Entry tags:
A Look At August
I'm trying to think of what I did in August. It turns out all I did was knit and read. Oh. And I did go to a gathering with hubby's coworkers. Which surprised both me and hubby. But I did hide the whole time. And was completely exhausted after. Perfectly normal.
I finished quite a few knitting projects that were sitting around for ages. Like this.
And this.
And this.
I also caught up on some reading. I finally read And I Darken by Kiersten White. I've been doing some research for a Vlad novel. Off and on. I'll get to really writing it one day. Anyway. So this book was announced a couple of years ago. A female Vlad. And I knew I had to read it. But first I had to wait forever. Well. It was worth the wait. This book is perfection. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
I finished quite a few knitting projects that were sitting around for ages. Like this
And this
And this
I also caught up on some reading. I finally read And I Darken by Kiersten White. I've been doing some research for a Vlad novel. Off and on. I'll get to really writing it one day. Anyway. So this book was announced a couple of years ago. A female Vlad. And I knew I had to read it. But first I had to wait forever. Well. It was worth the wait. This book is perfection. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Entry tags:
A Look At July
Only a little late this month!
I feel like I've been slowing up a bit on my reading but I'm not worried about it. I'm still reading and that's all that matters. I think I'm even ready to read books that have less than perfect endings. I still hate that one evil book from January, but I feel like I'm in a better place. At least for this. I'm still in a bad place. It's just a different bad place.
I started writing again too. Not much and still only fanfic. The original stuff still doesn't seem to want to be written. The fanfic hasn't exactly been easy either and I'm not sure why. I want to write. I want to go to the RWA conference next summer.
The first anniversary of Dad's passing wasn't what I thought it would be. I have done my grieving, it seems. Not that I don't miss him or anything, but any sadness over my father happens out of the blue or because of certain events (like buying our first house). And I'm okay with that. I won't force a remembrance of him every year on his birthday or the anniversary of his passing.
This gives me some hope for the holidays this year. We'll have to see how that goes.
I've been doing a lot of knitting still. In fact, my goal for August is to not start any new projects and to finish as many WIPs as possible.
I'm still trying to unpack all of my books. Why are there so many books? And no, I've still not adjusted to the house.
I've been watching Downton Abbey. That's been an interesting experience. Quite addicting too.
My life is really not interesting enough for these monthly blog posts. Oh well.
I feel like I've been slowing up a bit on my reading but I'm not worried about it. I'm still reading and that's all that matters. I think I'm even ready to read books that have less than perfect endings. I still hate that one evil book from January, but I feel like I'm in a better place. At least for this. I'm still in a bad place. It's just a different bad place.
I started writing again too. Not much and still only fanfic. The original stuff still doesn't seem to want to be written. The fanfic hasn't exactly been easy either and I'm not sure why. I want to write. I want to go to the RWA conference next summer.
The first anniversary of Dad's passing wasn't what I thought it would be. I have done my grieving, it seems. Not that I don't miss him or anything, but any sadness over my father happens out of the blue or because of certain events (like buying our first house). And I'm okay with that. I won't force a remembrance of him every year on his birthday or the anniversary of his passing.
This gives me some hope for the holidays this year. We'll have to see how that goes.
I've been doing a lot of knitting still. In fact, my goal for August is to not start any new projects and to finish as many WIPs as possible.
I'm still trying to unpack all of my books. Why are there so many books? And no, I've still not adjusted to the house.
I've been watching Downton Abbey. That's been an interesting experience. Quite addicting too.
My life is really not interesting enough for these monthly blog posts. Oh well.
Entry tags:
A Look At June
Late again. Hopefully I'll be on time next month.
Well. Terrible things happened in June. And then interesting things happened in Congress. I watched part of both the filibuster and the sit-in. That was interesting. And good. If felt good knowing there are people who are saying enough is enough.
I started reading again. That's a pretty amazing feeling. I've been enjoying it. I've been excited about it. It's been far too long since I've felt that. I've been rereading, and reading some for the first time, Gail Carriger books because she is coming to Book People July 20th and I'm super excited to meet her.
