To sleep perchance to, um, sleep

So the aforementioned frabjous Japhrimel joy (see yesterday) meant that this little bookworm was up to late reading last night. And possibly will be up too late tonight as we have not yet finished the book of Japhrimel goodness.

Which means in between reading bouts, we have been all sleepified and in need of naps. Though somewhat jolted awake by our monitor throwing fits this morning (though it appears to have recovered I am eyeing it with suspicion). Unfortunately the day job does not believe in naps, so all I can say is YAY IT IS MY DAY OFF TOMORROW!

I can sleep in (but not much because the weekend is one of those busy, busy, rush, rush kinds). Writing and ballet and dinners and housework and treasurer-ing for the last time and general plethoras of stuff. No wonder I'm tired already.

I shall also point out that for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere tomorrow is the last day of winter and that means Spring (the best time of year ever) is upon us. More yay.

And because I cannot come up with anything more than that I urge you to go make yourself giggle and look at this (as found by the fabulous Freya). All I can say is he can stand for election around here any day.

Night!

Oh and apparently that last one was my 200th post

Which means I've sped up considerably given I think I hit one hundred around January this year after a year of blogging. Apparently I can waffle on with the best of them.

Anyway, to continue the story of today's muse (now with added 'must have now')....this is the other thing she insisted on us coming home with today...I tried to walk past several times but kept getting drawn back.



Sorry, I know it's a bit blurry, but apparently she's a little camera shy.

I like her, she's a little mysterious and elusive and intriguingly imperfect.

Apparently she's one of these so she's an aussie but I don't care about the backstory...she caught my eye so now she'll join the other muse friendly bits and pieces on the writing altar. Let's see what magic she can weave.

PS If Char is reading, no, not exactly a sparkly blue fairy but hopefully one of those will cross my path too at some point!

Book binge

Ah books, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

Otherwise known as why my credit card is slightly singed...I swear I went out today to buy presents for father's day and other imminent celebrations and with firm resolve not to spend much else but somehow my brain interpreted that as "hell, buy a book or four for yourself while you're there".

And I'd already bought a couple on Sunday. Of course, I'm almost done with all three of them. The muse, apparently, wants new stories and wants them NOW (plus there are just lots of cool books out at the moment). I'm not sure why the sudden booklust. After all, I brought a swag home from Dallas just over a month ago and collected quite a few more at the RWAus conference a few weeks ago. Face it, I'm a story addict.

So now I have Lilith Saintcrow's The Devil's Right Hand (oh frabjous Japhrimel joy), the second in Eileen Wilk's werewolf series (the first being one of the books I bought on the weekend and have devoured already - the other two were Samantha Grave's Sight Unseen and Warlord by Elizabeth Vaughan), the new Melanie Rawn (I shall try not to pout that it isn't the third Exiles book) and The Lies of Locke Lamora on the recommendation of the lovely Jonathon who runs Of Science and Swords. Plus there is Bujold and Pratchett on order! Excuse me while I wipe off the drool.

I love the feeling of having lots of books just waiting for me to sink into. Is there anything nicer (apart from maybe Captain's Jack and Mal and John appearing on your doorstep ; 0 )?

And hey, it's my birthday soonish so I must deserve presents!

PS On another note - Lilith Saintcrow's series has been redesigned - here's the new look:



Here's the old cover for Working for the Devil (which I really liked)



The new black white and red thing I've seen in a few urban fantasy books lately, so I'm wondering if it's the new trend. It's certainly eye-catching but to me (and a bookseller I spoke to today agrees) it says "suspense" not "urban fantasy". I don't think it's particularly appealing to a female (and maybe that's the point - to grab the guys who might not want the chick's-butt-in-leather-pants/chick in leather/chick from behind/chick with tattoos look we've been getting in UF for while to be what they're seen reading) and it doesn't set an expectation of the type of book it is. It does say tough gal heroine, which is certainly Dante. But hmmmmm. Jenny Crusie has done a few great posts on covers on Argh Ink...I'm not sure these meet her criteria. But hey, I'm not in a publishers marketing department. Thoughts? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Would you expect this to be urban fantasy (particularly when dark urban fantasy is often shelved in horror in Australia in non SF/F bookstores)? If you saw it from a distance and couldn't read the tag line that is.

I love her stuff so I'll still buy it regardless of the cover (and so should you) but the new look surprised me when I first saw it.

