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Well ...that was interesting ... [May. 16th, 2008|07:20 am]
[Tags|, ]
[Current Mood | blah]

Didn't get a lick of work done yesterday. "And why was that?" I hear you chorus disapprovingly.

Well, because I nearly asphyxiated from what I believe was a massive allergic reaction to a liquid herbal supplement I swallowed at around 8.30 in the morning, after my 2 boiled eggs for breakfast.

I'm not an asthmatic. Never had an asthma attack. But I think I now know exactly how that feels, because at the height of whatever happened yesterday my airway was swollen almost shut, and I was retching and coughing so hard there was blood. This went on for quite some time. At one point I stood in the kitchen with the phone in my hand, gasping for air, wondering if I should bother calling an ambulance, or if I'd be wasting their time because I'd be dead by the time they got to me.

Like I said, it was interesting.

I've nearly died before, in various accidents, so to be honest, I wasn't scared. Not even when I really couldn't get any air into my lungs. I have a peculiar reaction in a crisis -- I don't get scared and upset, I just get focused and peculiarly observational. The writer in me takes over and takes notes. And yes, I really do think things like, Shall I bother to call an ambulance or will I be wasting their time?

I was irritated, mainly. Because I knew I was going to lose a day's worth of work. And also I was astonished. It happened so fast, and it was so overwhelming, and I'd never felt anything like it before. The amazing way the body just takes over. I had no control over the coughing and the retching. The wheezing. The incredible imperative to breathe, even though the breathing mechanism was compromised. So yeah. Irritation and astonishment, those were my main emotions.

Whatever the reaction was, it passed off eventually, and I went down to the local medical centre to get checked out just in case. I nearly didn't bother, then I thought -- if this happened to a friend I'd yell at them for not going, so probably I should. By which time my O2 sats were back to normal and the swelling had subsided. Yay, I could breathe! My pulse was pretty high, and my throat was raw and I was pretty croaky. Good thing I'm not an opera singer, I'm not sure my vocal chords will ever forgive me. The doctor I saw just shrugged and said, oh well, you're okay now. If you want to take that supplement again make sure you're not alone and have some histamine handy. You might have sent some down the wrong way when you swallowed it.

I'm pretty sure I didn't, it was 5 mls in a teaspoon and I swallowed it quite happily, but what the hell. Either way, I won't be taking it again. I don't want to name the stuff since I know other people take it without effect. I will have a chat to the manufacturer today.

I was pretty wiped out yesterday as a result. I coughed a lot all day. This morning my throat's okay, the voice is still a bit croaky. And I'm sore all over -- never underestimate the toll on the body after you've coughed long and violently enough to bring up blood. You writers out there -- take note! *g*

But I'm well enough to write, so I'll write ... and file the experience away for future usage.

That's the best thing about being a writer. No matter what happens, it's all good copy.
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Back on Track [May. 9th, 2008|12:42 pm]
[Tags|]
[Current Mood | awake]

I don't know about you, but when I get sick, rational thought seems to fly out of the window. Some people can write through illness but tragically, I'm not one of them. So in this last week and small change of being unwell, not being able to think straight, falling asleep at the drop of a hat, swallowing drugs like M &Ms, pushing myself to do stuff that I couldn't not do (like meet with my accountant and get to rehearsals) and glorming about like a drunk walrus the rest of the time ... of course I've been torturing myself.

I can't think! I can't write! I'll miss all my deadlines! This gloom and doom will never lift! I have no appetite for anything, my life is over!

Tragic, yes? But sadly true. I think they call it catastrophic thinking and I do indeed do this. I wonder if it's part of the creative psyche?

However, after one last viral assault on my body last night (no icky details, suffice it to say I was purged *g*) I seem to be sparking on all cylinders again. No headache. No sore throat. And a decent supply of energy. I've had errands I had to run, and have run them, and still feel good. No exercise today ... I'll give myself a couple more days to make sure I'm well and truly unviral before I push that one.

So many thanks to the kind folks who posted get well and cheer me up wishes in the previous blog entry -- I wasn't really up to replying then, and now the moment's passed, but I do want to say how much I appreciate the good thoughts.

Also to cheer me up, I got an advance copy of Hammer of God in the mail today -- and it looks lovely. I tell you, for so many reasons, this book was a killer. Even now I have little perspective on it. One of these days I'll talk about the process of producing my first trilogy, in the hopes the journey will illuminate things for other writers.

But, for better or worse, it's done. And my sights continue to train on upcoming projects, of which there are many!