I've been getting a lot of knitting done even if I haven't finished that many projects. Here are pictures of my favorite finished project. Hell, it might be my favorite thing I've knitted ever.
And I think that's all for June.
Well. Terrible things happened in June. And then interesting things happened in Congress. I watched part of both the filibuster and the sit-in. That was interesting. And good. If felt good knowing there are people who are saying enough is enough.
I started reading again. That's a pretty amazing feeling. I've been enjoying it. I've been excited about it. It's been far too long since I've felt that. I've been rereading, and reading some for the first time, Gail Carriger books because she is coming to Book People July 20th and I'm super excited to meet her.
I've been getting a lot of knitting done even if I haven't finished that many projects. Here are pictures of my favorite finished project. Hell, it might be my favorite thing I've knitted ever.
And I think that's all for June.
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A Look At May
May was a crazy month and I'm not sure how much of it I can remember for this thing. Obviously this is late. The sad truth is that setting up my office in the new house was not a priority. The little energy I have needed to be used for moving and cleaning. Packing and unpacking. Arranging. And we're not close to done.
I knit some stuff for the house but I still have plenty more to knit. I made a mat for the kitchen and for one of the bathrooms. I need to still make a mat for the other bathroom. Then dish towels and dish cloths and hand towels and hand cloths and a second bath mat for each bathroom.
I didn't do any writing. Not surprising. Even with my computer packed away I could have used my laptop but I did not have the energy. All of my free time has been spent knitting.
I haven't read any books either, though I'm still reading fanfic. I moved on from Sterek to Peter/Chris. But there is less of that to read. And certainly less good stuff to read. And now I've got a bit of a werewolf obsession going. In fact, I have an idea. I'm not sure if I'll put it to use in fanfic or original though.
I don't do well with change. I have trouble staying in hotels because they aren't familiar. They aren't home. Hubby and I were in that apartment for nine years. I'm having so much trouble adjusting to the house. It will be worth it, in the end, but getting there is hard. And June and July are going to be difficult with Father's Day and the year anniversary of my father's passing.
I guess that's it.
I knit some stuff for the house but I still have plenty more to knit. I made a mat for the kitchen and for one of the bathrooms. I need to still make a mat for the other bathroom. Then dish towels and dish cloths and hand towels and hand cloths and a second bath mat for each bathroom.
I didn't do any writing. Not surprising. Even with my computer packed away I could have used my laptop but I did not have the energy. All of my free time has been spent knitting.
I haven't read any books either, though I'm still reading fanfic. I moved on from Sterek to Peter/Chris. But there is less of that to read. And certainly less good stuff to read. And now I've got a bit of a werewolf obsession going. In fact, I have an idea. I'm not sure if I'll put it to use in fanfic or original though.
I don't do well with change. I have trouble staying in hotels because they aren't familiar. They aren't home. Hubby and I were in that apartment for nine years. I'm having so much trouble adjusting to the house. It will be worth it, in the end, but getting there is hard. And June and July are going to be difficult with Father's Day and the year anniversary of my father's passing.
I guess that's it.
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A Look At April
I can honestly say that I don't really want to talk about April. There isn't much to say anyway. I did finish some knitting. I even finished some reading. I only wrote once this month. April was not good. Really not good. I've been drowning myself in Sterek fanfic.
Hubby and I are in the process of buying our first house. That's good, at least.
Dad's birthday is May 4th :(
Yeah. That's all. April just sucked.
Hubby and I are in the process of buying our first house. That's good, at least.
Dad's birthday is May 4th :(
Yeah. That's all. April just sucked.
Entry tags:
A Look At March
March. March is all about the rodeo for me. I'm actually surprised I managed to get as much writing done as I did.
Anyway. I've made some nice progress on my Wesley/Riker fics. I wrote 11,418 words this month. As much as I would love to finish the first draft of Forbidden Love this year I don't think that's going to happen. I'd have to write a hell of a lot more than I have been. And we're moving in May so this April and May aren't going to be very productive.
