Since yesterday when I last posted, I have been semi-productive. I got the latest revision of Amaranth mailed to Carady. I also managed to get about 20 or so pages of Verdant edited. So I’m that much closer to being done and ready to go when October rolls around.

On the downside, I seem to have picked up some sort of bug. I’ve got the aches, a headache, a relatively mild fever, and the sneezes. I’m just hoping it’s not the flu. I’m pretty notorious for getting coughs, colds, the flu, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. It’s a big no fun. I’ve got a lot of work to get done tomorrow, though, so I’m going to have to be at work. Maybe Roy’ll go easy on me.

Anyway, I’ll try to get more done tomorrow, both on editing Verdant and getting the revisions done on Ash towards having it ready to start on October 1.

Even though I have to look at a calendar every day at work, it suddenly occurred to me yesterday that October is almost upon us again. That means that it won’t be too long until November is also upon us.

Instead of doing like last time and writing in November-December, I’m going to be trying to write in October-November. So I guess I’m about to get really busy again.

What all needs to be done? I need to:

• Email Carady the latest revision of Amaranth
• I need to finish editing Verdant and email it to Carady and Denise
• I need to quit playing with that other idea for the time being
• I need to get focussed on Ash because it’s going to be the longest of the series to date (I’m shooting for 100k minimum)

It doesn’t sound like all that very much, but there’s still a lot of editing to do for Verdant (partially because I had to go back and fix all the italics and boldface from the editing copy, where it all disappeared) and I only have about 300 words on Ash already scripted out… some of which I want to scrap. I think I’m going to dump a character that I like but probably won’t be able to keep going the rest of the series.

One thing I have to say about Verdant that makes me still a bit proud: one of my prereaders has come to detest one of the characters I wrote. I meant for her to be completely despicable – and I would say that I’ve succeeded. As a writer, that’s a nice thing to hear. I have to say, though, that I’m looking forward to hearing that from buying readers.

Okay, my apologies: i had not realized how long it had been since I last updated here. Things have been absolutely insane, and trying to keep up with it all has been a trick.

I got the first critique from one of my critical readers – and it was surprisingly glowing. Now I have to do my own revision on Amaranth; it’s due by 24 July. I have things I needed to fix in it to bring it in line with Verdant and the other stories.

Speaking of Verdant, I’m within 25,000 words away from being done. With how I have it formatted, that’s about 40+ pages from done. Given that I’m participating in JulNoWriMo, that is entirely workable.

And finally, in other news, D. Marie and I will be moving on 02 August. We’ll still be in Tallahassee, but we found a larger, better laid-out place in a better, quieter area of town for the same monthly rent. Obviously we snatched it up immediately. So from 01 August (last minute “flight of the bumblee” packing through 06 August (exhausted “aren’t we done yet” unpacking), neither of us will be online and there will be little – if any – writing done. But I should be done with Verdant by that point, so all should be good there.

Now my exhausted and slightly ill sell will settle in for writing and maybe eventually dinner.

This is a quick, on the fly update. This is mostly because I’m having entirely too much (feline) assistance in trying to type.

Cacöethes Publishing has a description up for Amaranth. There is also a release date: December 15, 2008. Eyes on the prize.

Many thanks to Danny for jerry-rigging the iBook G4 back into working for now. I’m doubt it’ll keep working forever, but it does seem to be working for now. I still want to start putting money back for a MacBook (not a Pro or Air) though. Just to be safe.

D. Marie and I are actually just coming back from seeing The Happening, the newest M. Night Shyamalan film. Personally, I’d give it about an 8 out of 10. Tomorrow, the two of us and our friend Christopher are going to go see The Incredible Hulk. Now that’s one we’re all really excited about.

I’m less than 200 words from being caught back from last weekend. This will be a relief. Maybe then I can have a few nights that end before 1 or 2 a.m.

And now to watch The Sixth Sense and maybe even Signs, before we both settle back in to write some.

So, the blog that had been attached to my domain is now, well, gone. As I mentioned a few posts ago, I only went to BBaC when it was time to clear out the spam and I was rarely remembering to make a post whilst I was there. Therefore, I decided it was in my own best interest to just combine the two blogs and save myself half the work. I might shorten the name of the blog a bit: maybe take out the “struggling”. Thoughts?

I got a first draft of a potential cover for Amaranth: The Preterhumans Book 1 today. Other than one small error (the lack of the letter “h” in my name), it looked fantastic. I’m so excited about this! Once it’s approved, then marketing for the book can start.

(Once it’s approved, I’m posting it on my profile at Fanfiction.net and MyFandoms.com to get my fanfiction readers to pick it up. If even half of my readers get it, that will be a fair number sold right there.)

I’ve got a short day at work tomorrow (8 hours, instead of 9 — I stayed late on Tuesday, so I get to make up the time), so I’m going to take some of my extra and work on my website. I think it’s about time a lot of this information started going up there. At least, if nothing else, I’m going to work on the wiki, to help me get it straight in my own mind.

And now, I need to go take my contacts out, try to work some, and then maybe crash early.