In other news, the vagaries of life permitting, I'll be attending the Romantic Times Booklovers' Convention in Orlando, Florida, next April 22-26. I think it's going to be a lot of fun. It's a convention for readers and, yes, book lovers. People who don't sneer at popular commercial genre fiction. People who actively enjoy, celebrate and promote popular commercial genre fiction. In other words, my kinds of people, who don't complain because fantasy authors dare to continue playing in traditional fantasy fields. I don't know yet exactly what I'll be doing there, but when I know, I'll share it!

And in that vein, congrats to Richard Morgan, who wrote that wonderful piece about the nonsense that goes on in the spec fic community. He just won the Arthur C Clarke award for Black Man. Well done!
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Taking a moment to say ... [May. 1st, 2008|08:53 am]
[Tags|]
[Current Location |Plague City]
[Current Mood | aggravated]
[Current Music |my snorts and snuffles]

Bleah. And bugger. And uuurrggghhh.

Yes. I'm lurgified.

It's all my fault for saying my momentum would pick up. Ha! My momentum has come to a screeching halt.

Boo hiss.

I'm not completely bedridden. I can get about, which is useful, because I have lunch today with my globetrotting editor. But writing is hard, with the permanent headache. I can read a bit. So yesterday I read about airships, research for the next Gerald book. Wow. Who knew? I'll burble more in due course. But wow. When the fossil fuel runs out, I can totally see us going back to international travel via airship.

But right now I have to go take some Neurofen plus. Today I buy Codral. And then I soldier on. Sigh.
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A new week, a new agenda [Apr. 28th, 2008|10:28 am]
[Tags|, , , ]
[Current Location |my study]
[Current Mood | busy]
[Current Music |Enzso]

Well, no, actually it's more like refocussing on the old agenda. A log-jam got cleared up late last week, which means I can now proceed with the insanity of the next 3 months. And they really really really will be insane. But that's okay. Insane is starting to feel a little like Situation Normal, in my world. *g*

Not so much with the writing over the weekend. Got some done, but there was also lots of theatrey stuff. We have a set! Insofar as me attempting to create an 'in the round' feel on a proscenium stage can achieve that effect. But it's minimalist. Because the play is a series of 3 one-acts played with 2 people, who pretty much come on stage and don't leave until the end, the set is in fact the least important part of the production. It's all about the actors. The characters. So that's where all the focus has been placed. Of course, I could be screwing this up big time, but I live in hope ... *g*

It's twelve weeks, more or less, till Worldcon in Denver. I'm so looking forward to it. But in addition the mad writing schedule between now and then, I'm taking my physical well-being in hand and really putting some effort into getting fighting fit. Stay tuned for my moans and groans ...

Speaking of fighting fit, a passing comment on the Final 3 for Biggest Loser. How lovely to have three really great people in the final. There were some nasty types in this year's competition, so having those 3 lovely Blue members make it through is just so wonderful. I was very sorry to see Bryce go -- he really impressed me as a lovely person -- but he was very smart. And he looks so hot! *g*

And Jack won So You Think You Can Dance. Honestly, I wanted Rhys to win, but Jack's a great dancer. I hope all four finalists go on to have brilliant careers.

Last but not least ... a pointer to a new writing blog that's popped up. This one is hosted by a good friend of mine. We met through Stargate fandom, and quite simply, she's one of the finest human beings it's my privilege to know. In fact, the friends I made through online Stargate fandom are all spectacular people -- but that's another post entirely. *g*

So this blog is wonderful because it contains much insightful, articulate and intelligent discourse on the journey to becoming a published writer. I don't post there much because right now I have to pay more attention to the actual doing of the writing, but I always read it and I always come away informed and thoughtful.

http://chasing-the-muse.blogspot.com/

It'd be great to see some vigorous conversing start up there, so I'm doing my bit to get that going! And when I'm a little less buried beneath deadlines, I'm going to start talking some, too.

Now it's time to catch up on backlogged email, do the dishes, then knuckle down to getting another chapter of Witches Inc. taken care of, before I head off to rehearsal tonight.

Final final note -- as you'll see in the music tag, I'm listening to Enzso. Wow. This is such spectacular music. Split Ends with the NZ Symphony Orchestra, having rescored/arranged some of the Enz's biggest hits. If you've never come across this album, I highly highly highly recommend.
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A wibbly day [Apr. 23rd, 2008|04:16 pm]
[Tags|, , ]
[Current Location |on the way out the door]
[Current Mood | cheerful]
[Current Music |silence]

Well, now that I'm getting organised and back on track, I'm back to putting proper words down on paper, or screen, or however you'd like to phrase it. The last few days have involved intense thinking and plotting for another project. I've discovered, as part of my process, that while I'm in that phase I can't do anything else but that. My brain won't give me any more room. But then I got that finally nailed and suddenly my brain is free again. A big relief!

