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I can't predict when I have the time to post a new blog, but check occasionally. I'm going to try at least weekly.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Ten pages and the new fan book trailer. Yay!

I am so tired this morning that I decide to reset the alarm for forty minutes, after letting the dogs out of the cabin, and promptly fall back to sleep. I’m in the midst of a rather interesting dream about a bunch of chimps that I’m spending time with for some reason, when my nap’s over and time to get up arrives.

It was really a kind of funny dream. Those chimpanzees were definitely incredibly clever and were helping me wash a bunch of dogs with remarkable aptitude. I don’t really see how that’s going to work in real life but the concept was incredibly funny. There were some baby chimps too, real cute and sweet, but they were pestering Mosha–in the dream–who started barking at them and woke me up since the real sound mixed with that off the dream. The ludicrousness of the dream actually made me smile when smack at the alarm to switch it off.

My dogs are not at all happy with my impromptu nap, either, and are making a racket when I’m trying to get dressed and go through a speedy morning ritual in order to get down to the house within reasonable time.

Today’s workout day, so even though my eyes still feel filled with lead I change into my exercise outfit and get to it. I go through most of the motions by rote, actually managing to get into a semi-doze until finally the punching bag’s up. That finally does get my blood pumping, and by the time I’m done, I feel a little revived.

After my habitual shower, breakfast and coffee, I settle down behind the computer to write. Since the Internet’s too distracting, both big brother and I have decided to forego it today and focus on work instead. It is a hard addiction to break, but for days now we’ve noticed that once we get online little work actually gets done.

What with our recent activities concerning short stories, we’ve picked out two of my older stories, historical romances that were written in first person style almost eight years ago, and we want to rewrite them in third person, because that really is the preferred format for readers.

While going over the old material, I’m a bit surprised at how good it actually is. I know, one isn’t supposed to say as much about their own work, ‘cause it lacks a certain humility, but I gotta be fair to teenage-me in this regard. “She” wrote a wonderfully romantic historical novella, and it will do really well in the new style, too.

I delve into the 1300s while big brother has opened the gangster story in the 1920s to see if it will suit a rewrite as well. I’m pretty tickled when several pages into the story he interrupts my writing and exclaims that it’s great…even if it is in first person style, which he usually hates to read. That certainly is a compliment.

We work for hours on the project and I manage to get down the wonderful number of ten pages of the historical, while big brother gets four pages of the gangster story done. He wants to try the conversion to 3rd person too, and since it will certainly save me time, I’m all for it. It will be good practice for him at the very least.

While we are working, little sister made a wonderful dinner for us to enjoy, and by the time I’ve finished my share, I put my computer away and move to the kitchen to clean up the counters and prepare to get to work on the kitchen.

Last night, after realizing that I didn’t like not doing something constructive in the kitchen, I reasoned that I could easily build another storage closet from the spare materials still lying around, so while I gather them, I start to measure everything out that’s available for use.

By using the large MDF board that once served as the backdrop of the old counter, I figure I should be able to get everything I need from it. I cut the unmanageable size in two long strips, measuring exactly the width of the future closet, and find that the remaining piece will be just enough to allow me make the two sides high enough for the intended closet.

It takes some creativity on my part, but while I’m figuring out how to make the two-part sides solid, middle sister joins me to sand down the boards, which have suffered considerable damage during previous use.

The house, which I’d been cleaning for the past two days, fills up with sawdust once more, thick layers settling on shelves, walls and even windows as slowly the new closet begins to take shape.

Once I have the walls done, the shelves cut and sanded, big brother comes over to help me put it all together, along with the metal drawers that be bought specifically for this purpose.

By the time midnight passes, I’m pleased to see that my calculations were correct and that everything fits, right up to the door we’re going to use for the closet once it’s done. The structure, now solid because of sturdy shelves and the metal drawers, has a millimeter to spare in its appointed spot beside the passageway leading into the corridor, even allowing for the light switch to stay in place. Wonderful! I love it when a plan works out like that.

Pretty darn weary from the long day, and hungry to boot, I have a piece of bread with peanut butter and honey, OJ on the side and then gather my dogs to retire for the night.

Once in my quarters, after having fed the dogs and changing into my PJs, I settle behind my computer to get online. There I first see the new book trailer on Youtube, and I’m thrilled, spending quite a bit of time of showing it around online…even though no one appears to be around to see it, hah.

Still, it was done beautifully. Very different from the first for “Shape Shifter” this one: It is the second case of the W.I. Investigations, the Martyr, which has the honor to be put into actual imagery, and I look forward to hearing what my friends have to say about it.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ycphpjNIlY0&feature=channel

At long last the day’s over, I had have to hustle to get to bed in time.

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