Twenty pages of Frost

First of all, today was my first twenty page day on A LICK OF FROST. Very cool. It's especially cool when I know I started at nearly two in the afternoon and by six-thirty I had twenty pages. My goal on this book for a minimum is still four pages. Since I've been working on it, I've had only two four page days. The rest have all been eight, nine, or ten pages. I might have had one eleven page day. You see why years ago I put my minimum page count at eight. I usually hit, or exceed eight pages, but there are days when eight is a burden. Four pages is rarely a burden. So on this book I've given myself permission to have bad days. To have those days when you don't want to work, and the book seems lifeless to you. On those days I know that I can do my four pages and I'm free for the rest of the day. Sometimes I even promise myself a reward for getting those pages. Go to a favorite restaurant for lunch, or to a favorite store. Spend the rest of the afternoon reading someone else's book in my favorite comfy spot with the dogs curled all around. Anything and everything to get me to sit down at the desk and do the work. Some days, like today I'll hit a streak and do twenty pages in four hours, or less. But you can't count on days like this. A day like this is a gift. When setting your own page count per day don't judge on a good day. Always pick one of your worst days. The number you get on your next to worst day, that's the one to use as your page count.

Why do I say your next to worst day, and not your very worst day? Because your very worst day is the day you sit at your desk for eight or ten hours and have not a single page to show for your efforts. I've had those days. All working writers have those days. Maybe Charles Dickens didn't have those days. It is reported by guests at a party at his house that he served drinks with one hand and continued to write OLIVER TWIST with the other. Yes, all writers are entitled to hate him just a little for that. I can't even concentrate on a good conversation in the midst of a large party, let alone keep writing on my current book.

New tech and a Merry question

This is my first anything on the new computer. Yes, that's right, the old one finally got so buggy that Jon persuaded me it was time. I have this beautiful new screen, much bigger than my old one. I hate it. The only thing I got to keep was my ergonomic keyboard. I hate all the new stuff. It's beautiful, it works, and it's different and it's technology, and I hate it. The new printer doesn't seem to bother me, because I don't work with it, really. The printer just needs to print, and the old one had started not doing that. Maybe I need the screen to be a touch higher? Hmm. Jon put the new computer system up on the main desk, while I continued to work on the smaller desk across the room. That computer is no longer hooked up to this computer. We severed ties because of the problems the old system was having. It was taking down both computers and making it impossible to work, or eating my work. But brand new stuff to use. We'll see how long it takes me to get over the trauma of new tech in my office. The timer went for tea, I'll be back.

I'm back warm cup of tea in hand. The cup says, "Obey", in big, bold letters with a small cartoonish figure beside the words done in sort of bondage/android. She is a smaller figure of Von Pinn, who is a character in GIRL GENIUS the Phil and Kaja Foglio comic. Several volumes are out, and three days a week you get to see the new pages. I didn't pick the cup for myself. Jon bought it. I'd argue with the choice of cups, but I really can't. I do like being in charge. As Jon says, "Not a bad thing, just true."

A question from the board: Why hasn't Merry seen a fertility specialist?

Answer: It's been less than three months. Most reputable doctors won't even count you as having problems until you've gone six months, and they prefer a year of effort before you seek medical aid. So, one, it hasn't been long enough to say she's having problems. Two, did you guys notice that they blamed some of Andais's mood swings on the hormone treatments she was getting? I would think that might spook Merry and all the guards from that type of fertility therapy. Once the doctors have tested blood, and other bodily fluids, then the tests get more invasive. For women they can get very invasive, and painful, and even carry some risk to them. So, before a doctor would go collecting eggs and making sure they were fertile, I think we need a few more months of effort. KISS OF SHADOWS only began in October, close to Samhain, Halloween. The last two books have been set in December. A LICK OF FROST is also set in December. Merry is having a very, very busy holiday season. If people weren't trying to kill her, she could simply relax and let nature take it's course.

More questions answered

First, sorry I didn't make it clear that Jean-Claude's only legitimate child died with the mother. But, as for him having descendents . . . I know that Jean-Claude and the noble son that he played whipping boy for visited houses of ill-repute. So the only possibility of a legitimate heir is gone, but illegitimate off spring is still a possibility. For that matter part of Anita's family, on her father's side, comes from the Alsace-Lorraine region. Which is an area that has been disputed back and forth between France and Germany for a very long time. I'm not saying they have cousins in common, but it's not outside of possibility. If your family is peasant stock, which Anita has stated she is, the records are a lot sketchier. Nobles keep track of their bloodlines, peasants, not so much.