So the morning started with the most amazingly surreal phone call, which I can't discuss, but trust me ... it was a real 'pinch me' moment. *g* Sometimes my life is too bizarre for the saying.

That was followed by not one, but two, instances of receiving cover art for me to check out. The main cover illustration for the Australian version of Rogue Agent #2 came in -- and can I just say WOW!!!!!!!! It's so beautiful, I want it hanging on my wall. Seriously. So beautiful I can't begin to tell you. It's just so beautiful. I'm all misty-eyed just thinking about it.

And then the rough art for the UK/US version of The Accidental Sorcerer -- and it's so different to the cover work for the Australian version, and yet just as amazingly striking and arresting. This is the fun part of the game, seeing how different artists/art departments/designers envision the same collection of words.

By the time all that stuff got sorted it was time to have some lunch ... during which I listened to a bit more of the director and writer commentary over the BSG movie Razor -- and wow! Ronald D Moore and I have exactly the same writing process, which gives us exactly the same result! (Not in terms of brilliance, but in balance of the work) It's so exciting, hearing someone I admire so enormously and I have some tiny weeny little thing in common. *g* Because I think he's a total genius.

And then, at last, the writing thang. I'm really revving up on Witches Inc, which is Rogue Agent #2. Certain amount of fear and trepidation with this one -- I'm terrified I can't recapture those voices, terrified I won't be able to bring the funny, terrified the first book was a fluke and that'll be that. But then some stuff happened, and I'm not quite so scared. Cross your fingers for me!

Witches Inc wordcount:

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Burblings ... [Apr. 14th, 2008|12:56 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Current Location |my study, where else?]
[Current Mood | chipper]
[Current Music |BSG]

So it's Monday, and time to get back into the Real Work. I picked up my new contact lenses today, what fun! I can look at a computer screen without the left-hand lens spinning round and round on my eyeball! And I'll be getting new glasses, too, with spiffy modern frames.

The last week was spent totally recovering from the beginning of the year, reading one manuscript for feedback and giving it, reading another one that affects something else I'm doing, finishing up that Stargate short story, finalising the outline for the next Stargate novel, working out something else for another project, organising more research items for the next Rogue Agent adventure, cleaning up my horrible house, coping with a major crisis in the play (the leading man quit 6 weeks from opening, what fun), exercising, a bit of shopping ... and that was a quiet week!

Also, I totally resisted buying a puppy. A really gorgeous black version of my late darling Baxter. I was strong, I did not succumb. But I really really wanted to.

On Saturday night I saw the first ep of Season 4 New Who -- I love Donna so much -- and the season opening for BSG's last chapter. Loved that too. And caught up with friends and ate way too much good Chinese food, so where was the bad????

And yesterday, when I wasn't working through play stuff with the new leading man, I was watching the first season of Psych. And loving it.

What is Psych, I hear you ask?????

Well, it's a comedic mystery/crime show starring Kevin Roaday, who I didn't know, and Dule Hill, who was Charlie in The West Wing, and Corbin Bernson, who was Arnie in LA Law. The only reason I took a punt on the first season, sight unseen, was because of Dule Hill. And it was a good punt!

(I know, I know, download the first ep for a suck-it-and-see. And I would, if I knew how to download stuff. I'll get there eventually.)

This is very very very witty tv. The premise is that the main character is abnormally observant, a combination of talent and training from childhood by his cop father. He keeps on phoning in tips to the local cops and helping them solve crimes. When he's accused of being a criminal accomplice, he claims he's psychic and that's how he knows stuff. And so the charade goes on. He's in cahoots with his best friend from childhood -- played by Hill -- and the heart of the show is their relationship. It's a lot of fun, and I recommend it highly. It's not a grim and serious crime show, it's more in the vein of Moonlighting.

Also, I spent some time reading the biography of Rudolf Nureyev that I bought. Best bit:

Nureyev was a tad demanding and temperamental. While he was working with the Australian Ballet Company he decided he wasn't going to dance a bit from Swan Lake as a coda to the main performance, he was going to dance Le Corsair. Robert Helpmann said no, no, he'd be doing Swan Lake. No! Nureyev argued. I will dance Le Corsair. Well, said Helpmann, you dance what you like, Ducky, but the orchestra will be playing Swan Lake.

