California Journeying: Family, Pantheacon, and the Ocean

I just returned this morning from a week-long trip to far-off California. (Well, it's far off from where I live in upstate NY, anyway.) It was a fabulous trip, starting with a visit with my parents, sister Becky, and nephew Stamo in San Diego...which very kindly decided to have a heatwave the couple of days I was there, thanks to the Santa Ana winds. On the two previous occasions I made this trip, it was about 65 degrees when I went out. Which is still pretty nice when you are coming from minus ten. This time, it was 81 even at the ocean. Quite a change from sub-zero temps and piles of snow. I wore shorts. *mind boggles*

Yes, the sky really was that color.

Yes, that handsome guy is my dad.

OCEAN!!!!!

My fabulous parents. Sand. Shorts. Beach. In short, heaven.

Any guesses which one of these arms belongs to the woman from upstate NY? 

Now that's a good-looking family.

I hadn't seen my nephew in two and a half years. He got TALL.

We had a great time--two days in a row at the ocean (which is my idea of heaven), my mom's homemade lasagna and apple pie, and laughing hysterically over a game of Apples to Apples.

Then I got on yet another plane to San Jose, where I spent three and a half days attending Pantheacon, one of the largest Pagan conventions in the country. Which would be fabulous enough all by itself, but I also got to spend time with my beloved step-daughter Jenn, my incredible Llewellyn editor Elysia Gallo, and my insanely wonderful critique partner/all-around-great pal Lisa. Plus all sorts of cool Llewellyn authors and Pagan friends. Plus I got to finally meet the top dude at Llewellyn, Bill, who was a sweetie.

That's Bill on the left.

Me and my beloved editor Elysia

Posters on the wall of the Llewellyn suite. Gee, those two to the right look familiar.

A LOT of Llewellyn authors, our publicist Kat, and a few innocent bystanders

Me and the amazing Selena Fox (who put on a fab Brigid healing ritual earlier in the day that Lisa and I loved)

Me and the luminous Lisa, one of my favorite people, and also a great roomie

It was pretty tough to leave all that sun and warmth (and my kid) behind and come back to the chilly Northeast. Although of course, I was pretty darned happy to get back to my cats and my own bed.

Here is last Tuesday:

The view from the patio of the restaurant where we ate lunch

 And here was this Tuesday:

Icicles, anyone?

 Still, it was nice to get away for a bit from the snow and the cold, and at least I have pictures like this to look back on...

Llewellyn publisher Bill photo-bombing me, Elysia, and Kat

Did you miss me while I was gone? Maybe just a little?

Don't wander off too far, because tomorrow (Wednesday) I'm going to have a Big Big Announcement. No, really, I mean it. BIG. HUGE BIG.

In the meanwhile, I'm going to go to bed, because I have no idea what day it is or what time zone I'm in.

I hope you're all staying warm!

Pantheacon 2015!

I normally don't travel much, but this year is shaping up to be a bit of an anomaly. I actually have plans to go to a number of conferences and conventions, as well as one family trip (if we can actually pull it off).

First up is a return to one of my favorite conventions ever--PANTHEACON

Pantheacon is one of the largest Pagan conventions I know of, and it happens every year in San Jose, California in the middle of February. Obviously, the people who run it thought, "What is the best time of year to have everyone flying in from across the country?" and went with that date. *snort*

There are always lots of amazing people to meet up with, workshops to go to, and even a book release party given by Llewellyn that includes my upcoming book, Everyday Witchcraft: Making Time for Spirit in a Too-Busy World.

I usually give a couple of workshops myself, and had originally planned to this time as well, but I'd cancelled my plans due to Samhain's increasing illness, and while I was able to get everything else back into sync after her death changed things, the workshop slots had already been filled by others.

But never fear, you can still find me at a number of events at the Llewellyn Hospitality Suite in Room 1057. And I will be out and about during the conference, so if you happen to see me, be sure to say hi.