Currently feeling:// Exhausted
Currently hearing:// Drain STH – Black
Currently reading:// Knight Life by Peter David

I have an icon over on my other journal that is a pretty accurate description of how I feel sometimes regarding my coworkers. The text reads “Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel”. I wonder if the people I work with on a day to day basis realize this. Just the little things that annoy me could be the things to get someone a bad name in literature, like:

• Only coming in my office when the Starbucks downstairs is closed
• Walking up to my desk and demanding (not asking or even attempting politeness) to see my records of something (Note, this wasn’t even my boss. This was just a random librarian)
• Complaining that the coffee I made for my boss isn’t to your taste
• Dumping out said coffee for boss and remaking the pot to your taste
• Only drinking one cup of paint thinner said coffee
• Giving me more work to do at 4:15, when I leave at 4:30
• Giving me more work to do at 11:15, when I go to lunch at 11:30
• Act like you’re too good to follow procedures

I had a problem with one person – not a coworker, but someone I knew from online and eventually met – where s/he completely annoyed the everliving crap out of me by cranking down the temperature in our hotel room to 68°, despite the fact the rest of the people in the roomeither were uncomfortable at that temperature (D. Marie, Godrod, and myself), were unable to stand said temperature due to metal pins in leg (Heavyarms), or didn’t want his/her temper and/or keep his/her friendship (the final person in the room). It wasn’t his/her apparently constant need for cold temperatures that got him/her in the book, though; it was said temper and attitude. I might work the other half into the story later.

One thing I love about my work is, B brings in candies. I grab a small handful in the mornings when I open up her office. Today they’re getting me through the day, mainly due to utter exhaustion, along with my usual one cup and one travel mug of coffee.

So, I did finally start that fan fiction that had been bothering me the last few weeks. I’m two very short chapters into it, and already it has more reviews than some of the stories I put on FanFiction.net quite a while ago. It’s number 30 out of 31 for hits, actually. For being out less than a week, that’s pretty good, I think. I’m also using it for some free advertising for Amaranth.

And that’s actually a lovely segue to a follow up on a post I made on 18 April, entitled “Tentative Green”: I now have a publishing contract through Cacoethes Publishing for Amaranth. I actually heard from Denise Mosley on Wednesday, April 23, and finalized the plan. On Thursday, I mailed all my information to the company. Friday, it arrived. Now I’m just waiting to see what sort of editing needs to be done. It should be out as an e-book in December and as a hard copy book in January.

So now, I’m working on Verdant and trying to plot out some ideas for Ash and Azure, the third and fourth books in the series. What’s bad is that I have ideas for Azure but not so many for Ash. I mean, I know basic plot elements and some of the major things that will occur, but I don’t know the case that they will be working on. Oh well, I’m sure something will come to me.

And now back to work, both on writing and on dealing with annoying coworkers. Ciao, my silent readers.

I can’t say too much because this is very up in the air, but I may have gotten a tentative green light.

I can say that I have a kitty in my lap that is determined to kick arse and take names on everything plastic in her general vicinity. There is another kitty in the recliner next to my desk who wants to do the same.

My iBook with no name (though maybe Bakura or Bombay… hmm, or Wraith or Eastwood) arrived in town today, but I wasn’t at home to get it. So first thing tomorrow I’m going up to the post office to retrieve my new baby. Name help, anyone?

In the meantime, though, I’m might take Heero out on a last run and perhaps work on Verdant during dinner at Samrat. I feel re-inspired.

I try not to listen to rumors. Rather, I try not to listen to rumors that I think have no basis in fact… which means I have to listen to the rumors, but then filter out the baseless ones. It’s an imperfect system, but in a way, it works for me. And some rumors turn out to be true. The State of Florida budget cut rumors, as an example: fact. The Florida State University layoffs rumor: partially true, excepting the bits about the numbers of people to be let go.

And now rumors that the fantasy market is turning away from urban fantasy… I can’t say anything yet. I can say that I’m not exactly being flooded with book deal offers.

It’s time for more shopping around, I suppose. And no giving up.

Out of 13 queries I have out there, I’ve heard back from four. Nothing yet, but it takes a lot of luck, hope, and fish hooks to catch the perfect fish (or so my grandfather tells me) — and I imagine that’s true for trying to get published as well. Well, the more I try, the more likely I am to succeed, so I’m not giving up trying.

In the last one I received, the agent in question said the nicest thing: “Just because it isn’t right for me, doesn’t mean the right agent isn’t just around the corner for you — keep at it.” Of course, this is a bit paraphrased, but it still made my (rather sleepy) morning.

Well, there’s no giving up hope here. I have nine more queries out there, and should they exhaust themselves… Well, those are just the e-queries. I will waste a tree or fifty if I have to.

And now… to the job for the day — and perhaps some work on Verdant.

As of tonight, I’ve sent Amaranth to three agents and a publisher. As of tonight, I’ve heard back from one of them — and it was a “no” from the second one. Not quite a resounding “no”, but a “no” nonetheless.

Paranoia has yet to set in, but I’m debating on starting to set the money back to self-publish……Like all the other hacks on the internet.

I did manage to finish the transliteration project on time and with a minimum of missed sleep. I’m caught up typing on Verdant and Gods and Other Creatures. I find myself strangely ambivalent, though perhaps it’s not odd: first rejection letter.