Trufax

I'd like to tell y'all that I've been busy. That in between working, I've been burning up the keyboard. I'd like to tell y'all that I've been popping idea after idea and have a To Write folder (I should make one of those).

In honesty, I've been doing this (I WISH):



Besides ogling Jensen Ackles, I'm slowly pulling out some progress on three of my current WIPs. Hunting through sub calls for that "ooh!" spark. Talking James B. into taking me bar-hopping on my 21st b-day (I heart that man SO much). Getting my life back together now that the Family Drama is over with.

So really, I'm just living. I hope to have something finished soon but hey, I'm not under any pressure. Especially because I quit NaNo. Freedom!

Now, nose back to grindstone. *starts video again*

NaNoNoWay

I have nothing but respect for those writers participating in NaNoWriMo, and I hope everyone will be successful. I've never participated, and honestly I can't imagine writing 50k in one month. Especially in November when there's sweeps television on!

Maybe if I didn't work full time as a copywriter I'd be more inclined to participate, but the idea of writing all day at work and then coming home to hours more on the computer to crank out those 50,000 words just seems far too daunting.

Personally, I find January to be the best month for holing up with my laptop. Perhaps I'll do JaNoWriMo in 2010, but with a more modest word-count target. Might be a good way to beat those post-holiday January blahs.

Monday Morning Contest

Good morning/afternoon/evening! As I was sitting in my comfy recliner this morning, trying to think up something interesting to talk about, it occurred to me that I have a new book out which I haven't done a giveaway for yet. Then I figured, what better time than now?

All you need to do to enter to win a free copy of Reckless Passion is leave a comment on this post. Just say hi or something. I'm not going to make anyone answer questions or jump through hoops today.

I'll announce the winner here, in this post, later tonight around midnight est.

NaNo Lessons

Okay, I know maybe y'all are getting tired of hearing about NaNoWriMo from all of us crazy people yakking about it all over the interwebz *g* But, the last couple of weeks have been most illuminating for me, and I wanted to share some of the things I've learned.

A little background: the book I'm writing -- Shenandoah, sequel to my short story Dragon's Kiss -- is set in a future world where technology, moderns medications and modern conveniences are things of the past. So I've been doing a LOT of research. I've spent many hours this past week reading up on medicinal plants. Had to tear myself away to write, actually, it was so interesting O_O

So, anyway, here are a few of the things I've learned researching in the past couple of weeks:

1. Sheep poo looks way more like horse poo than I would've thought. (Don't ask.)
2. Several different plants apparently keep blood from clotting, but not many make blood clot.
3. Yarrow encourages blood to clot. Yay for yarrow!
4. Half the weeds in the woods behind my house are evidently natural antibiotics/antiseptics. Who knew?
5. My GPS will not tell me how long it would take to walk from the mid-portion of North Carolina to northwest Virginia. WTF, GPS Lady? You'd tell me how long it would take to drive there.
6. I now have definitive proof that the GPS Lady hates me. See # 5.
7. A surprising variety of things can be used to start fires, if you can believe some of the websites out there. Nothing that a couple of guys in a primitive post-fall-of-modern-civilization world would have (they do not, for instance, have access to Coke cans...) but still. Most interesting.

And last but not least:
8. YOU CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ONLINE.
But y'all already knew that :)

Service

Today and every day, I honor the men and women who serve the country in which I live. Their decision to serve, especially in times of war, demonstrates a commitment and a sense of duty that awes me. I have written about characters who are veterans, including one in my upcoming release who experienced a life-changing sacrifice during his term of service. I can use my imagination, as any writer would, but I can never truly understand the physical, emotional and financial sacrifices the men and women of the armed forces endure for the sake of their commitment. Their service commands my deepest respect.

Even more so, I want to salute the gays and lesbians who make the choice to serve, to defend and even give their lives for a country that creates and upholds laws that make them second-class citizens. I salute those who are willing to serve a country that claims it doesn't need or want their service, a country that demands silence from those who are still determined in the face of that discrimination to offer selfless service. I am humbled by their bravery and awed by their strength as they take on a dangerous duty while being forced to abnegate their identity.

Think about what that silence means. For most people, expressing love, affection and attraction is simply a normal, daily routine. How many of us tell coworkers about a fight--or a celebration--we've had with our spouses? If we're single, don't we share our excitement about someone new we've met, or a heartbreak about a romance gone wrong? How often do we point out an attractive celebrity or comment on a relationship seen in a movie? Being gay is not some separate part of who we are, something we can lock away because that's just "for the bedroom," any more than heterosexuality is separate from how straight people go about their lives. The fact that our attraction, our bond, our love leads us to someone of the same gender is not an isolated facet of our existence. It should never be hidden or silenced because others perceive our love as offensive. A simple kiss by a same-sex couple in public is no more an example of "flaunting" sexual behavior than is the appearance of a pregnant woman in public.

So while I give my deepest respect to the men and women--of every sexual orientation--in our armed services, I look forward to the day when the truths our founders held self-evident are true for all of us, including the brave men and women who defend the country that, at its birth, declared itself for equality. I will continue to write about gay veterans, but especially about people falling in love, about that magic realization of something outside ourselves, something that makes us better than we were without

NaNoWriMo *again*?

It's year four for me and NaNoWriMo. Once again, I'm trying to hit 2K words/day. It's a method that has worked well enough for me in the past, and that is holding fairly true again this year. At that rate, you see, I can reach the 50K goal five days early, which is nice because I hate bringing anything in at the last possible moment. I had a bit of a set-back yesterday, unfortunately. Yesterday I was too fucking angry to produce more than 82 words. I could have typed more, but it would have been nothing but vitriol. Venomous and hateful things that have absolutely nothing to do with the story or the characters in it. The book deserves better than that. I'm not one of those lucky people who can lose themselves in writing. (That's what theatre is for.) But it's a rare day where my emotions take over so powerfully that I can't write at all. It's been several years since I've been this angry about anything, and I admidt it's a little scary to discover that I am still so very good at sustained rage. It's not something to be proud of, you know? So, I'm hoping for a better word count today, but I just don't know. I'm still furious beyond all rational arguments. Wish me luck? I could use it.

I am most definitely not doing NaNo this year. (She says, as if she's ever done NaNo in other years. Nope.) I will gladly read anyone else's efforts, though, and hope that it inspires me to keep working on the languishing novel. I think as the year winds down, I'll have a bit more time for it. Oh, wait, the holidays are coming, aren't they? There goes that plan.

In any case, I dropped in quickly just to let people know that I've got a short story available with Chance and Tucker from the Oceanside Fire universe. Slow Burn was originally part of the Men in Uniform anthology. The antho is no longer available, but you can buy the short story on its own HERE. I'm kind of fond of it, since I miss these guys. Give it a read!