One of the best things about Pantheacon for me it always the people I get to spend time with:

Me with three of my favorite people on the planet: my step-daughter Jenn, writing partner Lisa DiDio, and Llewellyn editor Elysia

As you can see, Elysia and I don't get along at all :-)

The amazing Margot Adler, me, and Selena Fox

This was the last time I went, in 2011. I'll be seeing all of these folks again this year, which is a big part of why I'm going! The first time I went, in 2008 as a newbie author, I was overwhelmed to meet some of my own favorite authors. I told you--lots of great people go to this!

Esteemed tarot author Mary Greer, Z. Budapest, and Raven Grimassi

The charming Christopher Penczak, Stephanie Taylor, Ellen Dugan, and me

Me with the brilliant Anne Niven Newkirk, publisher and editor of Witches & Pagans Magazine

I think you can see why I'm excited to be going!

Of course, I'm also happy to be making a quick stop in San Diego in the way, so I can spend a couple of days with my too-far-away family...and I confess (since I know y'all won't tell) that the idea of some days away from the upstate NY cold and blustery winter doesn't hurt either.

Naturally, not everyone is happy about my decision to go...

No, I won't let you pack!

But thankfully, I have great cat sitters to fill in while I'm away. The cats won't even miss me.

I look forward to having a great report to share with you upon my return.

Anyone else planning to be there this year? I'd love to see you!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Okay, it can stop now.

We got hit by a winter storm this weekend, like much of the rest of the eastern half of the country. not too bad, really, by Oneonta standards: about 11 inches of snow, but most of it fell overnight.

Believe it or not, there was a patio and a driveway under all that. Sometimes I shovel it myself, but it is a long driveway (this is just the back bit, not the part that runs from here down to the road, next to the house), but thankfully I have a Knight in Shining Truck for the big dumps. (I have to pay him, of course, but it's worth it!)

The storm didn't really bother me, other than the fact that I had to spend a lot of time on the phone from Friday night through Sunday morning, rearranging the schedule at The Artisans' Guild to get local folks to cover from those who come from further away, or live on unplowed back roads.

I spend part of the weekend finishing the last of the wrapping, packing of packages, and other gift-giving chores, and on Saturday before the storm hit my friend Ellen came over to watch (or rewatch in my case) the Doctor Who special, and help me put up my few decorations for the Yule season.

I also did some really helpful brainstorming with writing partner Lisa for the Baba Yaga prequel novella I have to start writing yesterday. And of course, there was a certain amount of this. (Those are my legs, underneath book, cat, and fuzzy blankie.)

I usually am so burned out in December, I indulge in rereading a favorite author, instead of trying to digest something new. This season, it is Trisha Ashley, a British romantic comedy author. I have been hoarding her new one, but I think it's up next, since I'm finishing off the last of the older books I own. Samhain doesn't seem to care one way or the other. As far as she's concerned, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

New and Shiny!

As most of you know, this year I FINALLY got a fiction book contract (with Berkley Publishing for my paranormal romance series, The Baba Yaga). After seven years of working towards that goal, actually achieving it was fairly momentous. It also felt like a good time to make some changes. Seven is one of those magical numbers, for one thing. Plus, my writing career is shifting in a different direction. In the past, most of my public focus was on the nonfiction witchcraft books from Llewellyn. Now, the focus will be on both fiction and nonfiction.

So what does all this mean, you ask? (Of course I can hear you. I'm amazing that way.)

NEW WEBSITE!!!!!

Sorry. I'm a little excited.

My wonderful friend Robin created my old website for me, back when my first Llewellyn book came out (2007, or maybe before), and we've made a few changes in the meanwhile. But it was on a webhost that required all sorts of fancy code and such, which meant that I was always dependent on someone else to update it. Also, of course, it was based on the "old" author image of me, instead of the "new" one. (Shockingly, I still look the same. But you know what I mean.)

When Robin got busy with her new business (she runs a daycare...multi-talented woman that she is), my writing partner Lisa DiDio hooked me up with her web person, the fabulous Annette Beecher. Annette initially took over maintaining the old site, and when I decided I was ready for a new one, she built me one on WordPress. It ROCKS. Just you wait and see. The woman is a genius. (And very reasonably priced, to boot. Which is good, since I'm still paying for rat clean-up.)