I laughed and laughed ...

And now that I've burbled, I must away and really get my head down. Much, much work to do between now and August, yikes! And August will be here before any of us know it!
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A Real Life Hero [Apr. 10th, 2008|05:24 pm]
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[Current Mood | contemplative]

I write and read epic historical fantasy. One of the central elements of this kind of fiction is an heroic central character. Be they male or female, they are characterised by acts of great courage, of heroism, self-sacrifice and nobility that remind us of the best a human can be ... just as the villains, or anti-heroes, remind us how far we can fall from that ideal in our pursuit of power, or riches, or revenge. I read and write epic fantasy because I like to explore those themes, and dream of perhaps being a little bigger and better than I most often am.

But that's fiction. Sometimes, heroes stand up in real life. I've just learned about one of those people.

Michael Monsoor was a Navy SEAL, who died in Ramadi, Iraq, in September 2006. At that time, Ramadi was a particularly hostile environment, full of unsavoury types bent on as much indiscriminate murder and mayhem as they could achieve. Michael Monsoor and members of his Seal unit were in the field -- on the roof of a building -- and a grenade was thrown at them. It struck Monsoor on the chest, and tumbled away. He realised that due to their positions, while he could escape the grenade's blast, his team-mates couldn't. So he threw himself onto the grenade moments before it exploded. He died, and they lived.

The Iraqi Army scouts, whom this man helped to train, sent their unit's flag to his parents. There was a huge funeral for him in California, and many many many SEALs turned out to honour their fallen brother-in-arms. As they filed past his casket, they removed their SEAL insignia -- a golden trident -- from their uniforms and pressed them onto the walls of the coffin. It took nearly half an hour for the file-past to end ... and when it was finally over, the wooden coffin was covered in gold.

Michael Mansoor has just been posthumously awarded the US Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest decoration possible.

I read and I write about heroes and acts of selfless courage. It touches me deeply, and reassures me in a world full of senseless violence, that there are real-life good guys too. Humans can be and sometimes are more than weak, depraved, greedy, cruel creatures. I don't know if I would ever have the courage to do what Michael Mansoor did. But I take inspiration from his act, and believe that the next time I write a story about a heroic man or woman, in some small way I'm honouring the actions of this Navy SEAL -- and many more like him.
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This'n'that ... [Apr. 8th, 2008|03:13 pm]
[Tags|, , ]
[Current Location |the bedroom, editing]
[Current Mood | bouncy]
[Current Music |cable tv]

So here's an interview I did with Australian Bookseller and Publisher, as K E Mills:

http://voyageronline.wordpress.com/

There are some typos in there that weren't in my responses! Not my fault, okay? *g*

I bought new glasses and new contact lenses today (I needed an upgrade in the worst way) and got my eyes tested with this amazing computer-controlled gizmo. And soon I'll have new contacts that don't spin on my eyes and drive me crazy. Always a good look.

Finally, I'm all chuffed because the latest season of Project Runway is now showing on Foxtel. How much do I love this show???? And given how challenged I am, fashion-wise (not because I can't dress well, but because either I've been too podgy or too tired or too whatever -- but I'm working on that!) it's odd how much I do love it. But I do. And now I've jumped ahead on Television Without Pity to find out who wins the season. I can't stand not knowing. I don't do suspense well. *g*

Finally, a Melbourne newspaper has called The Accidental Sorcerer 'Harry Potter for grown-ups' so now I don't know whether to be thrilled or terrified. I think I'm both.
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Good deeds and whinging and life ... [Apr. 7th, 2008|09:41 am]
[Tags|, , ]
[Current Location |around and about]
[Current Mood | bitchy]
[Current Music |who knows?]

I have a sign over my house, I must do. Where ever that house might be, I have a sign. Or maybe it's over me. Anyhow, it says: Waifs and strays, come see her!

I walked out of the house yesterday afternoon to put some rubbish in the big bin and this frantic, well-fed and collarless Staffy bitch rushed up to me, eyes rolling, panting. I'd never seen her before, and neither had various neighbours. So she stayed the night. She was lovely, very friendly, the most gorgeous eyes. Obviously loved by someone, but the stupid someone had neglected to give her a collar and tag with a phone number I could call. I took her to the vet this morning and luckily she was microchipped, so she'll be going home.

Of course, now I'm worried that she was dumped for some reason, and even with a microchip no-one will claim her. She's too lovely to die a week from now in the pound. I'll have to make sure she's okay. I can't keep her, she's not cat friendly, but I'd like to make sure she's okay.