Not right

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny spring (though technically it's still winter) day. The kind that fills you with righteous spring cleaning fever (because apparently what happens when you have flu for a week and then spend the next week with no energy at night once you've made it through work is that your house turns into some sort of toxic waste dump crossed with landfill).

But the cleaning did not happen, because other too sad things did (i will miss you little gorgeous, fluffy, wriggling, couch-sitting, barking up a storm pupster).

And now today, it's all grey and gloomy. Which is not good cleaning weather (don't ask me why). It will be, however, begood, eat a lot of yum cha for Freya's birthday weather.

But first I have to write. And hopefully it will be something fun to chase away the weird dreams about demons I was having all night (which included such gems as someone being hit by a truck and being in pieces - but still talking which should've been a big 'she's a demon' clue - and then while we watched growing black stringy things that connected all the bits back up and climbing up and trying to catch us all once she was back to full demon strength. Ick. And others who the wizards (my dreams are nothing if not adventure packed and strange - Jack Sparrow was one of the wizards) had contained kept pulling lame tricks to try and get us to set them free and then when thwarted would scream and spit fire and stuff. Gross. If the demons in the book I'm thinking about are like that then I'm not sure I want to meet them.

Quiet

It's been a slow week, still getting over flu. So here's a random distraction.

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Things you learn when you have the flu

1. You still know all the words to every song in the Rocky Horror Picture Show even if you haven't watched it for years. And Frank's entrance and opening song in the movie is still fabulous aka Tim Curry rocks.

2. Even when you start to think you're feeling better, a thirty minute slow walk around the grocery store will make you feel exhausted.

3. Your body doesn't understand "I'm sick, eat healthy." It wants carbs. Plain white sugary carbs. Lemonade and white toast.

4. Sleep is your friend.

5. The girls will not let you write the wild one night stand scene while your brain is goop.

6. You need more books.

7. Polar fleece dressing gowns are wonderful.

8. Watching Mansfield Park will confused you and make you think "I'm not sure I remember that in the story". You will then discover Mansfield Park is the one Jane Austen you don't own so you will not be able to read it again to check.

9. Sleep is still your friend.

10. You will not be able to think of a tenth thing for your list because your brain is goop.

Still bugged

Starting to feel a little better but the last few days have largely featured sleeping, coughing and reading in bed before falling asleep yet again. When I'm sick I tend to re-read things, so I've been visiting with Fast Women (Jenny Crusie), Monstrous Regiment (Terry Pratchett), The Perfect Kiss (Anne Gracie) and Desperate Duchesses (Eloisa James). All good books for when you're sick.

This morning I've managed to stagger out of bed to take the grey cat to get more blood siphoned to check her thyroid levels and put some washing on but now I'm getting that washed-out, more sleep required virusy feeling again. So I think it's back to bed for me.

Though Quickflix did just deliver a few more episodes of Rome...so maybe I can compromise and lie on the couch instead. I'm loving Rome (which I didn't watch the first time round because it was shown, in typical Australian commercial TV this-is-different-and-possibly-requires-thinking-so-let's-mess-with-it fashion, all over the place at seemingly random times. And while the story is entertaining enough, what I'm really enjoying is the world. All the little touches, the odd religious rituals, the household icons, the graffiti on the walls, the differences between rich and poor. All stuff I knew about Rome in that time period but they've evoked a whole world beautifully. I can see why they couldn't afford to keep making it. Luckily, as writers, it doesn't cost us anything but time and effort to find those little details that can wake up a scene and make a created world seem real to the reader.

Bugged

It seems there is a cost to a surfeit of fabulousness...there's a lurgy doing the rounds of attendees, the usual conference crud type thing and while I managed to avoid such things in Dallas, I haven't this time. So I'll be the one over there, sleeping and coughing and taking drugs.

Talk amongst yourselves.

It was still worth it!

And a few more pics

Because it was just a fantastic time, and I wish I could do it all over again...

The now traditional pic of Keri and I at the awards dinner.



Another of the VT and me at the same...proving my one handed photo technique works better when I'm on the left of the other person! Bad photographer! Bad!



Me with two all round fabulous writers and women who've taught me a lot and cheered me on a lot - Anne Gracie and Valerie Parv.

A good weekend in words and pictures...

It started like this....aka Thursday night



Then Jenny Crusie gave a brilliant workshop which will hopefully help me whip Wolf 2 into some semblance of shape.