Here is what the old site looked like, in case you don't remember (or, GASP, never visited it):

It was nice, but a little dark. It also had the address deborahblakehps. com (because deborahblake.com was already taken, dammit). HPS stands for high priestess, which made sense when I was only doing witchy books.

The new website will be www.deborahblakeauthor.com which is a little more general. Go take a look and tell me what you think.

I think it is beooootiful! Or as they would say on Firefly: SHINY!

What do you think?

Oh, and if you ever need anything done online, Annette has a business as a Virtual Assistant at http://www.jaromarbles.com/ -- I couldn't recommend her more highly. She was fast, easy to work with, really good, and not expensive!
 

DONE!

Booyah!

A few minutes ago, I typed two of my favorite words: THE END

(I'm also quite fond of "book contracts" and "chocolate, anyone?")

I actually expected to finish the novel sooner, since I've been pushing to get the manuscript done in time to get it out on submission before the holidays slow the publishing world to a crawl, and I also needed to clear my plate to make jewelry and concentrate on running the shop during the busy season.

But I'd been figuring the book would end up being about 90,000 words...and someone kept moving the ending :-)

As of right now, the book stands at 105,105 words (really...I should play the lottery or something) and 348 pages. Of course, it isn't really finished. I still have to go over the chapters I wrote tonight, and do one last polish edit before sending it out to my agent, Elaine Spencer. (I do serious editing as I go along, so the final so-called first draft is usually pretty shiny.)

And it is out with a few first readers, my main critique partner Lisa and author pal Alex Bledsoe, as well as my pal Skye, and they'll have feedback that will lead to changes, as, no doubt, will Elaine.

But still. THE END.

BOOYAH!

Writing: What I'm Working On (Shhhhh...)

I haven't been talking much here (or anywhere) about my current Work in Progress (or WIP, as us professional author types call them). But don't let that fool you into thinking I'm not writing :-)

I have been busy catching up with the non-fiction (articles for next year's Llewellyn annuals, my regular column in Witches & Pagans Magazine, stuff like that), and trying to keep up with the garden, which sucks a lot of time in the summer. But I'm also about a third of the way through the next novel. It has already made one trip to my agent Elaine Spencer for comments and input, and been revised in response. I've finished a full outline and I'm at the point where I'm going to dive back in and finish this sucker.

So why haven't I been talking about it, you ask? Is it that bad?

On the contrary....it's that good. Seriously. I am LOVING this story. Elaine is LOVING this story. Lisa, my critique partner and Judy, my first reader/editor all LOVE this story. I am more excited about writing it than I am anything I've written in ages, even though it is in many ways a tougher manuscript to work on, and much slower going than usual. [That's not bad--each book is different. This one uses language and layering differently than any of the others, which is part of why the pages are going more slowly.]

One of the reasons I haven't mentioned the title or any specifics is because we haven't seen anything like this out there yet, and I don't want to give away the idea. (It's a tough world, publishing. Very competitive.) But more than that, I guess, I just don't want to jinx it. Not quite ready to share. But when I am, I promise you'll hear about it here first.

In the meanwhile, I'll just keep updating the word count and talking about the garden, jewelry, and putting up cute pictures of my cats. Thanks for your patience.

Happy Birthday to Me! (And a gift for y'all.)

Yes, it's that time of year again. No, not National Hot Fireman with a Cute Kitten Day, although it should be
You're Welcome, Ladies . In point of fact, it is my birthday. Tomorrow, April 28th, I will be 32 um...42 older than you are, probably. Definitely older than that fireman, more's the pity. Ahem.

Anyway, I started celebrating today with a lovely lunch with pals Ellie (who runs The Artisans Guild with me) and Bobbie (from Blue Moon Circle). We all went out to a great Cajun restaurant, where we ate way too much yummy food, including this guy:

(The owner, Bryan, had just gone to visit his family in Louisiana, and came back with some genuine Louisiana crayfish. Seriously--yum.)

Tomorrow, I will be going with my friend Ellen to a Beltane celebration outside of Binghamton. I may even dance around a May Pole. I'll let you know :-)

In the meanwhile, my fabulous critique partner Lisa sent me an amazing Tetsubin (a small Japanese cast iron tea pot--one of which is featured in her great YA series, so she wanted to make sure I knew what her character was talking about--lol)

Isn't is pretty? You can't quite tell from this picture, but it is a beautiful lavender color.

