Back from my short vacation. I did discover something about myself: I don't relax well. I did a lot of pacing. And I cleaned the camp. It was nice to have time to read -- something I haven't had in awhile. I nearly finished The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, though I realized in hindsight that I probably should have brought up Harry Potter. I'm still only about five pages into that book! Oops.
I have pictures, but haven't downloaded them yet, so will have to post them tomorrow. The good news is, all the pillars survived. The bad news is my doggie missed me :-(
She's eleven years-old and has never been kenneled or away from either my DH or me. It was only one night, and my mom (who lives with us in an apt. over the garage and has known Bailey since she was a baby) watched her for us. And still, Bailey decided she didn't want to eat.
The cat, OTOH? Could care less. Celebrated our return by biting the DD when DD gave her a hug (Breeann is NOT a huggy kitty, and DD knows this but insists on squeezing her anyway).
DD had a wonderful time and may have sprouted gills and fins -- she spent nearly every waking hour in the water. DH was as relaxed as I've seen him in a really long time (though he's trying to figure out how we can afford our own place - HA! You should see the prices....)
I was the only one who came back less relaxed. Apparently vacations stress me out. LOL.
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Pillar Place: Monarch is fairly quiet. We had the initial rash of deaths -- oh, did I mention that Manuela II and Harry died? -- and now all is well. Otto is huge, and I was a bit worried to find him on the side of the container when I came home yesterday, and with little of his food eaten. I *think* he may just be shedding his skin and going through a growth spurt. I'll find out today when I go check on him.
All the others are eating, sleeping and pooping like the good butterbabies they are. Judy is far outgrowing Bob, though. And they hatched at the same time.
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Got two more rejections on my novel -- one from an agent and one from a press. Oh well. Time to send some more out!
Found out TWRP has changed their word count guidelines, so "Isn't She Liv Leigh" is no longer considered a full length novel -- that is now 65,000. However, they're going to start printing their "rosebud" length stuff (40,000 - 65,000) through Lulu (so no B&N or Borders for Liv), so I'd still get it in print... if it's accepted. Not great, but will have to do. It also means I either need to increase the word counts on my others (and had I known this was coming down the pike, I would have increased the count on Liv somehow), or find somewhere else to submit them. So, time to go back to the drawing board and decide what to do.
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My friend, Gay, is having a great contest! You can win an autographed copy of The Lottery by Patricia Wood. And all you have to do is what I just did: mention the title and the author in your blog post and then let Gay know. Easy-peasy, right?
Of course, if you guys don't want to, that's cool... because then I'LL win -- and it sounds like a really good book! ((evil laughter here)).
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You're Ulysses!
by James Joyce
Most people are convinced that you don't make any sense, but compared
to what else you could say, what you're saying now makes tons of sense. What people do
understand about you is your vulgarity, which has convinced people that you are at once
brilliant and repugnant. Meanwhile you are content to wander around aimlessly, taking in
the sights and sounds of the city. What you see is vast, almost limitless, and brings you
additional fame. When no one is looking, you dream of being a Greek folk hero.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
Hmmm.... I don't know about this one. What do you think? First off, I may one of the least vulgar people you'll meet. I do have to admit to a bit of rambling, however... but, a Greek Hero? Puh-leez. Okay, I have to go back, pay closer attention to the questions and try again. I know, I know... and I don't usually do that, but this answer is not correct.
You're One Hundred Years of Solitude!
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Lonely and struggling, you've been around for a very long time.
Conflict has filled most of your life and torn apart nearly everyone you know. Yet there
is something majestic and even epic about your presence in the world. You love life all
the more for having seen its decimation. After all, it takes a village.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
Okay... nearly all different questions this time, and I STILL don't agree with it.
I surrender.
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10 comments:
First of all, my condolences on the butterbabies who've gone to that big milkweed field in the sky. I hope the rest grow into beautiful butterflies.
Glad you enjoyed your trip. Sounds like something I need. But I doubt it'll happen anytime soon.
65K now? Rats, I was so pleased to get mine up to 55k. I don't know, maybe I'll attempt to send it to Harlequin. It would make a great Blaze if it were longer (I guess I can lengthen the sex scenes and add a few) or maybe it work with the Desire line which takes a shorter word count. I just want to see it in print!!