I only finished one knitting project. It was a Broncos scarf for hubby. I have some really awesome knitting projects going though.
I did finish that het historical romance I started in February. I tried some other reading but it just wasn't happening. That evil book in January really messed me up.
On the night of the rodeo finals (I still can't believe I had to miss the finals) we went to Star Trek the Ultimate Voyage. An orchestra played various Star Trek music and clips from various Star Treks played in the background. It was really good and I'm glad we went but I'm still upset about the finals.
The rodeo is fifteen nights long. We went eleven of those nights. We're shooting for all fifteen next year. It was amazing this year. We saw some of the fastest times we've ever seen. We saw some awesome rides. We saw some crazy animals. Hubby and I are convinced that the steers and calves got into the green beer on St. Patrick's Day. The horse of one of the pickup men was kicked by another horse and then the pickup man fell off.
Speaking of pickup men, I'm pretty sure the audience doesn't appreciate them the way they should. The pickup men are the guys that get the cowboys off of the bucking horses. Um, also, as a queer romance writer, this is a lot of fun to watch. Still, they are super important and they deserve more love. I have a picture of them. Not a good one. We didn't have the camera the one night we were moved down to box seats. Oh well. I also don't have good actions shots because we just don't have the equipment for it.
And then there are the bullfighters. I've always had a nice appreciation for the bullfighters. But the guys this year. Two of them were here last year. One of them was new. The new guy danced with the bulls. His moves were smooth. He made it look easy. He made it look like nothing. So these guys do freestyle bullfighting and they are amazing at it. But like above with the pickup men, I love the saving of lives that the bullfighters do. They do some amazing things to keep the bull from stomping all over the cowboy. And sometimes they do everything they can and the cowboy still gets hurt. Anyway. These three guys. Wow.
Hubby and I also did a behind the chutes tour. That was interesting. And fun. We also saw Smokey Robinson one night. And now I've spent this entire blog post talking about the rodeo so I'll just leave you with some pictures now.
Hubby's scarf modeled by Molly.
Smokey Robinson.
Longhorn.
Behind the chutes.
Pickup Men. And the rodeo clown that I can't stand. He's just awful.
The bullfighters.
Star Trek the Ultimate Voyage.
Anyway. I've made some nice progress on my Wesley/Riker fics. I wrote 11,418 words this month. As much as I would love to finish the first draft of Forbidden Love this year I don't think that's going to happen. I'd have to write a hell of a lot more than I have been. And we're moving in May so this April and May aren't going to be very productive.
I only finished one knitting project. It was a Broncos scarf for hubby. I have some really awesome knitting projects going though.
I did finish that het historical romance I started in February. I tried some other reading but it just wasn't happening. That evil book in January really messed me up.
On the night of the rodeo finals (I still can't believe I had to miss the finals) we went to Star Trek the Ultimate Voyage. An orchestra played various Star Trek music and clips from various Star Treks played in the background. It was really good and I'm glad we went but I'm still upset about the finals.
The rodeo is fifteen nights long. We went eleven of those nights. We're shooting for all fifteen next year. It was amazing this year. We saw some of the fastest times we've ever seen. We saw some awesome rides. We saw some crazy animals. Hubby and I are convinced that the steers and calves got into the green beer on St. Patrick's Day. The horse of one of the pickup men was kicked by another horse and then the pickup man fell off.
Speaking of pickup men, I'm pretty sure the audience doesn't appreciate them the way they should. The pickup men are the guys that get the cowboys off of the bucking horses. Um, also, as a queer romance writer, this is a lot of fun to watch. Still, they are super important and they deserve more love. I have a picture of them. Not a good one. We didn't have the camera the one night we were moved down to box seats. Oh well. I also don't have good actions shots because we just don't have the equipment for it.
