Monthly Archives: January 2012

Jan
24

Page Turners

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I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading while I await my own edits. I’d say reading for fun is one of the things I miss most about being a writer – partially because of time constraints, but also because I have a hard time shutting down the “editor” side of my brain. It seems to take a lot more for me these days to lose myself in the voice of a book (although I still have a list of “must buy” authors that I can fall into without issue. Could be the mental mountain disappears simply because I choose NOT to look at their writing with such a critical eye – because I trust them to deliver.) It used to be I’d finish every book I started – good or bad. Now, if a story doesn’t grip me quick enough, I let it slide away.  I can’t tell… Read more
Jan
23

Year of the Dragon

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Lucy and I have caught the plague today – so sickly cuddles all the way around. I spent most of the weekend in my PJs, completely exhausted and just dozing off wherever I was. I originally thought my body was finally being allowed to relax, but now I suspect it was more a harbinger of the blinding pain in the back of my skull. Not exactly the auspicious start to the new celestial year I was hoping for, but at least I caught up on my sleep a bit. (And my cross-stitch – I broke that out for the first time in ages, just to give my eyes a break from the computer.) Ah well. My only claim to the Year of the Dragon is the fact that the Chinese symbol for dragon is in my last name. (Surrounded by the Chinese word for veil. I always thought it would… Read more
Jan
20

Expectations and Allowances

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So there’s been a lot of talk going around the interwebs the last few weeks about the interactions between authors and reviewers. We’ve seen several implosions on GoodReads and Amazon (which are nicely summed up over on PW.) I’ll be honest. I’ve been a tad hesitant to even really talk about any of it – I’m not fond of shitstorms, and getting involved in one that has nothing to do with me personally isn’t my goal. I’m also not going to get into the argument of what constitutes a “legitimate” review. Everyone’s definition is going to be different on that. You can go to Amazon to find out what to read, or GoodReads or by word of mouth, or by fortune cookie. I don’t care. And I shouldn’t care. I just ask that they make sense. (And I’ve seen some reviews that clearly weren’t proofread or grammar-checked before being posted. Just as… Read more
Jan
19

Word-Whore Thursday

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I’m over at Word-Whores today, talking about champagne…and my complete inability to appreciate it. Also, a little bit about why it’s so important to keep you working relationships with your editor or agent on a professional level. (Until you grow close enough that you invite them to your house to make unicorn poop cookies, that is.)… Read more
Jan
18

Wednesday Shinies

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Blatantly pirating this gif off of tumblr (idea as per Jeffe) as my nod to SOPA. (Courtesy of The Oatmeal) And I’m keeping my own Tumblr dark today as well.  I realize it’s a rather small act in the scheme of things. Preaching to the choir and all that, but as addicted as I am to all things internet? Staying off Tumblr today has been really, really hard. It’s a goofy, chaotic place – but it makes me laugh and allows me to connect with a different set of people and I enjoy it. I’d actually be very sad if it (and other sites like it) fell to the likes of a bullshit bill written by people who have all the technological understanding of a dead monkey. *ahem* That in mind, I received a lovely bit of Brystion/Abby art yesterday, by the massively talented Emma Vieceli. It’s a little smutty,… Read more