And I'm rewarding myself for finishing the novel revisions in time for my birthday by starting a book I have REALLY been looking forward to The Garden of Happy Endings by Barbara O'Neal.

I am having a lovely birthday, so I arranged with my fabulous webmistress/epub expert/newsletter goddess Robin Wright to use one of our remaining free days for my epubbed short story. (When you put a story up on Amazon under certain circumstances which she understands but I don't, see above, you get a total of 5 days when you can give the story away for free.) So, if you weren't around when we gave away Witch Upon a Star the last time, now is your big chance! From midnight EST tonight to midnight on the 28th, you can go to Amazon and download the short story (a paranormal romance set in the Star Stone series that starts with the novel, Witch Ever Way You Can ). Feel free to tell all your friends; I am happy to share. Happy birthday to me--and thank you all for another great year!

Revision Heck

There are two kinds of authors. (Well, really, a bazillion kinds, but in this particular case, usually two.)

There are authors who love writing first drafts and hate doing revisions. And authors who love doing revisions but hate first drafts. There may be some who love both, but I haven't met one yet :-)

The authors who hate the revision part call it "Revision Hell." And I am usually one of them. But something interesting happened while I was working on my latest book, SEEDS OF CHANGE. I kinda, sorta enjoyed the revision process. I'll tell you why.

Let me start with a confession. (No, not about that. We're not talking about my personal life here.) My confession is this: I don't tend to do a lot of revision. Or at least, I don't do big post-first draft revisions, in part because I edit as I go along (which catches a lot of the small stuff) and in part because I usually work from a very detailed outline (which prevents some of the big stuff from being a problem in the first place).

In fact, when I signed with my agent, Elaine Spencer, she told me that my manuscript (for Pentacles & Pentimentos) was the only one she ever sent out on submissions without having to edit it first. I tend to write very clean, tight books. And I learn from the mistake I make in each previous book, which means I'm making fewer  mistakes in the next one, in theory at least.

But SEEDS OF CHANGE fought me every step of the way. It didn't want to be written out first in outline form, although I had a pretty good idea of beginning and end, and some of what happened in the beginning. I had to do serious brainstorming with the fabulous Candace Havens and Heather Long before I could even get past chapter three. In short, the first draft process kicked my ass. And then when Elaine read it, she told me the manuscript needed some serious revision.

Normally, that would have freaked me out. But the truth was--I already knew it. And she liked what I had written, for the most part, she just thought the book needed MORE. More layers, deeper connections between the characters, more world building. And, thankfully, she had detailed notes and suggestions for how I could accomplish all those things. We had a great phone conversation to make sure we were both on the right page, and I sent both notes and ms to Lisa DiDio, the best critique partner on the planet for her input. And then I got to work.

 But to my surprise, instead of dreading the revisions, as I usually do, I mostly enjoyed them. I had lots of great pieces to work with (thanks to Elaine and Lisa) and plenty of ideas of my own on how to add things--it was more like trying to figure out what the bits and pieces were, and where they should be put to add the most to the story. In short, it was a puzzle--and I LIKE puzzles.

It took me all month, pretty much, but I've finished the major revisions. I'll spend the next few days doing another read-through and making sure I didn't miss something [when you make a lot of substantive changes, it is easy for small things to be left that no longer fit with the new stuff], and then send the new and improved version off to Elaine. Hopefully, before my birthday on Saturday, so I can actually relax.

I started the revisions with 90,553 words and ended up with 110,409 (and since I cut one huge scene, there were more words added than it looks like: 26K words and 81 pages of new material, in fact). The book is much improved and I learned some new skills along the way. It wasn't always fun, but it was an interesting challenge. Hopefully I will be a better writer for having done it.

And from now on, I won't worry quite so much about Revision Hell. Truth is, it isn't much worse than Revision Heck.

So, if you write--which part do you like better, first drafts or revisions? Inquiring minds want to know.

Be My Valentine

I may not have a significant other to share my Valentine's Day with, but I have something that might be even better...

