Author Archives: Eugie Foster

Melancholy rain

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The thunder woke me up. Not Matthew, of course, he could sleep through the gates of Hell crashing open. Although he can’t sleep through a ringing phone, mwa ha haaaa.

I’ve noticed that since I’ve stopped having to drive through Atlanta traffic, I quite like the rain. The gray light, the soothing susurrus of raindrops, it’s soothing. There’s a tendency for it also to make me melancholy in a self-indulgent sort of way. I become introspective, but not in a particularly insightful manner. Wallowing in glumness. How very goth. This time, I’m dwelling on my dreams, both the REM variety, and the aspirations for the future variety. They managed to overlap this morning.

I’ve been having some very detailed sleepy-time dreams of late, with convoluted storylines and fairly in-depth plot development. It worries me that I may be a better storyteller when I’m sawing logs than when I’m wide awake. It’s so fleeting too. In that twilight coming-out-of-REM state, I vow to myself that I won’t forget what I dreamed so I can write it down and maybe turn it into a story. But when I open my eyes, all I can remember is the elusive sense of a really cool concept, and the fact that despite my firm resolutions, I’ve totally forgotten all the details of the marvelous dream. Wish I could stick a video recorder in my brain.

Days like these, I find myself wondering about my writing in general–where I’m going with it, if I’m deluding myself that I have the talent and vision to make my goal of writerly self-sufficiency become a reality. Maybe I should resign myself ultimately to being a cubicle-drone and treat writing as a hobby.

Or perhaps I’m still shaking off the maudlin haze from last night. Too much gin. Excellent company–glenn5 swung by to hang–but too much gin.


Writing Stuff

A Harmony of Foxes
New words: 107
Despite what various and sundry famous historical figures have accomplished, writing and alcohol don’t seem to mix for me. I did my 100 and called it a night.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
14,548 / 45,000
(32.0%)

Club 100 For Writers
25

Exercise resolution

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I’ve noticed that lately my coordination is totally gone, as in careen-off-walls and walk-into-the-coffee-table gone, and there is a distinct lack of muscle tone anywhere on my body. I mean crap, I used to be a dancer, for godsakes. I did ballet, karate, and yoga, and now I can’t walk up a couple flights of stairs without getting tired. Not to mention I’m afraid to step on the scale.

So I broke out the yoga mat last night. Began some easy asanas, a couple sun salutations, then segued that into some ridiculously low-key ballet exercises. After getting my heart rate up, and feeling my muscles freak out on some grand plies (sheesh), I switched back to yoga to cool down. I’m totally disgusted at how badly out of shape I am. But I feel good that I actually moved. I think being at home so much has degraded an already sedentary life style. It’s pathetic, not to mention unhealthy.

So I’m going to, once again, try to stick some exercise into my daily schedule. I can’t complain that I don’t have the time for it anymore, that’s for sure. I’m really bad at sustaining work out resolutions, but I’m thinking that if I log the days that I work out in my LJ, sort of like my club 100 efforts with my writing, I might be able to keep a better handle on my goals. Thus, I’m going to try to work out for a measly ten minutes a day, every day (except weekends, because I believe in weekends), for one hundred days straight:

10 Min/Day
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Writing Stuff

Got an email from the editor of Here & Now asking for my PayPal information so she’ll know where to send my payment. Double issue #5/6 with my short story “When the Lights Go Out” is due back from the printers any day now. Finally and woohoo!

Also, anaisdotmfk.com launched early. It’s up, it’s up! Stories in there by me, wicked_wish, naamah_darling, the editrix herself, jinzi, and more. Go read. Juicy erotica. You know you want it!

I decided not to tear open my submission packet on the folktale. If I start second guessing myself now, it won’t be long before they come to put me in a nice, padded room. Down that path lies madness. Madness! So it’s winging it’s way to my Cricket editor’s desk now. Fly little story!

Words: 1178.
Back to work on A Harmony of Foxes. Although now that I’ve once again emptied my waiting queue to the Cricket folks, I’m wondering if I should crank out another to put in reserve as I could hear back from them on a submission as soon as the next couple weeks. Ponder ponder.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
14,434 / 45,000
(32.0%)


Club 100 For Writers
24

500/day
37

Interview, meh

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So the interview . . . went. I really, really hate phone interviews. I just can’t gauge anything with just a voice to work with. And I don’t make the best impression over the phone. I work best with body language and eye contact. Generally, I think it went okay. Probably closer to the “meh” side of okay than the “!!” side. We’ll see.


Writing Stuff

Finished the rewrite on the folktale after several more passes, packaged it up to go to Cricket, and then received six more Critters critiques, including a couple that make me want to go back in and do another several passes. Urg. Tear into the submission envelope, or just let it go as is? I hate second guessing myself.