In the past I've kept the waifs and strays that have found me, but that's not feasible at the moment. After a quarter century of having many, many animals, I'm looking to stay permanently downsized.

And for my whinge, I'll just say that while I'm sure Ron Moore loves his wife very much, I wish she wouldn't get involved with the Battlestar Galactica podcasts. I want to hear him talk about the show without her interruptions and observations which, quite frankly, are not what I buy the dvds to hear.

Over the weekend I wrote the Stargate story for the magazine, and I'm pretty pleased with it, given I really don't do short fiction. I also finalised the outline for the next Stargate novel, Consequences, and that I am pleased with. Although the slash fans are going to hate my guts, if they don't already. Because -- shock horror! -- I intend writing about a relationship that is canon within the series. So shoot me!

In the next two days I have two manuscripts to read, for various reasons. And then I knuckle down to pick up with the next Rogue Agent novel, Witches Inc.

Busy ... busy ... busy ...
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Sigh ... [Apr. 2nd, 2008|02:59 pm]
[Tags|]
[Current Location |anywhere but the study]
[Current Mood | accomplished]
[Current Music |silence]

Did I need my sciatic nerve to start playing up? Well? Huh? Did I?

Not really, no. Nothing like waking up in agony at 1 o'clock in the morning because you've jarred up your s-i joint and the periformus muscle from too much sitting in a non-ergonomic chair madly checking galleys online. *g*

God bless physio and massage and ibuprofen and Voltaren.

So, The Accidental Sorcerer has gone on general sale. Now I wait, sick with nerves, to see if anyone wants it. When I get a moment I'll dance a little dance about some of the lovely reviews ... and good reviews are massively chuffing, there's no doubt, but strong sales are what really count. So my fingers are crossed.

Otherwise, I'm just trying to sort out my life. Today I got some really good news. After trying since July of last year, I finally have the paperwork I need from the IRS to get paid by my US publisher. Yes, folks, the task that was supposed to take between 3 and 6 weeks has taken 9 months. I tell you, I was about to create an international incident. I have no idea why I got so stuffed around, when other people were getting their paperwork issued without so much as a blink. But man, was I stuffed around. Beyond the belief of anyone who knows anything about how this is supposed to work. Just my luck, I guess. But never mind. The pain is over now, and I can get paid.

What a relief! Because I just spent a fortune replacing the back deck on the house, since the morons who built it the first time around did such a dreadful job -- which wasn't apparent till we actually got some prolonged rain.

Harley's doing fine, although I suspect he's got cancer back on his nose. I'll keep an eye on it, and if it is a cancer then it's back to the vet. Another sigh.

I have to sort the house out next, and then write the SG short story (which I have all mapped out now, yay!) and then put together the proper outline for the next Stargate novel (which has almost taken shape, and is very exciting), and then get started on the next Rogue Agent book (which is already mapped out, and beckoning).

I'm also doing a bit of hobnobbing with friends, who have been shamefully neglected, both in person and via mail. I'm a bad, bad person!

In exciting news, a Borders has opened up just down the road from me. I intend to go down and have a look as soon as I can. I might even introduce myself. I hate getting all visible in bookshops, I feel like an idiot, but it's a good thing to do.
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A milestone reached ... [Mar. 26th, 2008|05:24 pm]
[Tags|, , ]
[Current Location |home!]
[Current Mood | accomplished]
[Current Music |foxtel in the background]

Well, today I returned the completed galleys for Godspeaker bk 3, Hammer of God.

What an adventure writing it has been. I've never done a trilogy before. It's the most sustained effort on a story I've ever put in ... and I learned a whole heap. Honestly, I don't know if I've nailed it or not. Certainly I'm a lot happier now than I was. Thanks to the extraordinary patience of the folk at Voyager, I was able to do more revisions even at this late stage (which is far from ideal, let me tell you. Somewhere in the Voyager offices there's a dartboard with my photo on it, I have no doubt).

There's nothing worse than having a niggling feeling that you haven't quite nailed something. I've had it before, and luckily I've been able to fix it. I think I've fixed it this time, but it'll be up to the readers to tell me if I've truly succeeded. The book is out in June (yes, indeed, we're cutting it fine, and it's all my fault).

Also today my new book under the pen name, The Accidental Sorcerer, is out in the shops. The cover is my LJ icon this time out. This is the book that launched at Swancon. I love these characters, so I hope it goes well.