LOTS and lots of wonderful folks who come here, follow me on Twitter and Facebook, read (and sometimes even buy) my books, and generally support me in a thousand little ways.

Big Valentine kisses go out especially to the lovely Heather Long (who helped me set up and run the new workshop loop), my agent Elaine Spencer (who works tirelessly to move my writing career forward), Elysia Gallo (best editor on the planet), and Lisa DiDio, best critique partner on the planet.

And many heartfelt thanks to you, my readers. Without you, there would be no point in writing.

Will you be my Valentine? Please say you will!

Introducing Lisa DiDio!

I have talked a bit about my writing partner, Lisa DiDio. She is, in a word, BRILLIANT. (No, really.) And also a terrific person, who keeps me from imploding on a regular basis, and helps me to be a better writer in the process.

She recently signed with the lovely Nephele Tempest, of The Knight Agency (with an assist from me and MY lovely agent, Elaine Spencer, from same) and is currently out on submission with her insanely good YA novels.

Lisa just put up her new website and blog, which are very cool. Go check them out at http://www.lisadidio.com/index.php?doc=1 and give her a little love. You're going to want to watch this woman--she's The Next Big Thing. No, really.

A Good Day

Okay--not entirely good, since I am either fighting a little cold or dealing with the ragweed allergy attack from hell (or both), but some good stuff happened today:

1) I did the monthly redecoration of the shop's front windows with pal and Artisans' Guild co-founder Ellie Stromberg. When we first started the shop almost 12 years ago, we spent so much time together, when I called her house, her husband would say, "Ellie, it's your wife!" But we don't see as much of each other these days, and had a lot of fun giggling and playing as we did our best to make the shop "shiny."

2) Came home to find my biannual royalty report from Llewellyn. For those of you who don't know about such things, that's the report that tells me how many of each of my five books I sold during the last period (in this case Jan-June this year). The check for same won't arrive for another month (another good day), but the numbers were better than I expected, and the best news of all, I had sold through the advances for all five books--including the two that only came out last year. If you're not an author, take it from me...this is a GOOD thing.

I'm not going to get rich off of these books, or be able to quit my day job. But it is satisfying to know that people are enjoying my writing. (And did I mention there will be a check?)

3) I got to gab with my lovely critique partner Lisa DiDio on the phone for WAY too long this afternoon. We communicate pretty much every day, often multiple times, but usually be email. It was great to have author chat, girl chat, and more giggling.

So cold or no cold, it was a good day.

New Group Blog! Lift off!

As of today, a brand new writing blog went live! Black Ink, White Paper is the home of nine writers who'll be chatting about their work and their lives, and sharing a bit of their journey with the world and each other.

Come on by, check it out, and follow us if you dare! :)

http://blackinkwhitepaper.wordpress.com/

I am one of the nine writers, of course, as is my critique partner, the fabulous Lisa DiDio, and amazing author Kate Austin. Come visit us and see who else is there as we start this fun new adventure. Over the next two weeks, we will take turns introducing ourselves. I'm up on Thursday (gasp!).

What important facts about myself do you think I should mention?

California Trip--Pantheacon report

Pantheacon 2011 Report
[Note: This is the report I did up for my pal Rebecca at The Magical Buffet blog. She is kindly letting me post it here too, so I don't have to write it up twice!]

I don’t much like crowds. Or traveling. So why do I haul my witchy butt across the entire expanse of the country to go to Pantheacon? Because it’s worth it.

Pantheacon is the largest gathering of Pagans/Witches/Wiccans and assorted Heathens in the country, with well over 2,000 people attending over the course of four days in February. (I heard a rumor that they hit 3,000 this year for the first time, but I don’t know whether or not that’s true.) It is held at the beautiful Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, California, where they give you a warm chocolate chip cookie when you check in. Yum.

This was my third Pantheacon. I first went in 2008, after my Circle, Coven & Grove came out. I had such a blast, I went back last year, and then again this year. My traveling companion from my first visit, my step-daughter Jenn, loved it so much, she actually moved to San Jose after last year’s con, so one of my perks was getting to spend some time with her. I also got to meet up with my fiction-writing partner, Lisa DiDio, who lives in Northern CA and took the train down to stay with me. We had a blast together.

