Tuesday Togetherness

It never rains but it hurricanes....

Still, we're either in the Eye of the Storm, or we only caught the edges of it. My mother is stable and has shown some improvement. Not bad for someone the Doctor's thought wasn't going to make it to the end of the week.

Have finally got plans together for a slapdash carry case for the Klahdagh. The box itself looks like it was made by a four-year-old on speed, (that's what you get for rushing) but hopefully the finish will look nice. Still have to find a nice piece of material to make the chart out of, will have to go shopping for that I think. Still, hoping the whole array will be ready by the time we leave for the Dragon.

On the plus side I haven't been kidnapped and impregnated by aliens abductors recently, although some of my fans seem to think this event would be out of this world :).

Well, now for the nitty gritty, the weekly report that gives you an excuse to grit your teeth and nitpick your way to China, here are the top twenty reasons for Getting another Life.


1. Double D.3 reports - Gathering data, will publish the editor exposé just as soon as I've joined the witless protection programme.

2. Alien abductors have developed a more sophisticated means of kidnapping. Notably a 16 foot-mesh fishing net dropped from a tree. Note: if you see a fishing net dangling from a tree in central VA then quickly walk the other way.

3. Poseidon VII - Hoping to hear some good news before we hit the Dragon. But what the hey! At least it's out there working its poor little a$$ off.

78,818 / 60,000 (131.4%)

4. Travel version of the Barman's Klahdagh is still in progress. The tiles have been made, now all I have to do is the chart and the carry box. Carry box is a slapdash affair and half-finished but I suspect it will look better than a plastic freezer ziplock bag :).

5. Valencius Covers His Tracks A couple extra pecks on this one. Will have it nicely in order soon since the outcast vamp's investigation, and another of his multiple deaths, is coming soon.

64,890 / 100,000 (64.8%)

6. Getting prepared for a massive baking session of brownies, sausage rolls, quiches and other travel food. Gonna make the Dragon as cheap as we can this year.

7. Didn't make it as a guest to the Dragon this year. I guess the selection committee are terribly blind and totally unable to see my magnificent greatness. Huh, well next year they'll be begging for me to come as a guest...(least one can hope so :).)

8. Huw's Entappathe Whorled - Cogitating.

34,477 / 100,000 (34.5%)

9. Q. How many authors does it take to change a lightbulb? A. You have to be shown and not told.

10. Terras IV -- Terrfyingly simplistic. Still starting second chapter next week. LOL

11. Red Balloon/Red Dragon, Blue - Uhm, I think that's all I can say at the moment.

3,739 / 100,000 (3.7%)

12. Still just started work on lj user qnotku's and jmward14's web page. Hoping to have a nice easy to follow web site up soon. Check it out here

13. Swansong - Gone quackers.

2,211 / 100,000 (2.2%)

14. Grandkids are wonderful, they are the perfect blood-sacrifice for the publishing Gods... Mwahahahahaha

15. Here Be Dragons Bodice ripping, loincloth slashing, pantie peircing and all of this for free... coming soon.

0 / 25,000 (0.0%)

16. So what's with this strange video tape someone sent me...?

17. Dante I -- Moving, smart...

18. A Fashion Guide for Romantic Heroes aka The Quirky Eye for the Romantic Guy Nicely tucked!

1,486 / 1,000 (148.6%)

19 Love You To Bits A feast of the undead. Hung. Well hung.

3,413 / 80,000 (4.3%)

20. "If you had to castrate yourself in a religious fervour to appease the Gods and achieve holiness, would you do it?" Famous last words from members of the Homage to the Bean sect.


Here's wishing you all a wonderful week, and looking forward to seeing ya, hearing from ya and releasing you from alien captivity soon.

Cya on the Interwaves.

S.J.

Spell Check Catastrophe

Many authors, nowadays, throw up excerpt after excerpt of their latest publication on various maillists. This isn't a bad thing, after all I've done it a few times myself.