I'm a little surprised at the Merry vote. Though, on the other hand, not surprised at all. Doyle and Frost have been fan favorites from the beginning. Rhys coming in a strong second, before Frost, is a surprise. No promises, but I'll see what I can do on Rhys's behave in the next book. The three way tie between Usna, Barinthus, and Aisling was a surprise. Again, I'll see what I can do. I was surprised that Galen was such a distant runner, and the men that didn't get any votes surprised me, as well. Maybe the fans, like me sometimes, and even Merry, are beginning to be spoiled for choices. Maybe there really is such a thing as too much of a good thing, even in fiction.

We won't be seeing much of Jason in THE HARLEQUIN. Sorry about that guys. Nathaniel has stuck to his guns with Anita, and gotten her to agree to a real date. So, yes, he shows that he has needs not getting met with Anita, and he wants those needs met. His quiet way of pressuring her has gotten her to agree to things that a frontal assault, or a more aggressive stance has failed to do in the past.

Indulging

I'll try to answer some more questions from fans later. For tonight, I just didn't want to let too much time pass between entries. I was hoping the snow would miss us, but it's falling, softly, outside. The dogs came in all damp. Pip's black fur glittering as the snow melted. It's supposed to be three to six inches. If it's six, then we'll stay home tomorrow. If it's less, we have plans with friends we haven't seen in awhile. Though, if it's a choice between ice and snow, I'll take the snow. Here's a prayer that the electricity keeps going with no problems. Snow is a gentler touch of winter than ice. Safer on the roads, and the power lines. Because of the predicted winter storm Jon and I stayed home for date night. We did one of my two guilty pleasures; Walkers shortbread cookies, and a mini-marathon of Desperate Housewives. The cookies are bad for the arteries, and so much else. But every once in awhile you need to eat that sweet thing that you've been craving. Shortbread cookies are one of the things that can't stay in the house. You get a small box, eat them, share them with friends, and do not buy them for another six months to a year. I'm not sure the television show, Desperate Housewives, is bad for us, in fact it's won a lot of awards. I think it's just the title that makes it feel like a guilty indulgence.

A Rhys Question answered

Another question from the forum:

I don't know if Rhys gets a one on one love scene with Merry in the newest book. I haven't actaully started A LICK OF FROST, yet. I've tried to start it, but it hasn't really worked. I've blogged a little about some of the difficulities I've had starting it. This is probably the last book before we begin to narrow the pack of Merry's men from one thing or another. So I'll give you guys the oprutunity to vote for which of the men you'd most like to see a one on one scene with Merry. I'm not saying you'll get your wish, but I would be interested in which of the guys that we haven't seen, or those we have, that you guys would be most interested in seeing on stage in a more complete manner. So write into the forum, and say which of the guys we haven't seen on stage yet that you'd like to see Merry be up close and personal with. If your vote is for one of the men we've already seen, then still write in. I'd be curious if most of you already have favorites among the men Merry has already chosen.

A Jean-Claude Question Answered

Okay questions from the forum:

How does Jean-Claude talk to me? Quietly. He's strangely never pushy. The loudest he's ever been in my head was when I first wrote A KISS OF SHADOWS. Jean-Claude popped into my head from nowhere, and said, "You had this, and didn't offer me any?" He was referring to Merry. This was back when Anita was not doing sex, at all. I knew Jean-Claude was frustrated with Anita, but that loud interruption in the middle of a different book, let me know just how frustrated he was. Not just about the sex, or lack thereof, but about Anita's constant arguing about nearly everything. Jean-Claude doesn't mind Micah and Nathaniel as much as he did Richard. Partly, Micah and Nathaniel have been okay with being closer to him physically from the beginning. Not sex, but just less hung up about Jean-Claude being around. Micah and Nathaniel have never seen it as a competition. Richard definitely sees it as a competition with Jean-Claude for Anita. Micah and Nathaniel are fine with sharing. They don't try to force Jean-Claude out. As for a domestic arrangement, I'm still not sure that Jean-Claude would thrive in a more traditional situation with Anita. I know that he had a brief marriage as a human, a wife that died in childbirth, but it was not a love match. He married for status, wealth, and privilege. A common goal, an almost unattainable one for someone who was born a peasant. You might say it was a Cinderella story, except with the prince a low level noble woman, and Jean-Claude as Cinderella. Then he was in turn seduced by the vampire that brought him over. Then Belle Morte sort of collected him. Neither was a particularly typical domestic arrangement. His time with Asher and Julianna was the closest to domestic for him, but even there it was not typical. At his happiest he was sharing the woman he loved with another man. Or, he was sharing the man he loved with a woman. In a true menage a trois, it's all about the sharing. I just don't think Jean-Claude's idea of domestic bliss is typical. Anita averages at least two nights a week with him, often more, if she's not on a case.