And then there are the bullfighters. I've always had a nice appreciation for the bullfighters. But the guys this year. Two of them were here last year. One of them was new. The new guy danced with the bulls. His moves were smooth. He made it look easy. He made it look like nothing. So these guys do freestyle bullfighting and they are amazing at it. But like above with the pickup men, I love the saving of lives that the bullfighters do. They do some amazing things to keep the bull from stomping all over the cowboy. And sometimes they do everything they can and the cowboy still gets hurt. Anyway. These three guys. Wow.
Hubby and I also did a behind the chutes tour. That was interesting. And fun. We also saw Smokey Robinson one night. And now I've spent this entire blog post talking about the rodeo so I'll just leave you with some pictures now.
Hubby's scarf modeled by Molly.
Smokey Robinson.
Longhorn.
Behind the chutes.
Pickup Men. And the rodeo clown that I can't stand. He's just awful.
The bullfighters.
Star Trek the Ultimate Voyage.
Entry tags:
A Look At February
February was a rough month. Not sure what happened there but I guess it's to be expected. It could have been a lot worse though.
At 8,311 I wrote a couple more thousand words than last month. I've been making steady progress on my Forbidden Love fic which is the huge Wesley/Riker project I'm working on. I've also made some progress on a smaller Wesley/Riker fic. And I'm still enjoying it so that's good.
I didn't read. Well, I started reading a het historical romance near the end of the month but I haven't made much progress on it. I still blame that book I read last month. Ugh.
Went to see Riverdance because hubby likes it. Can't say that I'm much of a fan. Some of the stuff is awesome but overall I'd rather not.
Knitting and yarn were both issues this month. I struggled with some of my knitting and I had some yarn issues. All has been resolved and I did finish some projects. These two are my favorites:
I ended my month with an upset stomach and an awful headache. Today seems to be going better so it's time to get back to my writing :)
And since it's March it is officially Rodeo Month!!! One of the few things these days that I get truly excited for.
At 8,311 I wrote a couple more thousand words than last month. I've been making steady progress on my Forbidden Love fic which is the huge Wesley/Riker project I'm working on. I've also made some progress on a smaller Wesley/Riker fic. And I'm still enjoying it so that's good.
I didn't read. Well, I started reading a het historical romance near the end of the month but I haven't made much progress on it. I still blame that book I read last month. Ugh.
Went to see Riverdance because hubby likes it. Can't say that I'm much of a fan. Some of the stuff is awesome but overall I'd rather not.
Knitting and yarn were both issues this month. I struggled with some of my knitting and I had some yarn issues. All has been resolved and I did finish some projects. These two are my favorites:
I ended my month with an upset stomach and an awful headache. Today seems to be going better so it's time to get back to my writing :)
And since it's March it is officially Rodeo Month!!! One of the few things these days that I get truly excited for.
Entry tags:
A Look At January
January went a lot better than I anticipated. Sure, there were some bad days, there was some allergies, and there was some death. And that was horrible. I always find out about celebrity deaths on twitter, but I refused to believe twitter when it told me Alan Rickman was dead. Refused. So I looked it up and of course it is true and I'm so sad :(
Anyway. I started writing again. Not original stuff. I'm taking a break from that. I mean, if I get the urge to work on it at some point this year then I will, but right now I have no interest in it. I understand that writing is work. But even when it feels like work, it's still work I enjoy. Right now the original stuff feels like a burden. So I am working on my fanfic. And I've been enjoying it. In particular, I've been working on my Wesley/Riker stuff. And that has been amazing. I even posted a fic that's been sitting on my computer for ages. Here it is. I have others on my computer that I plan on getting up this year. And I'm working on my huge Wesley/Riker project. And some other Wesley/Riker stuff. It's the year of Wesley/Riker. Yay! I managed 6,216 words this month. That feels good.
I started reading again too. Well, I was. Then I read this one book that has kind of turned me off of reading again, but before that book happened, I was reading. The Whyborne & Griffin series was fantastic. Paranormal + historical + mystery + m/m romance = perfection! I also read Mary-Louise Parker's Dear Mr. You which was fabulous. I also got to meet her!
I've still managed to keep up with my knitting, which has been nice. It still makes me happy. I tried playing my violin earlier in the month. I haven't picked it up in over ten years and I'm terrible. I'm also uninterested in it at the moment. I think I'd rather focus on my writing and reading as the things to do this year other than knitting.