On the official side of my visit to Pantheacon, I got to go to two great workshops (they literally offer HUNDREDS over the course of the 4 days, including classes given by such Pagan notables as Starhawk, and everyday folks who are willing to share their wisdom with others); a fabulous chanting workshop with the amazing Margot Adler, and a lovely, healing Pagan Death Passages ritual with the also-amazing Selena Fox (I had lost my beloved grandmother less than a week before PCon, so the timing was perfect).

Both these ladies are wise and warm and gracious, and I was beyond pleased to be able to spend a little time in their company.


I also took part in two Llewellyn events; a “Meet the Authors” and 110 Year Anniversary celebration (with cake) on Saturday night, and a Publishing Panel on Sunday morning. [I met a great new Llewellyn author, Melanie Maquis, at the Meet the authors event…you are going to want her new book, Bag of Tricks, when it comes out in June. I’m reading an advance copy right now, so I can write a blurb for it, and it is fabulous!]




I also led a workshop of my own, called “Spiritual Spring Cleaning.” There were about 80 people attending, and we had a great time. Raised a lot of good spring cleaning energy, too!

Of course, no trip to Pantheacon would be complete without spending time with my wonderful Llewellyn editor, Elysia Gallo. This year, Lisa and I decided to look for a really fun place to go out to dinner that first night, and we ended up at a Moroccan restaurant called, fittingly enough, Moracco’s. We dragged Elysia out with us, along with my step-daughter Jenn and her friend Madeleine. And, oh, man—the food! If you are even in San Jose, you have to track this place down. It was some of the best food any of us had ever had. We got a variety of things and put them in the middle of the table to share, which made it both cheaper and a lot more fun.



The deserts alone made it worth the trip. And the company was as good as it gets. We had a blast.



That’s Jenn, Lisa, me, and Elysia at Moracco’s.

All in all, it was another great Pantheacon. I got to see old friends, make some new ones, visit with authors I admired, meet a few of my fans in person (some of whom I’d already “met” on Facebook or Twitter), eat some great food, and even learn a thing or two. It was worth pushing myself outside of my comfort zone to do it, and I recommend it highly to anyone with the slightest interest in Paganism. Bring an open mind, as much energy as you can muster, and a few dollars to spend on goodies in the Vendors room. (Pagan chocolates…that’s all I’m saying.) And if I’m there next year, be sure to come on over and say hi!

California Trip--Home again, thank goodness!

I will be doing a number of blogs about my recent trip to CA (San Diego and San Jose), since there is too much info to cover in just one. And, like, there are pictures.

For now, I would just like to say:
1) I am really happy to be home.
B) It was a great trip--everything I could have hoped for, on both legs of it.
And 2 and 3/4ths) OMG, I hate flying.

Addendums:

1A) Except for the snow, of course.
B+) No, really. It was fabulous.
And 3 and 4/5ths) Big kudos to Southwest for getting me (and everyone else) home and safe, even with unexpected plane changes, and multiple delays.

As they said in my favorite movie, The Princess Bride:
"I will esplain...no--it too much, I will sum up."

The trip in general went well. As most of you know, I was already planning to fly out to CA to visit with the family in San Diego, then fly on to San Jose for Pantheacon (the biggest Pagan convention in the country) and to see my step-daughter Jenn. Of course, then came the news that my beloved grandmother (Germambie) was dying, and things got--shall we say--more complicated.

Alas, I didn't make it out to SD in time to say my goodbyes while my grandmother was still alive. In fact, I missed her by THREE DAYS. She died on the 14th and I flew out on the 18th. But I was able to say my goodbyes in other ways, thanks to my mother, who kindly arranged for me to be able to visit my grandmother's body before she was cremated. This sounds a bit ghoulish, I know, but she looked as beautiful in death as she had in life, and only as if she was sleeping. I got to say the things I needed to say. Then the family--including my sister and fabulous brother in-law, who had flown out with me--got to spent two days together, which was very healing for us all. More on that tomorrow.

Then I flew out to PCon (more on that later as well), which was also wonderful.