Also received the contract from benpayne for “The Life and Times of Penguin” that’s scheduled for issue #18 of Andromeda Spaceways. Signed and sending it out to Aussie-land today. And I saw on their website that they’ve posted the cover art for #18. Pretty:

Club 100 For Writers
23

xXx, interview prep

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fosteronfilm and I went to an advance screening of xXx: State of the Union last night. I thought the first xXx was pretty fun. Vacuous, but fun. I was hoping the sequel would be similarly enjoyable. Unfortunately, it was pretty sucky. The dialog was beyond sucky, though, it was really terrible. As in embarrassingly awful. There were a few amusing one-liners, but basically, it left me wondering who the screenwriter slept with in order to land such a cushy gig, ’cause it certainly wasn’t through their writing abilities. The storyline was simplistic and contrived, and the urban stereotypes were second in badness (not the good badness, the bad kind) only in comparison to the dialog. There were fun elements, but . . . ah, just read fosteronfilm‘s review of it. He does a better job of picking it apart and analyzing all the pieces than I could.

arkhamrefugee was going to try to snag us advance screening tix to Serenity for the May 5th showing in Atlanta which I have much more faith in. Unfortunately, they’re only selling tickets in pairs, so he wasn’t able to get the requisite number. Damn. (Yes, I’ve seen the trailer. How could I miss it? Every other person on my FL seems to have linked to it. Hey, wouldn’t want to buck the trend: Serenity Trailer.) I’m a total Firefly fangirl. Joss Whedon, squee! Must. See. Serenity.

Got my phone interview this afternoon. So far, nervous, but not of the twitching, shivering variety. I also got a call from a different head hunter for a business analyst position for, again, a similar salary range as my previous position, and again, they’re local so I wouldn’t have to commute downtown. That helps mitigate some of the anxiety as it seems there are multiple job opportunities for the sort of work I do in the area. If I screw this interview up, I’ll have other options. It gives me the luxury of being able to evaluate the company this afternoon as well as being evaluated by them.

It does appear that the head hunters have found me. Yay? Again, pleased to be getting calls, but ambivalent about returning to a 9-5 cubicle-monkey position. But if that’s what it takes to put food on the table (or more to the point, keep my health benefits), then I better suck it up and resign myself to being a corporate drone. Again. Being a responsible grown-up has its downers.


Writing Stuff

Words: Rewrite of folktale going well. Pair of passes and I’m pretty pleased with it. Going to give it another spit shine, and then package it up to Cricket. I’ve received so many critiques from Critters on this one that it blows my stats figuring to hell. Generally the story was quite well received. It made one reviewer cry, which surprised me because I didn’t think it was as emotionally wrenching as some of my other works, but I’m always delighted when I evoke such a heartfelt response.

And I’m very excited that jinzi‘s new erotica publication, Anaisdotmfk, is taking shape nicely. Having a story in the premier issue (“Only Springtime When She’s Gone”), I’ve gotten to see the site pre-unveiling, and it’s really gorgeous. It’s going live on May 1st. Keep your clicking fingers poised!

Club 100 For Writers
22

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Thanks to everyone who wished fosteronfilm and me a Happy Anniversary!

Had a “Resume Building” workshop at the unemployment office this morning. Why is it everytime I go there, it’s raining? My class consisted of folks like me who’ve been out of work going on two months now. I noticed a large drop in business suits (none), and a huge increase in jeans and sweat suits. Also, an increased level of desperation in people’s eyes.

The class taught me that my resume needed punching up, so as soon as I got home, I spent the next several hours updating the damn thing. It’s all shiny and trendy now.

Interview tomorrow. Stress happening.


Writing Stuff

Received my contract from the Cricket Magazine Group for “The King of Rabbits and Moon Lake.” Signed and mailed it back. It puzzled me greatly when I got the envelope because it was one of my SASEs, and I always indicate on them what story is being responded to (very helpful when I send more than one story to a market, which I routinely do to the Cricket folks). But I knew I’d already had “Moon Lake” accepted, so couldn’t figure out what could be in it. Were they retracting their offer of publication? Eee! Of course, after an anxious rip or two, I realized they must have sent me the acceptance using their own stationary. Silly Eugie.

Also received word from my agent that Candlewick and Penguin-Putnam have passed on my novel and that he’s sent it to HarperCollins and Roaring Brook Press next. Got the feedback from the editors. My story made the Putnam editor cry, but she still didn’t buy it. Fooie.

Words: Beginning my rewrite of the folktale going through Critters. Running stats on the crits and making notes about tweaks and tunings. Got some excellent nit-picky feedback. Two passes so far. I hope to have it out the door by Thursday.

Club 100 For Writers
21

Our Anniversary!

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It’s fosteronfilm and my “lace” wedding anniversary! It’s hard to believe it’s been that long–well, yes and no. I can’t believe the time has passed so quickly, but I can’t conceive of life without my hubby.

