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Been having a lot of fun with the podcast. Worked on three projects for Unreliable Narrators last night, which will reveal themselves in time.

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Last week, work was a horrific nightmare of doom. We were busy, so I kept sneaking to a special curriculum bunker to work on projects that desperately needed completing before the beginning of the semester. You know, things like syllabi, student learning outcomes written in the style the college has decided is now in vogue, the writing course sequence (two years in the making!) and some new tough love grading standards. All my creative writing energy was being funneled into academic writing, and I had some serious aches and pains going on in the back, wrists and so forth.

The worst of it, though, was that I stressed, big time. I lost weight, but I drank coffee and soda and wine and just pretended that not relaxing was okay. Did I think I’d gotten away with it? Until Sunday, yes, when I had the mother of all reflux-lanches. It’s been a long time since I was down with the heartburn like that. I went off the diet to have chicken noodle soup in a bread bowl and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and you know, bread especially can usually stop heartburn ded. So. Behold! The stupid one!!!! Behold her stupidity!

That said, yesterday wasn’t too bad. That said, today has been challenging. Anywhoo, back to taking my lunch break, relaxing, paying attention to my body, all that jazz. I’d like to say I won’t make these mistakes again, but I am stupid, as I noted above.

Ironically, I have my six-month reflux check in tomorrow, and I will have to admit my stupidity to a real, live doctor.

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Writing-wise, I have an ending on a piece to rewrite and resubmit, which is something I am hoping to do tomorrow. Tonight is change the oil, air filter, and tires on the new(er) car night, so it’ll be pretty much mall walking and doing a little shopping this evening.

I suppose I should talk a little bit about binge watching Once Upon a Time. Yes, not super quality television, but not Salem either. 🙂 The spouse and I are really enjoying the Mr. Gold plot lines. Good on you, Robert Carlyle! You’re keeping me watching the show, is all I got to say about that.

So, more on that. I really don’t know if the writers are planning it this way, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the limitations of the characters, and that’s probably worth an essay. Later. Next time. I might like to say something about David Bowie, although that might be rendered pointless and redundant by the rest of the world.

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So, for the rest of the week: work, gastroenterologist, facial cancelled by last week’s snowstorm, assessment day and a Madrigal dinner. Also a podcast recording and a little writing.

Yup. The glamorous life.

As promised on this week’s Unreliable Narrators Podcast, here are some photos of my husband’s Moebius Models. Go check Moebius out!

These photos are of the inside and outside of the Jupiter 2 and the B9 Robot from Lost in Space and the Dragonfly from Jonny Quest. Enjoy!

Well, Star Wars: The Force Awakens AND our pics of the week. Enjoy Unreliable Narrators #4!

What? I can’t sleep in until 7:30 this morning???

Yes, vacation is over, and I’m back at the day job. So far today, I’ve prepped for my elements of writing class, and I’ve gotten sixty percent of the student learning outcomes done for the English Language Acquisition Course sequence. I’ll be at a secret curriculum bunker tomorrow morning as well, finishing up the SLOs for grammar and reading. I suspect my afternoon will be stuffing envelopes for orientation, although I would really like to get my grammar course prepped.

So…day job. Man, looking back at all the writing I did this break (Thanksgiving eaten by Florida job attempt. Christmas was about novella revision), I’m feeling pretty good about the whole break. Tonight I’m back in the saddle with The Pawn of Isis.

In a current delusion of grandeur, I’ve decided I would like to write two novels this year. I would like to finish Pawn and I would like to revise the Iowa troll novel, with a new YA friendly title like Stone Hearts. Of course, I expect some of my short stories to expire soon in terms of markets (yes, I know I keep saying that), so I will replenish those as needed. Hey, one of them could actually sell, you know.

So. Here we are. 2016. Liking it so far.

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I should note just a few things here. For me.

Novels to write: The Pawn of Isis, Stone Hearts

Podcast Picks of the Week: Moebius Model Company, Dave Petersen’s Art of Mouseguard, Couture de Force Disney Princess Collection, Once Upon a Time (multiple seasons) Pop! Lilo and Stitch figures

Okay. Gotta fold it up for now and get back to professorial stuff.

For those of you who are interested in pictures of the bathroom re-model. Alas, roughly the cost of perhaps three European vacations, but it had to be done.

Continue reading “The Bathroom Remodel”

Cross-posted from the Unreliable Narrator’s Blog

Unreliable Mail: How Do I Become a Writer and a Podcaster?

And we’re live with Unreliable Narrators Podcast #3! This week: our inability to not buy books, what we’re looking forward to in 2015, and our year in writing. Happy 2016.