And then I spent 150 years on a plane. No? Okay, maybe it just felt like it. But I left the hotel at 8:45 AM PST, got on the plane in San Jose for a trip that started at 10:10 AM, and got in at the airport at Albany at midnight, EST. In between, there were two unscheduled plane changes, a number of delays, and one cross-airport sprint. All of which was followed by the drive home (which I didn't have to do, thanks to my amazing pal JC) and an arrival at home at 2 AM.

And at that, I still feel lucky, since my Llewellyn editor and other folks had their flights cancelled, and may or may not have gotten home at all. So I'm recuperating from the trip, catching up with my 200+ emails, sucking up to the cats, and generally feeling grateful to be home.

It was wonderful to see everyone, and I promise a more detailed report on the rest of the trip tomorrow and the next day...when my brain has figured out what time zone I'm in...

Oh, and I finally got to meet my CP (critique partner) Lisa DiDio in person...and she ROCKS. Just sayin'.

Giving Thanks

I try to give thanks every day, but on this day--Thanksgiving--I thought I'd share a few of the things I'm grateful for...

I'm grateful for my wonderful family (all of whom, alas, live too far away for me to spend the day with them), my amazing friends (who keep putting up with me, year after year) and my beloved cats--Magic, Mystic, Minerva, Angus and Samhain (who was kind to me today and sat very still for her fluids, even after I stuck her twice with the first, dull, needle).

I am grateful especially for the ladies of Blue Moon Circle, who make my life extra magical, and to the fabu Lisa DiDio, Queen of the Critique Partners, who has brought more to my life than I can ever put into words, much of it having nothing whatsoever to do with writing. Thanks for everything, including bringing out the Uggs when I need my butt kicked :-)

I am grateful for the writers who stir the cauldron with me at Creativity Cauldron--thanks for liking my online classes so much that you never wanted them to end. You make me feel very special.

Thanks too, to the Betties at LucyMarch.com for all the FGBV's, the bacon, the sex, and OMG, the Old Spice Guy. [For everyone not a Betty, and currently confused, well, all I can say is, it makes sense if you're in on the joke.] And I am uber-grateful to Lucy herself, for the community, and for the personal support. You rock, Lucy! (And your little bald Betty, too. And Jenny, whose writing inspires me.)

I am thankful for home, and health, and a job I like (mostly)--in fact, in these days, I'm thankful to have a job at all. Thankful for the food on my table, and those who work and sacrifice to put it there.

Thankful for the creativity that allows me to follow my dreams.

And REALLY, REALLY thankful for my agent, Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency. Together, we're going places.

I hope that whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, you will take a moment out to say thank you for whatever good things you have in your life. And know that I am thankful for you--my readers, fans, friends, and followers. You people rock, big time.

Here's wishing you a lovely, relaxing day.

In Praise of Brilliance

I just finished reading my critque partner's latest manuscript. And it is freakin' brilliant. Not just darn good, mind you. Not even very impressive. Brilliant. She just knocked my socks off.

I've been reading the manuscript all along, so I knew it was good. But the ending clinched it for me. Brilliant. Sweet, poignant, clever, and sad all at once.

Make a note, folks, because you are going to be hearing this name a lot in the future.


Lisa DiDio.

You heard it here first.

Writing update

Sorry I've been a little scarce lately. After all the whirlwind of birthday celebrations and the Spiritual Arts Fair, I buckled down to finish the first draft of PENTACLES AND PREDATORS--aiming at finishing by June 1st in order to get it to first reader Candace Havens when she said she'd have a window to read.

I'm almost there, which is why I haven't been here.

Hit 83K words yesterday, aiming at about 88K as a final word count (that's what the first book was). I should be done with the first draft by the end of the week, or maybe a bit sooner, depending on how smoothly things go and whether or not the characters have any more surprises for me (*grins*). Then another week or so of integrating the edits from my wonderful critique partner Lisa Didio [another one of the Witchy Chicks who blogs with Candace], one more run-through, and it is off to my agent Elaine, Candy, and my other two first readers.

Assuming this all goes as planned--which I never assume--I will easily make the June 1st goal. I'll keep you posted.