In other news, I had to say goodbye to the car I've had for fourteen and a half years. So sad :( It was at that point where the repairs weren't worth it.
I think that's all for this month. Let's hope February goes at least as well.
Oh. I was going to add pictures to this but thanks to allergies I don't have my contact in and can't see what I'm doing so here's my instagram instead. Most of my knitting gets posted there. The book events I attend. Kitties. Some reading.
Anyway. I started writing again. Not original stuff. I'm taking a break from that. I mean, if I get the urge to work on it at some point this year then I will, but right now I have no interest in it. I understand that writing is work. But even when it feels like work, it's still work I enjoy. Right now the original stuff feels like a burden. So I am working on my fanfic. And I've been enjoying it. In particular, I've been working on my Wesley/Riker stuff. And that has been amazing. I even posted a fic that's been sitting on my computer for ages. Here it is. I have others on my computer that I plan on getting up this year. And I'm working on my huge Wesley/Riker project. And some other Wesley/Riker stuff. It's the year of Wesley/Riker. Yay! I managed 6,216 words this month. That feels good.
I started reading again too. Well, I was. Then I read this one book that has kind of turned me off of reading again, but before that book happened, I was reading. The Whyborne & Griffin series was fantastic. Paranormal + historical + mystery + m/m romance = perfection! I also read Mary-Louise Parker's Dear Mr. You which was fabulous. I also got to meet her!
I've still managed to keep up with my knitting, which has been nice. It still makes me happy. I tried playing my violin earlier in the month. I haven't picked it up in over ten years and I'm terrible. I'm also uninterested in it at the moment. I think I'd rather focus on my writing and reading as the things to do this year other than knitting.
In other news, I had to say goodbye to the car I've had for fourteen and a half years. So sad :( It was at that point where the repairs weren't worth it.
I think that's all for this month. Let's hope February goes at least as well.
Oh. I was going to add pictures to this but thanks to allergies I don't have my contact in and can't see what I'm doing so here's my instagram instead. Most of my knitting gets posted there. The book events I attend. Kitties. Some reading.
Entry tags:
A Look At 2015
I've been dreading this post for months. And have been stressing about it. There isn't much that doesn't stress me out these days, so that's nothing new. The problem is that I have so much to say, but everything still makes me angry and frustrated, so do I really want to start getting into those things here? The answer is no. Perhaps I'll take hubby's suggestion and write a blog post for myself at some point.
The year started going badly for me before my father was hospitalized. Then he died (July 6th). And I kind of lost myself. And the year was shit outside of my own life too. WTF is going on with the world?
Let's forget about that, and like last year, talk about some of the good things that happened this year.
- The rodeo. That will never not be a good thing.
- I got to meet Judy Blume, Felicia Day, and Sally Mann.
- Shania Twain concert. Man can she put on a show.
- Like last year, this one is sad, but something I'd like to mention. This year it was Leonard Nimoy who died. I wasn't affected by his death the same way I was with Robin Williams. I didn't grow up with Star Trek. I love it now, though. Still, Spock is an important character, and Leonard Nimoy was a good man. The local theater showed Star Trek 2, 3, and 4. It was nice to be in a theater full of people who booed at the mention of Into Darkness (which was only mentioned because of it's terribleness in relation to The Wrath of Khan). Also, I don't think there was a single person who didn't cry at the end of The Wrath of Khan.
- New album from Seth MacFarlane. Also Ted 2. And did you see him on the Sinatra 100 special? Speaking of which, did you see Carrie Underwood on that? And her new album might be her best yet.
- I almost forgot. I published two short stories this year. The beginning of this year doesn't feel like this year at all.
- Which is why I also almost forgot to mention visiting the Harry Potter parks, and the Dali Museum. The museum was super fun because there was an exhibit with Picasso paintings. Comparing the two of them was really interesting. Dali is still definitely my favorite.