Over the next couple of days I proof the pages of the next Stargate novel, Do No Harm. I'm pretty excited about this one too. It was also a tough project, but for different reasons. For the first time in my life I tried to write some real SF (involving medicine) and it nearly killed me. Thanks to the fabulous help of Sabine Bauer and Mary Webber, Stargate writer and mad medico respectively, I got close to okay. Any mistakes are mine. The credit of what's right belongs to them.

And that's about it. Harley's going fine, although he really is over having pills shoved down this throat. Now I focus on directing a play, starting the next book, getting back into some exercise, sorting out my truly appalling house ...

No rest for the wicked!
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Nice news and catch up ... [Jan. 19th, 2008|08:59 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Current Location |off to bed]
[Current Mood | accomplished]
[Current Music |blessed silence]

First things first: Hammer of God rewrite, part 1:



Yes, the final word target is fluctuating, depending on what I cut and what I add in. I'm working hard to keep it around the 65 k mark, though. And I aim to have part 1 finished tomorrow.

Now for the nice news. Very exciting and somewhat staggering news, actually.

The Innocent Mage was the UK's #1 bestselling debut SFF title for 2007.

Gosh.

I wish I could thank all the UK readers individually, but I can't so I have to settle for a big THANK YOU here.

And again, huge thanks to the team at Orbit who've shown such faith in me. And to Stephanie Smith of Voyager, who got the whole ball rolling. I don't know what I've done to be so blessed, but I do recognise my extraordinary fortune. I only wish everyone in this game could be as lucky as me.

Now I'm taking my dead brain to bed. Tomorrow's a full on day of rewrites! I'm on track!
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Rocking along ... [Dec. 28th, 2007|02:11 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Current Location |my study, where else?]
[Current Mood | bitchy]
[Current Music |BSG season 2]

As I inhabit my little cocoon world of words, a little of the Real World Outside filters through.

So, Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated.

God rest her soul. What a stinking mess that country is. A country where a court of so-called religious men sentence a woman to be pack-raped to punish her miscreant brother. A pox on all of them. What a way to end the year.

The word-chase continues.

Hammer of God:

Erk!!! Zokutou is broken, it won't give me my table thingy with the percentage!

How pathetically reliant am I on this damned thing???

Anyway, I'm now up to 110,262 words. One more chapter will see me finished with part 2. Then I'm definitely on the downward slope.

Now I'll go and attack Do No Harm some more ...
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Charging through ... [Dec. 15th, 2007|07:26 am]
[Tags|, ]

Orbit have tweaked the US/UK cover, as you can see from my LJ pic. Cool, huh? *g*

Too many unavoidable errands this week. Sheesh! I wish I was a hermit. Yesterday (which was so bitty, arrgghh!) and last night I focused on Do No Harm, so I can have the weekend free to think about Hammer of God. So here's the current progress:

Do No Harm

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
59,254 / 125,000
(47.4%)


This puts me comfortably on track to have the rewrite delivered on time. Yay! Which is good, because the front end of the first draft is way less problematical than the back end, so now I can slow down to rewriting one chapter a night ... which will be far preferable.

In other news ...

The shocking revelation by Terry Pratchett that he has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's is all over the place now. I guess the only possible, minimal comfort at this point is that because he's such a spectacular writer, and has achieved a fabulous level of success, he's got the resources to take care of himself without having to worry. Not every writer is in that position. Writers I know of in the US -- thanks to that country's bizarre attitude to health care -- face bleak prospects indeed should they ever fall seriously ill.

Pratchett is one of those writers whose success, I believe, will never be duplicated. He's a freak, in the nicest possible way. I adore his books. I'm re-reading all the Watch novels now, as it happens. My comfy slipper bedtime reading. Selfishly, I dread the idea of a world with no more new Discworld adventures. Yes, I know, if he'd been hit by a car it'd be the same, and much sooner. But this is worse. And I hate it. What it means to the man himself, and his family, can only be imagined.

I have no doubt that millions of people around the world are holding good thoughts for Terry in this difficult time. Here's hoping the power of prayer can work a miracle.
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Hmmm. And grrrr. And a recipe. [Nov. 19th, 2007|08:44 am]
[Tags|, ]
[Current Location |my study, where else?]
[Current Mood | annoyed]
[Current Music |assorted sountracks]

Sore throat last night. Feeling crap this morning. We are not happy, Jan. Currently terrified this is CFS returned to bite me in the bum. Have been working out again and doing well. Not overcooking things, or so I thought, but.

Phooey.

