Category Archives: LJ

Boycott Target

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I don’t usually go into political diatribes here. I find the sorts of political arguments that one gets into on the Internet tedious. But I’m making a rare exception here, because it’s something I feel strongly about. I’m shaking out the ole boycott rug to protest pharmacists that refuse to fill contraception prescriptions. The idea of someone, anyone at all, mucking with my or any woman’s decisions about her body and her life gets me spitting mad. As such, Target will no longer be receiving my consumer dollars until they revamp their policies since apparently, Target is A-OK with their pharmacists being righteous misogynists.

For more links and rants, check out wicked_wish‘s information-filled post and jinzi‘s very eloquent letter of protest.

   


Writing Stuff

New Words: 600
Back to work on the heroic fantasy tale, “Rue and Ruin.”

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
5,155 / 7,500
(68.7%)

Club 100 For Writers
      32

500/day
      86

Back into the swing of things

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dude_the flew back to the Midwest yesterday (flappity flap). The house is back to being two humans and a skunk, and the temperature has dropped to two-blankets-a-sweater-and-a-robe-and-I’m-still-cold degrees. Brrr.

Went out to see an advance screening of Zathura. It was fun, but in an utterly predictable way. Written by the same guy who did Jumanji, it showed. Pretty much the exact same story but with a science fiction setting instead of a fantasy one. Next up, a movie about some kids who find an old, horror-themed games and wacky hyjinks ensue . . .

   


Writing Stuff

Received:
302-day YFoP from Realms of Fantasy.
35-day personal pass from Fictitious Force (after query) with invite to submit again.

Both stories made it past the first round of readings, but tanked in the money round. Well, foo.

Ran stats on the crits for “The Better To . . .” There were two or three amazingly glaring issues that people kept commenting on. Isolated and destroyed (I hope) those in a pair of very thorough editing passes. Going to give it another couple read-throughs, but the goal is to stick the fork in and send it out today. Or maybe tomorrow.

Club 100 For Writers
      30

Post-Halloween recovery

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Had a delightful, if low-key, Halloween. fosteronfilm, dude_the, and I stayed in, watched appropriately ghoulish movies, and handed out candy to the kiddies. The line-up included Trancers, Hellboy, and Beetlejuice. The boys watched more than that, but I conked out pretty early and slept through the other selections. I was so very tired yesterday. I think the Adderall is losing its effectiveness with me again. Got a follow-up with my p-doc next week to discuss options. ‘Course, now I’m wide awake and everyone else, including Hobkin who is cuddled up at my side, is asleep.

In other news, I did not make the cut as one of the 12 Babes of Christmas, alas. But it was fun, an honor being nominated, blah blah blah. Thank you very much to everyone who voted for me. Y’all are the greatest.

   


Writing Stuff

Oops. I forgot to mention that over the weekend my tentative sale to Aberrant Dreams did indeed become a definite one. I sold them “The Son that Pain Made” on Saturday. It’s slated to be published in their January issue. Huzzah!

Happy Halloween!

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Had a lovely Halloween weekend. The weather has been perfect for hot tubbing, and we’ve been catching up with dean13 and dude_the, and showing them appropriately Halloweeny films.

Saturday we had our annual Foster Halloween costumed movie extravaganza get together. After much debate and discussion, followed by a vote, we decided to watch Underworld. (The runner-up was I Walked With a Zombie.)


dude_the (left) and dean13, perhaps about to burst into song?

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Frantic Friday

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It’s the weekend. How did it get to be the weekend already? dean13 is flying in today and dude_the‘s plane comes in tomorrow, and the house looks like the aftermath of a rhinoceros tea party. And I’m still waffling on my Halloween costume. Gah!


Warning: There is some nudity on the voting pages.
Not safe for work or kiddies!

   


Writing Stuff

Tentative sale to Aberrant Dreams, tentative in that the editors want me to do some tweaks to my story–I assume to tone down one or two of the more visceral scenes–to better match the PG13+ rating they’re aiming for with their publication. Younger target audience and all. But the editor was very enthusiastic, so I’m feeling quite optimistic that this “tentative” will turn into “definite.” Waiting on their editorial suggestions . . .

And also, the editor confirmed that the convention that they thought was canceled was indeed Esotericon and not Frolicon. I’d already had it confirmed that Frolicon was still solidly on track from the convention organizers, but glad to have that cleared up on all fronts. Still haven’t set a date, time, and place for the interview they want to do, but there’s no rush.

“The Better To . . . ” is up at Critters and the first crits are rolling in. Obviously, I need to put back in some of the worldbuilding material that I pulled out. So far, folks are having problems comprehending the major world change that is essential to the setting. Must rectify that in rewrite.