Then we progressed to this....aka Friday night (that's me in black, Trish Morey in red)



Photo courtesy of the fabulous Fiona Lowe

Then there were wonderful keynotes and workshops on Saturday.

Then this (yay! and congrats to Rachel Robinson who won the category category of the same award)...aka Saturday night





Photo courtesy of the fabulous Keziah Hill

And then there was a brilliant workshop by Anne Stuart on writing dark contemporaries (Anne has been added to my official pantheon of writing goddesses).

Then there was the Cherry lunch on Sunday where Anne and Jenny were unanimously voted honourary Aussies and we tried to convince them they should move here and come to conference every year...



(from left to right: Erica, me, Jenny, Amy Andrews, Anne, Robyn and Roben)

And then, I decided to spend part of my winnings on a new toy...pwetty! (and yes, I need one, it means my big iPod will no longer risk life and limb when I exercise : )...which I need to do).



And now I'm home...luckily I'm doing an online course to stave off the post conference blues.

Conference, cake and competitions

Well, the conference so far has been fabulous. The weather is fabulous, the hotel is right on Darling Harbour, Jenny Crusie is fabulous, Anne Stuart is fabulous, hell, pretty much everyone here is fabulous (and a great writer).

The conference is doing a bang up job of stuffing us full of fabulous foods which are leaning heavily to the cake variety. I need to spend about fifty hours working out but that's next week's problem.

Today I'm having lunch with Jenny with some of the other Aussie cherries and last night I won the single title category of the Emerald Award (which is the Australian equivalent of the Golden Heart). Life is fabulous. My speech was less fabulous because I didn't write one in advance because I didn't expect to win. So apologies for babbling and if I forgot anyone fabulous who deserved to be mentioned!

Leaving on a jet plane (again)

Well, I'm off to the RWAust conference, where our guests include the fabulous Jenny Crusie and Anne Stuart and there shall be drinkies, fun and even some learning going on.

Talk amongst yourselves...hopefully I'll be online now and then with an update!

It never rains...

I got another story idea last night. Now I have several books prowling around in my head. I'm not sure about this one though...need to do some research but oh dear, maybe I'm heading for another bout of multiple book talkiness. Always fun.

In good news, my blaze partial is about to wing its way to my fabbo agent, so crossing of extremities can commence.

And only two more work days until RWAus conference and (hopefully) sunny Sydney...party time!

So little time

Two day weekends just aren't long enough. I mean, it's Sunday already and all I got done yesterday was:

Take the orange cat to the vet for his anti-inflammatory jab;
Organise a birthday present for the sil;
Post sil's birthday card;
See my mum;
Buy a corded phone;
Use said corded phone to figure out that my cordless phone, which keeps dropping the signal is probably dying because the corded phone works just fine;
In the above process also figure out that maybe I had my adsl filter set up wrong which makes me wonder exactly what the filter does if everything was working fine;
Have a nap;
Do some grocery shopping;
Read some feedback on my revision;
Make a cake for lulus;
Watch Dr Who and Thank you for smoking (both good);
Worked out what to take for critting.

Which is quite a bit I guess but doesn't really progress the actual housework type chores and today is lulus and a trek way out to the country aka Keri's house : ).

On the plus side I have done all of the above while not stuffing up my french manicure (which I got done in a rare fit of girlyness on friday night). Of course it would be more sensible to get it done just before conference but hey, the person who does my nails is on holiday now. And I ordered a free sample of some of this which looks great (I've tried one mineral foundation and quite liked it but this has a bigger range and is easier on the wallet). More girlyness.

And now, I have to hustle, the countryside is calling

Mid week blahs

I'm working five days this week. Admittedly so I can take an extra day off next week but still, after six months of working four day weeks, it feels like a long way to the weekend. And a busy weekend at that.

I think maybe the muse is sulking at the prospect. I've done a few bits and pieces on the new blaze idea, I've taken a few peeks at Wolf 2 with the prospect of starting to revise but I keep having to stop because I'm a little bit concerned about what I might find : ) I've even contemplated starting Wolf 3 but can't quite work out where it starts.

Plus I'm being headache gal. Oh woe is I, obviously. I need some inspiration. Unfortunately they don't seem to stock it at the local supermarket. Hopefully lulus this weekend and the RWAus conference next weekend will refill the well.

Maybe a night of telly is what the doctor ordered....

So while I'm being boring...you should rush out and buy Keri's latest - Embraced by Darkness aka book 5 of Riley - which is out today. Woot!