I'm not missing 2 swordfighting classes in a row, but I might not do everything tonight and today's output is going to be less than desired. But there will be some output! In fact, before I had my shower I did a short essay for Chris at his Bookswede blog. It'll get posted in due course, I expect, but in the meantime there are others and they're really interesting. This is a great site, so visit it often!

http://thebookswede.blogspot.com

So, here's the recipe. I made it up so I have no name for it. Call it Karen's Pasta or something.

Due to adopting a much lower-carb lifestyle (with mixed results -- sugar is a demon and yes, I am addicted!) I don't often eat pasta. But I felt like it last night so here is what I made up. Note there are no quantities as such, because I find quantities depend upon your appetite and how many people you're trying to feed.

Vegetable pasta twists, cooked al dente.

The sauce:

Good streaky bacon (I use KR free range) cut into pieces. Make sure there's a decent amount of fat for flavour and rendering so it goes really crispy. Put in heavy frypan and let it sizzle away until the fat's melted off and the meat is crisp.

Add some diced mushrooms a few minutes into the bacon cooking process. Keep on stirring. One of those splatter guards is useful. When the bacon/mushroom mix is cooked, put everything on some thick paper towel and pat gently so the excess fat is removed.

Toast some pine nuts either under the grill or in another small frypan -- and keep an eye on these little buggers because they do nothing, nothing, and then they go up in flames as soon as your back's turned.

Grill fresh asaparagus in a George Foreman grill. Not that I'm plugging the guy, but I find it cooks asparagus perfectly. Great colour, great flavour, great crunch but still tender. And it's fast. When it's cooked cut into smaller pieces.

(You'll notice there's a million processes happening all at once here. I know! Who wants to be bored in the kitchen???)

So. Put the cooked drained pasta in a bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of stir through pesto -- I like using Leggo's sundried tomato pesto (they do a range, yum!) and let it melt through the pasta, then add all the other ingredients and toss until everything's covered and yummy. Add parmesan if you want to.

You can also add some sliced black olives, if olives are your thing. Also, you can substitute chicken or prawns or scallops for the bacon.

You could make this with wholemeal pasta but I hate the taste and texture.

So there you go. Doesn't take too long, it's a good mix of nutrients, and it's yummy.

Have fun!

And wish me luck as I try and beat some words out of my brain ...
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Routine Interruptus ... grrr ... [Nov. 15th, 2007|12:11 pm]
[Tags|, ]
[Current Location |the study]
[Current Mood | aggravated]
[Current Music |Zimmer's soundtrack to The DaVinci Code]

So it's slowly becoming apparent that I actually need a fairly orchestrated routine in order to be productive. Unlike some authors I know (hi, Glenda!) I don't do well transplanted from home having to write on a laptop at odd places at odd times. I need peace and quiet, a dark room, my music ... and the freedom to get immersed. And that's one of my goals for 2008 -- cementing my routine and minimising distractions so I can get the work done. Less hysteria, more methodicalness.

So today's kind of been shot to hell. Why? Because last night I had to drive to another house to sleep. Why? Because there was some roadwork being done in my area, they cut the power to the street, and replaced it with a massive generator truck right outside my house, which isn't terribly sound proof. I didn't really notice the noise until I went to bed ... the world is so much quieter at night ... at which point I realised, to my horror, there was no way on God's green Earth I was going to sleep with this machine screaming away outside my bedroom window.

Luckily Dad's back in the Barossa, so at 10 pm last night I loaded up the dog and drove out to his place where I was absolutely guaranteed the peace and quiet I needed to sleep. I can't sleep with a lot of noise around. But I didn't sleep well anyway -- Duff was just as thrown out of whack, and wouldn't settle -- and I woke up a couple of times and ended up oversleeping. So today was off to a late start. And it's all been a bit discombobulating. But I have in fact completed another chapter, yay!

Hammer of God:

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
15,203 / 180,000
(8.4%)


Who else out in LJ land gets so easily thrown by spanners in their works? I wish I didn't, I wish I was easy breezy nothing gets under my skin girl ... but no. I find I'm quite inflexible and easily thrown off stride. How tragic. Sigh.
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A little progress [Nov. 12th, 2007|03:42 pm]
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Busy week just gone, busy weekend. Didn't realise how tired I was till I woke up this morning at 6 am and promptly passed out again till 10.30 am.

And the day's kind of bobbled around ever since. But I have finished another chapter!

Hammer of God:

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
10,010 / 180,000
(5.6%)


Still no proper plot outline, it's resisting me as yet. First thing I have to do is list all the dangling plot threads from the 1st two books that need to be addressed. Ai carumba! I'm having a moment here ...

