Entry #643484, added on 04-09-09 @ 12:46 pm EDT
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| It's the little things that make chaos survivable | Entry #643484 |
April
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written! As my Husband says, it’s a sure sign that I’ve been busy on things that should be recorded about!
My Husband graduates next week. We have family gathering for it and lots going on.
My health: Have had some real down times. One day I threw up 95% of everything I ate, but over the next several days, with my Husband’s help, I recovered and had some pretty mild days too where I didn’t throw up at all. I’m not concerned. My first pregnancy I lost 12 pounds in the first 3 months and my mother’s pregnancies she ended up on seditives and even in the hospital a couple of times, but she was sick the whole 9 months. For me, I usually ease out of it around 4 months in, so I'm almost out of it I think. Looking forward to it easing. Yesterday I did some housecleaning and I finished a review and even visited Hall of Secrets and picked at some revisions – definitely an encouraging day. That’s the first time I’ve done a review or done squat on my book since I first got sick.
In terms of moving prep and the house we have listed for sale: No big interest in our house up for sale. I had an appointment for someone to come look at it yesterday – part of what inspired the housecleaning – but the appointment was canceled. However, we've been looking at rentals down in Texas and have some options. So far, we are hoping to rent a house - as opposed to a townhouse or appartment - but even if we ended up in the latter, I would find solace in a complex playground and pool, so there are advantages to either way. Meanwhile, don't know if I mentioned before, but we got plane tickets bought a while back and got an excellent deal. Four one-way tickets and 1 lap child for a grand total of less than $450, including taxes! We're going with Southwest, so no worries about last minute fees for check baggage etc, and we even found a flight where we won't need to change plane - a godsend with 3 kids! The one thing is that we do have to travel to a major airport - 5 hours away. However, my husband has lots of family in that area where we can stay with them, break up the trip, have a meal and a good night's sleep as well as visit with family. Originally we planned to get tickets on a shuttle that does daily trips to that airport so we were fine, but now we have arranged to have our van picked up IN the city we are flying out of, so we can actually drive ourselves down and have all the personal conveniences of a family trip - ie, emergency stops for me/kids, stops for food, cost, etc. Little blessings, but still nice. We even have a family offering to let us stay at their house a few nights after the movers take all our belongings. (actually we've had two such offers) They have a couple young kids that play with ours, and they will feed us, have an air mattress etc.
My writing, as I said, basically stalled for the last month or so – even had this hopeful plan of doing March NoWriMo but didn’t write a single sentence… oh well. And although I know that this group is focusing on writing this month, I don’t think it’s realistic for me. I still want to ease back into writing, but with the move and all, I’ve got my hands full. I need to get back some resemblance of schedule, daily maintenance, lots of dejunking and either selling items or just saying heck with it and donating them to charity. Like to get back into consistent reviewing in the one workshop I’ve still hung onto.
I have my own private review forum, but not much has happened in there. The one who won the “opening novel help” hasn’t contacted me and no one else has dared leave a footprint in the dust – sort of sad, but then it’s not like I need more things to do right now so I won’t push it. It’s more mentoring than just “reviewing” that I’m offering in there, so I don’t want just anyone wandering in looking for a “good job”. I want serious writers who are ready to change and grow. I don’t think that most novice writers are ready for that level – not until they get “serious” about aiming for publication and getting stuff submitted. And me? Well I’m one of those “pre-published writers”, who doesn’t have the “credentials” to validate me yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Speaking of which, I have a small POD that I’m planning to submit Hall of Secrets to this summer. They just started up last Oct. and it’s a one-man-business, but the guy running it has been around for a while and has been the rounds. He has an on-line presence, aggressively markets, has a following of writers that he’s coaching and has a carefully planned, specific niche he’s marketing to. I’ve watched him since before he launched the business, have done lots of research on the guy, plan to order one of their books and would like to order one of his (published by a different publisher) books oh, and I have read lots of his tips and articles by him. However I kept my distance because I didn’t want to limit my series (that I’ve spent over 10 years on already) to a small POD. Yet, as I have continued writing, I think that I do actually fall in that little niche and if I do, I think that he is poised to market to it as good as any. And I plan to do my own marketing. But I think it would be a good place to get my “feet wet” and establish a readership without people advising me to increase my appeal by adding in elements to my writing (trends I’m seeing in fantasy) that I don’t want to use. I’m confident that this publisher will take Hall of Secrets – ie, that my writing is high enough quality – but … well, the niche is “Christian Speculative Fiction” and religion is very subtle in book I and brought more out in book II of a five book series. I’ve read samples of some of the other books (they have a total of 6 fiction novels, with several writer help style and odds and ends) and hate to sound biased, but I think my writing is better than what I’m seeing. Of course, then some say I should target a bigger publisher. One of my “fans” groups me with Terry Brooks and says that I could be just as big if I have the exposure. Maybe, maybe not, but if religion really does come in as a strong of an element as I think it will (in the overall plot), will a big publisher take it? Or will they shy away because of the clerics, scattered references to “God” and a general Christian/moral foundation. It’s not an analogy like Lion Witch and the Wardrobe, but… people are called by God to do things and the ones that do them, are the “good guys” and the ones that rebel are the “bad guys”. Good grief, that’s way too simplified to do it justice, but I don’t want to get into a long discussion on my book in depth so I’ll just leave it at that. The plotline is sort of a cross between LotR and Star Wars.