Part of the problem is you guys never see Anita unless she is in the middle of a case. So what would be an 'ordinary' week for her, you never see. The reason you don't see it, is if nothing happens it's not a book. It might be interesting, but it would just be a series of events making up her week, not a plot. She tends to split her time between the two houses. Her own, and Jean-Claude's.

The Rewrite is done

THE HARLEQUIN is off to New York. The last bit of it went off today. Because of the deadline being so tight, Jon just sat at one of the other desks in my office. I'd turn to him with the last notes and go, okay, here's the change I made. Does it make sense? Here's the editor's note. Do you agree with it? When the deadlines were looser, books went through my writing group. We'd do the bother factor. Which means you vote and if everyone in the room, all seven of us, don't understand a point in the book you just change it. If say, three people don't understand it, well, it's still fifty percent, so it's the writer's call. But with a fifty percent bother factor I usually still try to clarify. If only one person is puzzled, it's usually a personal preference. So ignore and go on. By the time I finished this rewrite, there would have been maybe, a twenty-four hour window to hand it out, get it read, and get feedback. No one can do nearly seven hundred manuscript pages in twenty-four hours. Okay, not as a critique, and even if you could, the twenty-four hours includes the time to make any changes. So, impossible. I've done twenty-four hour turn around critiques for people, but that was between two hundred and three hundred pages, not six hundred or more. What would I do, if Jon wasn't here to turn to? Well, I had one writer friend who read me his book inch by inch over the phone. Some writers e-mail pieces back and forth. The comic is certainly teaching me that could have possibilities, if you could find someone to babysat their e-mail for you. Some writers use their editors as their sounding board. Some writers truly are solitary creatures and don't use that much feedback. I certainly did that for years before I found my writing group, but I guess I'm actually a group animal at heart.

A quick one

We have power, yea!

I got the lion's share of THE HARLEQUIN off to New York. Again, yea!

I still have one Dolph and Anita scene to redo, or rethink. I have the final fight scene still to rewrite. Not so, yea.

I'm still not a hundred percent over the bug I picked up. So, that's it for now. Hopefully, will feel better tomorrow and maybe get to actually answer some questions from fans on the board.

Positive thoughts

I'm trying to be optimistic. Jon tells me I have to be. But it's not my best thing. I'm thinking positive thoughts. You think positive thoughts, too, that the rain that's coming down here doesn't turn to freezing rain. If it just rains, we're cool, but ice . . . Well, the local news actually encouraged people to prepare for power outages. I think everyone's confidence in our local power company, AmerenUE is pretty low after the last two outages we've had. But positive thoughts.

First, there'd been an Amber alert here earlier in the week, five days ago, I believe. They found the boy. He looks okay. I know looks can be deceiving, but he looked okay, and that is pretty good news. But on top of that, they found a second boy with him. This kid was snatched when he was eleven years old. We've seen posters of him forever, it seems. He's now sixteen and he's going home. How amazing is that? So that's my positive thought for the night. Two teenage boys home. Two families reunited with their kids.

After news like that, if anyone cares, the rewrite of THE HARLEQUIN is nearly done. Positive thoughts that I get to put it in FedEx tomorrow.

Keep it simple

I am done with THE HARLEQUIN, sort of. I am still trapped in the rewrite, but the book is done. I am adding a couple of chapters in the middle featuring characters that play a part in the climax. I am still going to rewrite some of the ending fight scene. But the book is done. So why did I get trapped for a day, writing and rewriting this one new chapter? Because I got carried away with two brand new ideas that would work just perfectly here, or is it there? Anyway, I wrote the scene twice with two different takes on it. I threw them both out today. It's a rewrite, not a first draft. The first draft is where you put everything and anything into the mix. The first draft is where you get to explore those blind alleys, or chase those rabbits down those holes. But in the final edit, you don't chase bunnies, you stay the hell out of dark alleys. You do not deviate from the path laid out before you. Both the new ideas may get used in future books, but not this book. And the fact that my imagination is trying to add major plot lines at the end, means that I am done with this book. My imagination has gone onto the next project, or is ready to do so. Sometimes the editing takes more time than my muse thinks it should, and it gets impatient. But since I only have two more days to finish it all up, and get it off to New York, my muse doesn't have much longer to get impatient. We're out of time, if you guys are going to get this book in June. I forgot one of Hamilton's rules of writing, or rather of rewriting. The rule is; keep it simple. Don't throw in something brand new in the final edit. Don't complicate a book just because you're tired of editing and want to write something new. My imagination does not find editing as satisfying as first draft. So, need to finish, so I can do the next adventure with my imaginary friends. Merry next. Though, since I'm still sick, I may actually allow myself to get completely well before I start the next book. Yeah, being well, would be nice. Sorry, if that sounded grumpy, but I've done nineteen pages of fresh work today. The pages needed to be there, but I did it on a day when eight pages seemed like a whole lot. But I did it. I did it, and now I'm done. I'm going to go collapse on the couch. Apparently, we're a plague house. Trin had to come home early from school with a low grade fever and feeling tired. This sounds familiar. I'm gonna go lay down.

