.

I actually live in Blairstown, a nice dry town located away from the Iowa River. The town to the south, Marengo, occasionally floods a great deal, but not Blairstown.

In Blairstown, my house has always been dry. I live in a 140 year old house with an old limestone basement. Sure, it seeps a little, but for the most part, it’s not a problem.

***

That was then. Welcome to the 500 year flood plain. My basement is filling back up to match the water table. Yesterday morning we woke up to about six inches of water. We have no drain or sump pump. Until yesterday, we’ve never needed either, and it’s not one of the home repairs we prioritized.

The gamble now is to get the water in the basement low enough for us to get a sump pump in. The local hardware stopped by just after we’d started the entire wet vac process, and five hours later, when they were closed, we were ready for them.

Of course, the rains haven’t let up, and we’re full again down there. We’ll get up again at 5, and start the process again. They’re supposed to come back this morning.

All of this angst does not include that we have to get to Minneapolis today, to get to the airport tomorrow, and we have to navigate through a set of closed roads and alternative routes. It’ll be like a lab maze or a video game, depending on your centennial choice of metaphor.

Fine. I’m making this up as I go along. So is God. I get it.

Catherine