Anyway, its almost done.
How do you even begin looking for an agent? I wouldn't feel worthy.
Of course I missed you yesterday; even stopped by... just in case.
Mostly I'm like you, I come back more stressed from a vacation than I was before; lake vacations, though -- they do the trick.
Good luck with your revisions and submissions.
You're Catch-22!
by Joseph Heller
Incredibly witty and funny, you have a taste for irony in all that you see. It seems that life has put you in perpetually untenable situations, and your sense of humor is all that gets you through them. These experiences have also made you an ardent pacifist, though you present your message with tongue sewn into cheek. You could coin a phrase that replaces the word "paradox" for millions of people.
Wow! This result has some truth... which I did not expect.
:-( about the butter babies!
Glad everything seems stabilized though.
Kitty bit DD? Wow, reminds me of my neighbors cat we used to cat-sit. We can't do that anymore because the one eyed stray they found and took in, tends to pee in unconventional places and only visitng twice a day isn't enough to catch the "damage" in time. Now the kitties need to be kenneled.
I miss kitty sitting!
But yea, cats let you know how they feel in no uncertain terms.
Glad you had a someowhat good weekend. I relax whereever I am , its the period of time leading up to the trip that I'm the most frazzled and scatterbrained.
Gee, that means this week!
LOL
I'm not good with the vacation thing, either. It was nice and nostalgic (and sad) to go up north this weekend, but I was SO glad to be back last night! And I used to be such a traveler - but travels and vacations seem different, somehow.
I'm glad DD and your DH enjoyed, though.
I hope the contracts come through quickly!
RE: Judy outgrowing Bob. Unfortunately that happens in real life as well (not that I'm bigger than my husband, but it IS a lot easier for me to put on weight!)
Off to blog about The Lottery... what you thought I was going to let you have a clean shot at it????
You're Catch-22!
by Joseph Heller
Incredibly witty and funny, you have a taste for irony in all that you
see. It seems that life has put you in perpetually untenable situations, and your sense
of humor is all that gets you through them. These experiences have also made you an
ardent pacifist, though you present your message with tongue sewn into cheek. You
could coin a phrase that replaces the word "paradox" for millions of
people.
Yep. That's me!!!
Are you SURE the pillars are dead? In the pastI've had them go dormant just before they cocooned.... (Moral: Don't toss them too soon!)
65,000 words in one story. I'm just trying to fathom that.... Heck, I'm trying to fathom 5,000!!!
I have some great non-fiction ideas. Happily, their word limits are ususally a bit smaller.
Thanks for all the warm welcomes back! I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy...
Groovy, the pillars are definitely dead. They're just tiny babies and nowhere near ready to make their pupas. *sniff*
And, hey, 65,000 words is SHORT for a novel! LOL... Bet you could do it :-)
Glad to hear your family enjoyed themselves. I don't relax on vacations either, so I can sympathize.
Sorry to hear about the butterbabies.
Best of luck with the contracts.
Oh, and I got To Kill a Mockingbird!
Have a good day!
Of course we missed you! :)
I got:
You're The Mists of Avalon!
by Marion Zimmer Bradley
You're obsessed with Camelot in all its forms, from Arthurian legend to the Kennedy administration. Your favorite movie from childhood was "The Sword in the Stone". But more than tales of wizardry and Cuban missiles, you've focused on women. You know that they truly hold all the power. You always wished you could meet Jackie Kennedy.
Well, I can't say I have ever been obsessed by the Kennedys, but I wouldn't have minded meeting Jackie. :)
The copy of mine you'll be receiving any day now came in at 127,383 words. The first words out of Carol (head honcho at P&P and on the list of people I admire most), right after "Congratulations! That was a tremendous effort!" were "Wow! That's pretty long... can make it a bit harder to sell."
I hope not. Personally, I like to buy longer books, but I guess they are more expensive to produce.
And I hope everyone comes over to enter the contest. It's easy, and Redbook and Good Housekeeping are giving it rave reviews... and it's not even released yet. (It comes out on Aug 3). I haven't been able to get an advanced copy, but mine's on pre-order.
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