But, with any luck, I’ll have a contract signed before winter and a release date of next year (depending on how far out he’s having to schedule them).
Meanwhile I have three stand-alone novel projects, one is a Young LDS adventure story, contemporary style (something I probably swore I would never do, lol) as well as a non-religious Fantasy Romantic Comedy adventure that could go to a simple traditional fantasy market, and a Sci-Fi thriller type that might or might not have any hint of religion in it. So I figure I spread my books out to several markets/publishers and then cross-market carefully. Hall of Secrets probably appeals to both males and females, but leans toward female – same with the Fantasy Romance. The LDS one is strong female but the Sci-Fi will be male driven. Then if my Husband has his way (and ever gets around to it), I’ll help him craft an economic/financial paradigm shifting contemp novel called “Pride in the Ghetto”, assuming that the world doesn’t all go to the ghetto before then, lol! I figure with that set up, and some other ideas I have been toying with – it ought to cover quite a variety but should all be marketable under one name.
Anything else I should be mentioning on here? Hmm, I think that covers the main areas. So I’ll leave off for now! Thanks for reading!
April 9, 2009
Today my Husband graduates. Today family decends on my chaotic house, I will attend a celebration dinner (ie, I must do my hair, get dressed in a dress, hazard society and not throw up in public – even in the bathroom as I did a while back ), then need to get a picture of him getting his diploma cover (which means I gotta remember to have the camera with me) – ugh, it’s gonna be a long day. Somewhere in there (thank goodness for the dinner) I need to make sure that I eat or I will throw up…(which, even if you don’t make a mess, how likely? – you still scare a lot of people. I think the scaring of others is more distressing to me than the other stuff – “are you okay” like you can answer? “should I call someone?” they don’t say it, but I know 911 is definitely high on their list)
I do have to say that someone up there likes me, because any time I get worried about needing to go out and water the plants outside, it rains within 24 hours. They may prefer more water, but hopefully this will suffice to get me through the real hectic week I’ve got. And a little bit ago, a family member who we didn’t expect to come called up and said that business brought him into the area so he might be able to make it! It may be the only sibling of my Husband’s to turn up so I’m happy that he might be coming. I’m tempted to leave it for a surprise though …
All in all, I’m doing well – busy, but well enough. Haven’t done that exercise… We have been planning a short trip to Yellowstone – probably next week, right as it opens their roads.
I have been brainstorming my website but it means a lot more artwork from me and a teaser for each major culture, each character. Since revamping my characters, I’ve only drawn one of six major heroes (although, Nehea might work still…) The one I did of Diana is too old, Cat we chose a new model and we found a model for Ezra and Ash. Then I need to move forward on the pendant. I also want to gather model ideas for scenery, but I might commission someone else to do the scenery – I have no confidence in scenery. For each of the six, I can do portraits, but would love it if I could somehow pull off a composite or something that would professionally show them in a private element setting – full figure. Still brainstorming what settings would fit each. Would be especially cool if some sort of symbolism or foreshadowing could subtly be in each… but then, there’s that idealistic and I can feel the rising doubt of the perfectionist… maybe I will go play with some ideas before the perfectionist buries them forever…
-Renegade
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