Let’s have an overview of the year in writing!

Just for interest’s sake, I’ve sent out 216 queries this year of a variety of sorts for 10 short stories, 1 novella, and 2 novels. The good news is that while I still receive impersonal rejections, I receive more promising than unpromising personalized ones. No one likes any kind of rejection, but the ones where you almost made it, or someone compliments your work are better than the cricket factor.

I also went to two writers conferences this year to pitch. That was an awesome experience and as soon as I have a fully done novel in hand again, I will undertake that again. I felt very professional and taken seriously. I attended the usual author conventions I go to, and did plenty of reading, being on panels, and moderating.

Of the two novels, both are still in play. Abigail Rath Versus Blood Sucking Fiends is still with an agent as a partial, and still has a couple of agents I’m waiting on. I will probably be done with it by March, if it is destined to be unpublished, and then I will think about what to do with it.

The Vessel of Ra is about 1/3 of the way through its process in terms of querying. It’s also had a couple of solid connects. Not only agents are getting it, but a couple of publishers have the manuscript, so there’s that. I think I’ll be finishing up the circulation process for it this time next year, if I don’t have good writer fortune.

In my hands right now I have another edit letter for The Ground is Full of Teeth. The publisher I’ve been sending it to continues to send me the same encouragement in each letter, but finds things it wants repaired each time. I will give it a try again. I believe it is a good piece, and they do too, but as they put it, it’s not quite there yet. I am reminded of my dissertation advisers. I did, however, eventually graduate, and I expect I will here too.

My most exciting authorly news this year is thanks to Sean Wallace, I made my first professional sale to The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk, which was published in July of this year. In spite of all the flattering near misses, this was my one sale of 2015.

So, that’s this year. What does next year hold?

A revision of The Ground is Full of Teeth
Completion of The Pawn of Isis
Continued circulation of all 10 short stories and one novella until there is no where else for them to go.
New short stories to replace the ones that inevitably sell or don’t.
A decision on whether my very long Klaereon series would be better served to completion as a long-running serial under my control, a la Hugh Howey’s Wool. I worry that it’s too long for a publisher to want to commit, and I want to write the books regardless of monetary numbers, so there’s that.
A lot of fun podcasting with my other fellow Unreliable Narrators, which has paid off in immediate dividends of fun and contributing to the conversation, as opposed to the delayed gratification of publishing prose. This is not only just chatting and talking, but is also interviewing and reading stories and all sorts of fun stuff. Fun? Hmmm…
Possible writing in a shared universe with aforementioned narrators.
Attending one writer’s retreat and several writing conferences. Right now I’ve got an eye on conferences that can help me get published if I’m going beyond local. I would love to be able to make the transition to conferences that would help me promote published works. All in good time.

All of this would not be possible if I had received a job at the University of Central Florida, so I will endeavor to use the gift of this time, as it was given to me for obviously some sort of purpose.

As I look back through this post, and I realize that since VP XIII it has been 8 years, I see that I am clearly farther ahead in my writing career, working toward craft improvement, and more optimistic about publishing. I’ll be interested to see what happens in the next several years.

I hope you all ring in 2016 in a way of your choosing, and I’ll see you on the other side.

Two new things to tell you about!

Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing now has links up to Paradise Icon Readings Part 1 and Part 2. Thank you, Brent!

And our next Unreliable Narrators 2.1 about our experiences with NaNoWriMo is also up.

I am spending a quiet Christmas Eve at home after a delicious Granite City dinner. I hope you are all enjoying yourselves tonight. After I’m done updating, I’m working on the new novel.

And what are you doing for Christmas, little girl?

The husband and I are hermiting up and enjoying the glory that is our new bathroom, because once you re-do your bathroom, that’s about as far as you can go. 🙂 Honestly, though, you try showering at the gym for a month, and then see how much you appreciate a new bathroom. Aversion therapy works!

I know what my Christmas present is. But no big reveal yet.

And I’ll be writing a lot. Carlo and I need to spend some quality time together while I figure out which of the three directions I can take Sofia in I want to go. Then it’s back to Hathersage where terrible, TERRIBLE things happen.

If I had fans, they’d hate me. But no, honestly in seven books, everything will be fine.

Tonight it’s Weight Watchers (staying about the same), shopping for Christmas dinner (roast tenderloin, Greek potatoes, tomato and mozzarella salad with crusty bread, cranberry sauce, light key lime pie and light strawberry semifreddo, washed down with sparkling grape juice or champagne), and recording Unreliable Narrators early this week.

I wish all of you the best holiday season.