Hodderscape and other updates

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I've felt drawn lately to return to LJ to ramble about things - I have become a Facebooker, yes (though honestly mostly a Redditor), but to actually put myself out there makes me not so comfortable.  So I post a lot of dog and food things as a result.   I've decided I need to just be here more often as it is a good place to at least sort of know who is reading my intimate ramblings.  So onward with the update, which is in list form, because I am tired and sleepy and want to go to bed now.

• Starting off with Hodderscape.  I submitted to the open submissions event in August, and as of today I have not been rejected. We were told that if we did not get rejected by the end of the year, it is because our work has gone on to a second reading.  So yay, second reading!  How long that second reading will last, we don't know, but I am using this time to get this ms done.  Not sitting around on my laurels, waiting. No way.


• The reason this is so important and exciting is I submitted a YA fantasy, a new genre for me but one I have been reading extensively in for some time.  It is my happy place, definitely, and I know now this is where I want to be.  So no matter what, if I get a rejection now?  I will still be mighty happy as getting this far means I do have something, my story has something about it that has garnered attention. That above all is what I needed most to know.   If they pass now I will be sad, sure, but also I know exactly what I am doing next with this story - start the agent hunt.


• I am currently at 79,909 words, with a quarter to go.  Long, yikes!!  I fear the finished draft will be around 110,000, but that is really okay as I have LOTS of revisions to do.  I am writing this one straight through because of the Hodderscape thing (and yes they were fine with unfinished ms's entered, but it sure would be bad to not have it done or close to by the time they email and say 'send it all!' ha ha). After I am finally done with the first draft I will be hitting revisions hard. I have a plan for that too that I am excited to try, based on what I learned from this amazing, amazing book:

• So right now, writing on the ms is everything. I work the day job hard, I write during lunch (by hand, every day - I'm on my fourth Moleskin notebook now), I come home, do home things, I write, then go to bed and start over again.  Not a bad thing really. I see my kids a lot these days, my daughter joins me on weekends at B&N, and both she and my son are my #1 fans.  :)


• I am also participating in getyourwordsout   here on lj, a year-long writing community to, well, Get Your Words Out.  Doing it last year was fun, I wrote a lot of articles, but I feel more into it this year. Not sure why.  I hope to pick up some friends from there this year - like actually add to my friends list!  Crazy thought!


• I redid my writing space.  Sitting on the couch wasn't working, and while I do love writing at B&N I need to write at home too.   I now write at my dining room table, which I pushed against the wall.  I love this table as it has a pull-out leaf I can put the keyboard on, and then I can put it away when I don't need it.  Nice.  Maddox would not hold still for a picture. Bad dog.  I like sitting out here as then he can run in and out and I can keep an eye on him (escape artist).  So I have my table, my computer, my plants (I have a lot of plants these days), my dogs, and a nice table to sit at, with music going, yeah.  I have been doing most of my writing at B&N but that is only on weekends.


• I'm not sure what else to update.  In many ways life is very calm (though my son is single again, and living with me for now, which is okay - I don't mind at all as he is a big help with the dogs.  He brought his cat with him, yes a cat in a house of prey driven Siberians.  We are very careful to keep her upstairs behind locked doors. Thankfully she is a very sweet quiet cat!).  My daughter is doing fantastic with her job (like really fantastic), she has a great guy in her life now, and they are moving in to a very pretty brand new condo in Dallas next month.  Work is good and busy, yeah.


• Just learned too that the publisher who published my Cardiff story, Amber Quill, is folding. I'll get my rights back on that story.  It did terrible there.  I maybe got 50 bucks total. It is weird to me because I love that story, I wrote part of it while I was in Cardiff for a couple of weeks, and I just don't know, I just don't know.  Maybe, probably, shouldn't have left Loose-Id and published with them but as I am putting aside m/m for now (or forever) it doesn't matter. I don't think I will do anything with it.  I just don't care, anymore.


• I guess this is getting too long so it means I should post some pictures now, yes?  Here you go!

Maddox and my writing space (and yes the computer was updating, again).

And here is Buffy, the Cat Upstairs:.