How Aubrey got blonde hair, and we got a yummy cover

Okay, still not well, but improving. Anyway, I'll answer something from the forum. On the new cover art with the blonde stripper on it. The question was, who is this guy? Funny you should ask. It was one of those interesting accidents. This was originally one of the character sketches that Brett Booth sent to me when he and the Dabels were first showing me their stuff. You can see why the image helped win me over, it is yummy. But Brett thought it was Robert, and then I pointed out that he doesn't have long hair in the first book. So then, we decided it was Aubrey, but since we weren't planning on using the picture in the comic, actually, it didn't really matter. Just one of those discussions you have. Then we had Guilty Pleasures #1 go back to press for a third time, and we needed another cover. We went back and forth a few times, but I finally suggested the sketch of Aubrey/Robert from the character sketches I was shown originally. Here is where my ignorance of how art works comes into play. I thought Brett could just take the original image and use some artsy magic to make it big enough for a cover. Nope, he had to redraw it bigger. My only defense is the only art I worked with when I was in corporate America was on the computer, so you could size it up and down pretty easily. But at least Brett knew exactly what he was drawing, so that was a little faster. Anyway, he drew it, it was lovely, and it went off to be colored. Here's where the confusion begins. In the original sketches this image was marked as Robert, who is a blonde. As I said earlier in this post, it was only after I pointed out to Brett that Robert didn't have long hair that it ceased to be Robert, and we decided it was Aubrey. Aubrey has brown hair. But I can see why the colorist chose blonde, because the original sketch is marked for a blonde character.

So, we get this amazing picture, but with the wrong color of hair. Jon used a computer program to do a quick down and dirty change of hair color, and once you darkened the hair the picture just didn't work as well. Normally, I'd say, nope, no matter how amazing it looks it's got to be changed, but you know what, I love the image, we're at deadline, and it looks better this way. I've been easier going and more chatty in e-mails all day. I think it's the meds I'm on. But whatever the reason the wrong hair color just looked better on the cover. Aubrey will have his brown hair in the comic art, but he's a blonde on the cover. I guess since movie posters can have so little to do with the actual movie, we can change a hair color on the third cover for issue #1. I wonder if when I finally get off these meds if I'll feel differently? Naw. It's a great cover, and maybe blondes do have more fun. As a lifelong brunette, I'll never know.

Good night

Hey, everybody. I'm still sick. Not a lot sick. The fever finally broke. But nearly a week of fever, even a low grade one, has wiped me out. I am amazingly tired. I'm tired of laying down. I was on the mend when according to my doctor, I caught a second virus before the first one was completely gone. Sigh. Today has been the most I've stayed upright since I got sick. But when I went to the bedroom to get something, the bed looked awfully nice, cool, and welcoming. I'd have been in bed by now but got caught by a show on National Geographic. Dr. Brady Barr and some of his Dangerous Encounters. But it's over, and I'm beat. So good night, my friends, take care. I hope everyone else is well.

AmerenUE wants to chop down our trees

Remember the power outages this summer and this winter here in Missouri? It made national news. We, personally, were out for five days each time. AmerenUE our power company has offered to bury power lines both old and new. Which I think we all applaud. Also, a more aggressive inspection program so that problems can be fixed before they are a true problem. But they also want 15 million dollars to take down trees, not in their right of way, but on private land. Trees they deem may become a problem. Every state in the mid-west and on the east coast has trees, some states have lots more trees than we do, and much worse weather. You don't hear the power company in Minnesota, or Maine, asking to tear down trees on private land. If Minnesota and Maine can keep their power up and running without violating property rights, then why can't Missouri? Also, doesn't anyone remember that trees make oxygen. We complain about the rain forest in South America being torn down and the negative effect it's having on the environment, but every tree that goes down here, in our country, is a loss, too. Every tree is part of the filter system of our planet. Every tree helps clean our air, and make more breathable air for us. We do a lot of finger pointing at other countries, but how many wooded lots have vanished in your neighborhood in the last ten years, five years, six months?