Most of these excerpts, the authors admit, are unedited versions. Now, I would be the first to confess that perfecting any piece of text is very hard. Especially without a professional edit. Even so, many of these posted excerpts could be improved by a mere five minute proof from either the author themself--or a friend if the author feels truly unable to do so.

If I might be so bold, let me recommend that all unedited excerpts have a little bit of proofing done on them.

What prompts me to say this?

The simple fact of coming across a red-hot, sexy excerpt and falling to the floor in hysterics moments later when the hero "walked towards her (the heroine) with a rolling gate."

I was sorely tempted to mail back and ask if the gate was made of wood or wrought iron, and whether or not it broke in the process of rolling.

:)

Please, authors, read what you post and correct before you post it. It can make a world of difference to us readers and how we react to it.

S.J

Eschewing Esoterics

Sings *Where have all the Mondays gone, Long time passing...*

Not that I'd do well in a hippy commune, or any commune, communal living and me are like chalk and cheese, one belongs on the sidewalk and the other ends up in--

Well, hello and welcome to my first Monday round-up in ooooh, a while.

Finally starting to feel that something productive is happening in the old brainworks here. Just gotta pull out the sludge and get things down on paper and in text.

Poseidon VII has finally been submitted to a publisher. Hope to hear yeah or neigh ( :) ) within the next few weeks. Have worked out the sequence of novels for the Valencius vampire series. My bottle fed dude with the earth shattering kiss has almost finished his first novel and is raring to get on to the next.

Next on the agenda is an unscheduled trip to the Dragon, and my first convention attendance in over eight years. So we'll see how that little fella goes.

All in all a good week, but if you wanna hear the nitty gritty, take a decca here:

1. Double D.3 reports - Temporary hiatus due to a vast attack of couch potatitus. Will be whacking back on this when I've updated the Willing web site.

2. Alien abductors are dressing up as Naked Elvises and hovering around the Hyatt in Atlanta, Georgia.

3. Poseidon VII - Out on the Editor's table.

78,818 / 60,000 (131.4%)

4. Been working on a travel version of the Divination system Barman's Klahdagh. It's looking cool, and I'm not the least biased. :)

5. Valencius Covers His Tracks Man give this dude a smacker...

64,819 / 100,000 (64.8%)

6. Watched Project Runway, Divine Design and Shrek 2 and didn't wake up once.

7. Used up the last of the brownie mixes. Sorry no milky way brownies for Dragoncon. :) ( Don't you just love to torture people.)

8. Huw's Entappathe Whorled - Cogitating.

34,477 / 100,000 (34.5%)

9. I'm into necrophilia, beastiality and sadism. Do you think I'm flogging a dead horse...?

10. Terras IV -- Terrfyingly simplistic. Still starting second chapter next week. LOL

11. Red Balloon/Red Dragon, Blue - Uhm, this is something I'm writing, I think.

3,739 / 100,000 (3.7%)

12. Just started work on lj users qnotku's and jmward14's web page. Hoping to have a nice easy to follow web site up soon. Check it out here

13. Swansong - Musically motivated.

2,211 / 100,000 (2.2%)

14. There is nothing so gratifying in this world than having a loving grandaughter turn to you and say, "Bite me" *sighs*

15. Here Be Dragons Sci fi romantica novella, fiery!.

0 / 25,000 (0.0%)

16. Hmm all I did was open this stupid box and now there's a guy running round with pins in his he...

17. Dante I -- Smart moving

18. A Fashion Guide for Romantic Heroes aka The Quirky Eye for the Romantic Guy Nicely tucked!

1,486 / 1,000 (148.6%)

19 Love You To Bits A feast of the undead. Hung.

3,413 / 80,000 (4.3%)

20. "It's life, but not as we know it Steve." Famous words spoken over a local burger-joint burger.


Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Cya on the Interwaves.

S.J.