New Words: 560
Chugging along nicely on “Rue and Ruin” although I almost got sidetracked by a funny little story idea that fosteronfilm and I came up with.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
4,520 / 7,500
(60.3%)

Club 100 For Writers
      29

500/day
      85

Bewitched

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As properly befitting the Halloween season, we watched Bewitched, the Nicole Kidman/Will Ferrell homage to the ’60s television series (courtesy Netflix). Apparently after the failed Practical Magic, Kidman wanted to prove that she could indeed pull off a hot witchy character. And, in her defense, it almost didn’t suck. Admittedly, I’m not a fan of Will Ferrell–the man’s funny as epileptic slime mold–but Nicole Kidman is exquisite, Scientology and Eyes Wide Shut notwithstanding. And hey, I despise Tom Arnold, but thought he did an excellent job in True Lies, one of my favorite movies. So obviously a movie can overcome the shortcomings of its actors. Of course, Tom Arnold wasn’t the lead in True Lies, and while Nicole Kidman is a much more talented actor than Arnold Schwarzenegger, the screenplay of Bewitched was still inspired by a ’60s television series.

Kidman almost managed to carry it by the sheer virtue of her lovely self, and Michael Caine gave a Grade A performance as Samantha’s father. But being unable to find any redeeming qualities in the male love interest made it too frustrating to buy into, not to mention lethal to my suspension of disbelief.

Oh well. Netflix also sent us Frank Langella’s Dracula which I haven’t seen in several years. Looking forward to that being good.

   


Writing Stuff

New Words: 400
On the new heroic fantasy piece, tentatively titled “Rue and Ruin.”

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
3,960 / 7,500
(0.0%)

Club 100 For Writers
      28

Fie on Comcast!

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Comcast continues to earn my eternal ire. I feel so cut off from the world without my Internet. I know it’s a trite sentiment, but I honestly can’t figure out how I got by without it. It’s a social outlet, news and information source, networking tool, and business resource. I needs my Internet connection! Evil Comcast for addicting me to high speed access and then depriving me of it. Stabbity stabbity stab!

Must post this while I’m still hooked into the Internet . . .


Warning: There is some nudity on the voting pages.
Not safe for work or kiddies!

   


Writing Stuff

Received an email from Andy Cox in response to my query: he’s still thinking about my story. Give him another day or so. Okeey . . .

New Words: 500ish
On the heroic fantasy piece. I think I have a direction for it. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the one I originally had, but it’s where I’m going now, dammit.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
3,565 / 7,500
(0.0%)

Club 100 For Writers
      27

500/day
      84

Adventures with Adderall: Day 15

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I’m cold. Very very cold. My computer informs me that it’s a chilly 48 outside, which is wrong for Georgia in October. Hobkin is glued to my leg under the blanket, after shoving his icy little paws on me, and I’m bundled up in thermal attire. Reminds me of why we moved from the Midwest. I hate this “I can’t get warm no matter what I do *shiver shiver shiver*” feeling, an all too frequent one in the frigid north. Plunged in the hot tub yesterday and stayed there until I turned into a sentient prune. Normally I can’t stand having my skin all textured and waterlogged, but I’m dwelling upon the virtues of spending today submerged in hot water.

Aside from a resumption of major fatigue and exhaustion, no adverse reactions to skipping a day of Adderall. Hence, I went back on it today. Interestingly, I’m experiencing effects similar to the first or second day on it–complete with a certain zinginess. Verdict on tolerance: yes. Verdict on dependence: not particularly. It seems odd to have a drop in tolerance after only a single day off, since caffeine takes longer to diminish than that. Could be psychosomatic, I guess.


Warning: There is some nudity on the voting pages.
Not safe for work or kiddies!

   


Writing Stuff

Received a 138-day pass from Dark Discoveries with invite to submit again.

That rejection marks another milestone: my 500th rejection since I started seriously writing and submitting my fiction. In that time, I’ve wracked up 65 sales, won an award and been nominated for several, and had eleven reprints in four foreign languages. I’m very proud of what I’ve managed to accomplish. But at the same time, I’m rather dismayed at how far away I am from being able to make a livable income.

Cue agent call with news of a publisher . . . *crickets*

Sigh.

In less feeling-sorry-for-myself news, jackzodiac unveiled the cover for the Writers for Relief anthology. Designed by luridtraversal, isn’t it perfect?

Adventures with Adderall: Withdrawal

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I was so tired yesterday. Just didn’t have any energy, and I even took a nap. Dozed off fairly early at night, and then woke up at 2AM for a bout of insomnia. And this while on 20mg of Adderall. So I’m wondering if, after a measly two weeks, I’m already racking up a tolerance. As such, I’m going Adderall-free today, to see what happens.

But, on the positive side of things, I’ve lost 4lbs while on it.


Warning: There is some nudity on the voting pages.
Not safe for work or kiddies!

   

Writing Stuff

Since I posted my little “we’re busy at Tangent, mm-kay?” whine, I’ve received half a dozen emails from folks interested in reviewing for me. *blink* I’m all yay, but my labor shortage has suddenly become a labor glut. More proof that the universe enjoys keeping me off balance.

And to top things off, I also got a query from a writer who thought Tangent published fiction and wanted to know whether I’d consider a serial. Uh . . .

Did they even look at the site before hitting SEND?