The Newtown Festival writers' gig yesterday was a lot of fun. It's one of the reasons I'm tired -- a long week with a few late nights culminating in a public appearance and the travelling from Kellyville to Newtown. Sheesh. But I had a great time and it was lovely to finally meet Traci Harding.

Special congrats to the other panelist, Ian Irvine, who's just reached a million copies of his books in print. That is a phenomenal achievement. Every Aussie spec fic author should be giving him a standing ovation. And Ian is such a lovely bloke -- no pretention to him, he's quiet and unassuming and just gets on with the job.

It's funny ... both Ian and Traci got their starts in the early days of my sadly defunct bookshop, Phantasia. And now I'm following in their footsteps. Life is strange.

Now I have to go away and do bits and pieces before heading off to sword-fighting tonight. Yay!
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Odds and sods [Nov. 6th, 2007|05:38 pm]
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So, note to self ... possibly when one is going to be handling long shiny pointy swords one shouldn't be quite so exhausted.

I had fun at swordfighting class last night, but to say that my brain wasn't all there is to master the art of understatement to perfection.

On the other hand, I can report (for those lucky enough to know him but not to have seen him recently) that Chris Barnes (and I'd do the link thingy to him if I could manage it but I can't make it work because I am teh stoopid) looks excessively dashing with his new goatee!

Today in the mail I received a single advance copy of The Riven Kingdom, which goes on sale at the end of the month here in Australia. It's bk 2 of the Godspeaker trilogy and it is a lovely looking tome if I do say so myself. Voyager have a done a great job on the design of the book ... many thanks to them! (The contents you'll need to judge for yourselves!)

I also received the cover flat for the Orbit version of bk 1, Empress. It's now on my wall in a frame. How much do I love the US habit of providing copies of a book's cover in a flat format so the author can smile like an idiot at it? And, as I say, frame it????

I've cleaned the house and the study, wiped off my white boards, put up my preliminary plot outline notes for Hammer of God ... so tomorrow sees me beginning the 3rd and final book in this series. Wow.

My indispensible team of beta readers is about to tear into the draft manuscript of Do No Harm and rip it to shreds, I hope, leading to an end result of a Much Better Book. I'll be waxing lyrical later about these often unsung heroes of the publishing world.

Finally, my Worldcon trip details are finally coming together. So exciting! Worldcon in Denver and then Chicago and New York and London and David Tennant in Stratford! I can't wait! It's going to be a very quick trip because of massive writing commitments next year ... I hope to take a more leisurely trip in 2009 and spend more time visiting friends than leaping about hysterically. Although in 2009 it might be fun to do the Romantic Times convention ...

That's it for now. I have a committe meeting tonight.

Hope you had luck with the Melbourne Cup. Efficient put in a ripper of a run -- I'm glad we kept it out of foreign hands! But my heart goes out to the connections of the horse that died earlier in the day. It's the dark underbelly of racing that doesn't get shoved into the light often enough.
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Do No Harm is done!!!!!!! [Nov. 4th, 2007|07:23 pm]
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The first draft is completed. I can't quite comprehend it.

Stargate SG-1: Do No Harm


Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
128,997 / 90,000
(143.3%)


It helped that I finally figured out a whole lot of important stuff. Major change of focus when I had a light bulb moment at the end. So now the whole thing will be crafted towards that end in the rewrite. But basically, it's there. Full of holes. Staggering about the place like a drunken sailor.

But ...

basically it's there. Yee haw!
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I'm so boring ... [Nov. 2nd, 2007|08:42 pm]
[Tags|, , ]
[Current Location |My study, where else?]
[Current Music |Abba's Greatest Hits]

Because I can't think past getting this book done. I promise I'll be less boring very soon. I swear, oh lord, I do.

Do No Harm:

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
111,508 / 90,000
(123.9%)


In other news, the first two Kingmaker, Kingbreaker books remain in the top 10 in the US and the UK.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The play I saw last night, The Underpants, is the last show of the season for my local theatre, The Pavilion. It's a German farce adapted by US actor/writer/comic Steve Martin. I think we're going to have a ripper of a final show with this one. It's very funny, the set is genius, and the cast is having so much fun. If you're looking for a great night of entertainment at reasonable prices, come check it out!

Here's the theatre website: http://www.paviliontheatre.org

And that's it for me. I'm going to unwind with an hour of Supernatural then go to bed. Tomorrow I shall attempt to write the final 2 chapters. That leaves Sunday for the flashback inserts, and then I'm done.

Please, please, please.
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