Really, I Should Pack...

But I'm not. Why, you ask?

Because in order to pack, there's Mt. Laundry to climb and conquer, the girls' fundraiser to tally and prepare for turn-in, and a spreadsheet of activities/school pick-ups/day care arrangements to make for my husband, who will have to be me for an entire week and has no idea how to go about it.

And amidst all of the preparation madness, another agent requested my manuscript today (yay!) but wants an exclusive, which puts me in a bit of a quandary as said manuscript is already firmly entrenched in another agent's pile o' reading. I offered a semi-exclusive, which I hope will provide a good compromise. I hope she responds in time for me to send out the full before I leave for VP.

Oh, and apparently, there's a blog to update.

However, I have organized and packed my little file folder of bus tickets, ticketless plane tickets, ferry schedules and traveling buddy/ roommate phone numbers. So if nothing else, I'll be checking an empty suitcase with a folder full of info. Priorities, yes?

Really, I just don't know what to pack. The best answer I get about the weather is that it's "unpredictable," which means that I pretty much need to pack my entire (paltry, pathetic) wardrobe. I also have a winter clothes problem. I've gained * pounds over the summer, so the few warm items I possess are a little clingy and bring unnecessary attention to my chubby bits. My jeans fit (see post below!) but only because 1/2 my stomach and 1/4 of my butt now flop over the top (compounding aforementioned chubby bits issue). So far, all I've managed to decide is that I: a) need to buy new jeans, or b) need to buy looser tops. What I will most likely choose, given my current poverty of both time and funds, is c) suck it up, suck it in, and smile.

But I digress. Packing will, eventually, happen. By 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, I will have made a final decision about whether or not to take my laptop and/or printed copies of my work (as of now I'm leaning toward both). I will have clothes, shampoo and mascara, which is really all I need.

And all of this stressing about the small stuff? Is to keep my mind from spinning out over the fact that in TWO DAYS I will be at Viable Paradise!

Ready or not, here I come!

Sale!

It's taken me a few days to process this, but on September 11th my short story "The Librarian of Talimbourne" was accepted to Ruins Metropolis, an anthology due out later this year. I have some minor changes to make this week to get the final draft to the editor, but all in all, this is very exciting news! I keep pinching myself; it seems unreal that I will actually be published! Now I suppose I will have to finish the other short story and start sending that out.

In the meantime, I've been working on the YA when I can. I just wish I had more time to really devote to writing right now so I could get the first draft of the YA "in the can" and focus on the revision.

And Viable Paradise approaches. I'm nervous. For now, I'm more stressed out about travel arrangements than anything else. I always wanted to be on The Amazing Race, but without the million dollar prize, the all day flight to Boston, 2-hour bus ride and tight connection to the last ferry of the day doesn't look as appealing. One way or another I'll get there, I suppose. And then it will be magical.

Moment of Silence

Tonight Robert Jordan passed away. Whether people love his books or hate them, none can deny that he made his mark on the genre. He had great characters, an interesting world, and wrote epic fantasy in the truest sense of the word "epic."

Official announcement here: http://www.dragonmount.com/RobertJordan.

C'est Finis! (Again)

Boy, do I need deadlines!

After a very exciting request for the full from my #1 choice of agent, I spent a harrowing weekend resuming the temporarily postponed Book One revision project. I am happy to say that I have cut over 5,000 more words and tightened up the book considerably. I am very pleased with the outcome. While I could nitpick eternally, I don't think I could find too many more nits to pick. Hopefully, I will soon have an agent who will do that, and, ideally, an editor, too! While I will cheerfully revise upon demand, I am now content that Book One is in top submission form. Away she goes tomorrow afternoon.

And, in other news, I even wrote a few pages on the YA this weekend. I discovered that switching from the revision part of my brain to the creative part was difficult, but not impossible. This is good.

Now that this project is finished, I hope to switch permanently to the creative part. Viable Paradise approaches (exciting! terrifying!) and I'd like to speed the YA along now that one of my characters has popped on-scene a little earlier than planned to try to convince my rat of his destiny. I must be careful not to allow the characters too much freedom in writing their own story, although I did appreciate the help. Otherwise, I may not have had anything for writing group.

Tomorrow, after an early morning commute, fifteen diet cokes, and four classes of remedial Freshman Comp, I will think about goals and deadlines. But for now, I'm going to babysit the printer and pray it doesn't run out of ink before my ream-of-paper long book prints.

Then, I'm going to pass out.