Trees make oxygen. Trees clean the oxygen we already have. They are part of the filter system for our planet. Can we really afford to keep loosing them?

There, a case for trees, that should mean something to us all. I didn't talk about bird habitat, or other wildlife. I didn't even mention that trees just make the world more beautiful. They help make the air you are breathing right this second. Save a tree, help make sure our grandchildren have enough clean air to breath.

Still sick, but questions answered

First off, yes it was your Nathaniel question I answered, Keeper4Nathaniel. My hope, dare I call it a plan, is to look on the forum for comments and questions from you guys. Jon can help me if I get lost in technology land. Strangely, working on the comic has really helped me get over my phobia about tech. It's helped especially with my fear of e-mails, and editing on screen. I'm getting better at both. I've even sent an e-mail with no help from anyone, that actually got to it's destination. Wow. I know my fear of technology seems silly to most of you computer savvy people, but phobias are like that; they don't have to make sense.

As for the post that questioned what I meant about not killing characters, well, that isn't exactly what I meant. I'm not adverse to having someone die if it's unavoidable. But I choose to avoid it, if possible. It's not always possible. I think I blogged about the fact that I did kill someone in THE HARLEQUIN. Yeah, another emotional screw over for my characters. I did promise after GUILTY PLEASURES that if Anita cared for someone I wouldn't kill them off. At that time I had planned on her picking one person to care for, at a time. How was I to know? Sometimes I think Anita's interest is partially my subconscious's way around that promise. A way to keep everyone safe. Maybe; who knows what one's subconscious is up to these days.

I'm pretty sure why I don't like killing people off in the books. It's probably something to do with that whole mother dying when I was six thing. Probably. But since I'm still running a fever, and not feeling at all a hundred percent, I don't really want to go down that road too far tonight. Being sick makes me feel down enough without adding emotional pain.

New Year +1

Hey all.

I'm posting this because Laurell is a little under the weather. Nothing major, just a bout of "Creeping Crud".

What's going on here?
Comic #3 is out, The NY Times list is out, 2nd printing of Comic #2 is out... Hmmm... Comic #4 is being colored, #5 is being penciled. Working on THE HARLEQUIN manuscript.

Pretty much that's it right now.

What we did on New Year's Eve

We had Trinity, as we usually do on New Year's Eve. My ex-husband and his wife usually try to go out and do something grown-up for the night. He and I used to try and do something on New Year's but it usually went wrong. I'm not sure why, but it was like on the old Mary Taylor Moore show, where she could never successfully throw a party, no matter how hard she tried? Well, New Year's was like that for my first husband and I. Add to that dubious history the fact that I don't really drink, and I'm not a big fan of crowds, well, traditional American New Year is just not my cup of tea. We threw a party for a couple of years where we invited friends over with children so we could all get out and see grownups and still celebrate. Most of my friends don't drink either, so it was fine. Then my friends with children our daughter's age got a child with a dog allergy, or a parent with a dog allergy, and we have four dogs. Oh, well. So Jon, Trin, and I had a celebration that was very us.

There was a marathon of Naruto on Cartoon Network. Jon and Trin liked the show before I did. But I've been won over. So a night of Naruto that none of us had seen. We've managed to get all the DVD's available in the U.S., but we had not been watching on television. We made up for that on New Year's Eve. We ordered Crispani Pizzas from St. Louis Bread Company, so no one had to cook, and we watched anime until after midnight. Trin stayed up for it all. She was also very tired the next morning. Funny how that works.

This morning we did a tradition that comes from the years when birding was a more serious hobby for me. The first bird you spot on New Year's Day is going to be the theme for you that year. Some birders travel to exotic locations so they can wake up and have a chance of having an unusual bird for the year. Jon and I both saw Cardinals. We saw them separately in different parts of the yard. Trin saw a Starling. I combine my birding background with my Wiccan faith and we look up the bird in the Ted Andrews books on working with animal totems. Though, as always, we are encouraged to think about what the bird we've seen means to us. Any special memories associated with it, or what the bird was doing at the time we saw it, etc . . . My Cardinal was feeding at the bird feeders. I don't know what Jon's was doing. He just walked by, and said his bird was , "Mucking about in the back hedgerow." So another year is officially here. I have put up all the new calendars, and that's quite a lot. I really like calendars for some reason. I used to feel stupid that I bought more calendars than anyone I knew, but since I actually put most of them up, or dissect them for art, and having them just makes me happy, I don't fight it anymore. So I put up, officially today, six of them, and that's just in my office. Like I said, I really like calendars.