In those years we’ve shared three homes, underwent a four-state relocation, earned two college degrees (both mine, as Matthew had already finished his college years when we met), lived with seven ferrets, had three jobs come and go, witnessed the beginning of my writing career, and seen a myriad of sicknesses, triumphs, and stresses. And we got a skunk. What will the next thirteen years with each other bring? I’m looking forward to finding out.

fosteronfilm and I started out the celebratory activities with a nice, long soak in the hot tub. Very nice of the Atlanta weather to have a cool spell to accommodate our hot tubbing proclivities. Then we went out to eat at the Roasted Garlic where we gorged on tapas and pasta. Italian food is very filling. Oof. Came home for a dessert of mint-chocolate cake and coffee, and now we’re digesting.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Pyramid scheme, rah!

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Okay, thanks to girlmecha, I have joined a pyramid scheme. No, I’m not selling Amway. There’s a site that pays you to do Google searches. Netbux.org pays you $.02/search if you search from their site, for up to 40 searches/day. Since I do Internet searches regularly on a daily basis–research, amusement, boredom–I figure I may as well get paid for it. They pay via PayPal on the 15th of every month if you earn >= $50, otherwise your earnings roll over to the next month.

Here’s the pyramid part: when you refer people, Netbux pays you an additional $.02/search that they make. I believe their business model is to get as many users and hits on their site as possible so they can provide these numbers to advertisers, who then pay to advertise such a high-traffic site. I believe.

I have no idea whether this is legit, but they only asked for my email address upon registration, so I figure, no harm, no foul. They do send you one ad when you register, but I promptly deleted it and have not been spammed by them since.

(Edit: Here’s their privacy policy verbatim:
“Upon registering with Netbux your e-mail address will be added to an outgoing e-mail invite to an optional subscription to special offers newsletter brought to you by our partner, Focalex. This is totally optional and if you aren’t interested, simply delete the e-mail. Your e-mail address will also be shown to your referrer so he can contact you if needed. Other than this, your e-mail address will stay encrypted and sealed from the public. We will never sell your e-mail address to marketing companies or send you unsolicited mail.”)

So, if y’all are inclined to embark upon this “pay for surfing” experiment with me, I’d appreciate it kindly if you’d click on the link above (or this one: LINKIE) and register. Then surf away from their site. Of note, you do need to type in an extra two digits with your search which is their way of verifying that you’re not a bot or some other cheating surf method. But I figure, that’s earning the payout–one keystroke a cent.

Normally, I wouldn’t try something like this, being incredibly skeptical of such things. But it’s amazing what a little bout of unemployment will get a person to do. Hey, it’s not a get rich quick plan, but it might be skunk food . . .


Writing Stuff

Beginning to contemplate my folktale with an eye toward a rewrite. So many Critters critiques. So behind on thank you notes.

Words: 1219 on A Harmony of Foxes. Chug-a-chug-a.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
13,256 / 45,000
(29.0%)


Club 100 For Writers
20

500/day
36

Hobkin on the mend

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Hobkin had plenty of appetite yesterday, which I found very reassuring. He ate most of his lunch, begged for a snack before dinner (which I gave him because I am a total softie), and scarfed down his whole dinner. He also went tearing around the house, stomping at shadows, so all appears to be well. I wish he didn’t have these bouts of upset tummy so often. It worries me.


Writing Stuff

Received my contrib. copies of June’s Realms of Fantasy. Yay!

Also received a very curt 31-day “we’ve decided not to accept it for publication” from Strange Horizons without even an invite to submit again. Ouch. That story really seems not to have gone over well with them. Well, foo.

3 more crits from Critters, bringing my total thus far to, um *counts on fingers* twenty. I’m so behind in thank you notes.

Sick Skunk

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Hobkin has an upset tummy. His appetite is way down, and he’s feeling sorry for himself, alternating between being stompy and short tempered, to needing cuddles NOW.


Here he is wrapped up in blankies with a decidedly unhappy look about him

Poor little guy. He hasn’t sicked up, but from examining his litter box, all is definitely not well. Been feeding him bread soaked in Pepto Bismol and extra plain yogurt. He’s not dehydrated, which is always my first concern, especially since he doesn’t drink, so we haven’t called the vet. And he’s still eating, just not a lot.

I do have to wonder, considering how close this happened to my feeling under the weather if we’re passing around some flu thing.


Writing Stuff

Finally sent in my guest application to Dragon*Con. So much for my good intentions to get it done bright and early. But hey, at least it’s before the deadline.

Received 7 more crits from Critters. (Including yours, nmsunbear and aimeepoynter. Thank you!!) The tale continues to be fairly well received. There are exceptions, of course, like the guy who started off his critique “I’m not sure if you were going for a kids market with this story.” Makes me wonder how much of it he actually read, since I state quite clearly in my author’s notes that this is intended for younger readers. Oh well. Can’t please everyone.

Words: 1180 on A Harmony of Foxes. Hit a productive patch for a while there. And hey, I’m past the one-quarter mark.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
12,037 / 45,000
(26.0%)


Club 100 For Writers
19

500/day
35