- Hubby and I get to start 2016 debt free. And I owed over 100,000 in student loans. This is both a good and bad thing. I don't know how people fight over money/possessions of deceased loved ones. It makes me sick to my stomach when I really think about how we're debt free. Also, hubby is a good man.
- Knitting and yarn. The only things that kept me from drowning.
I'm sure there are things I forgot. There are definitely things I'm not talking about. But I didn't really want to write this blog post in the first place. At least I wrote something.
My blog post last year was hopeful for 2015. I don't have that in me this year. So where does that leave me?
The year started going badly for me before my father was hospitalized. Then he died (July 6th). And I kind of lost myself. And the year was shit outside of my own life too. WTF is going on with the world?
Let's forget about that, and like last year, talk about some of the good things that happened this year.
- The rodeo. That will never not be a good thing.
- I got to meet Judy Blume, Felicia Day, and Sally Mann.
- Shania Twain concert. Man can she put on a show.
- Like last year, this one is sad, but something I'd like to mention. This year it was Leonard Nimoy who died. I wasn't affected by his death the same way I was with Robin Williams. I didn't grow up with Star Trek. I love it now, though. Still, Spock is an important character, and Leonard Nimoy was a good man. The local theater showed Star Trek 2, 3, and 4. It was nice to be in a theater full of people who booed at the mention of Into Darkness (which was only mentioned because of it's terribleness in relation to The Wrath of Khan). Also, I don't think there was a single person who didn't cry at the end of The Wrath of Khan.
- New album from Seth MacFarlane. Also Ted 2. And did you see him on the Sinatra 100 special? Speaking of which, did you see Carrie Underwood on that? And her new album might be her best yet.
- I almost forgot. I published two short stories this year. The beginning of this year doesn't feel like this year at all.
- Which is why I also almost forgot to mention visiting the Harry Potter parks, and the Dali Museum. The museum was super fun because there was an exhibit with Picasso paintings. Comparing the two of them was really interesting. Dali is still definitely my favorite.
- Hubby and I get to start 2016 debt free. And I owed over 100,000 in student loans. This is both a good and bad thing. I don't know how people fight over money/possessions of deceased loved ones. It makes me sick to my stomach when I really think about how we're debt free. Also, hubby is a good man.
- Knitting and yarn. The only things that kept me from drowning.
I'm sure there are things I forgot. There are definitely things I'm not talking about. But I didn't really want to write this blog post in the first place. At least I wrote something.
My blog post last year was hopeful for 2015. I don't have that in me this year. So where does that leave me?
Entry tags:
A Look At 2014
A lot of bad things happened this year. And I'm not talking about to me personally though there were definitely some not fun things. I mean in general. Some awful stuff happened. It's easy to feel down about it. So I think I'll just talk about some good things that happened this year even if they seem insignificant.
- Hubby got a job that he really loves. I mean really loves. And this is a wonderful thing for him and for me. It means I get to stay home and write.
- I published three short stories. There were times where I feel like this wasn't much of an accomplishment because they're just short stories. But I wrote them. I worked hard on all of them. And they are out there for the world to read. And I enjoy writing short stories. They are fun for me.
- I went to the RWA Conference in San Antonio. And I loved it. There was something wonderful about getting together with a large group of women who write the same thing you do. And by same I mean romance. Most of the time when people found out I wrote gay romance I was the only one they had come across that does so. Still. There was really something special about this for me.
- I have found that knitting works wonders when I'm having a rough day and I've worked to add more of it into my life.
- This isn't necessarily a happy thing but I really wanted to say something here. Like many I was devastated by the loss of Robin Williams. I've never mourned a celebrity before and I didn't know what to do about this. Our local drive-in theater had four nights of tributes to him. We went on the last night. Other nights they had shown some of his more serious stuff but that final night was all about the comedy. And at the end of it I realized how perfect it really was. I feel that's how he would want to be remembered. For making people laugh. For making people happy. What better way to pay my respects?
- B.J. Novak came to Book People twice. And he is just the sweetest. In March he came to promote his adult book. This is when I stood in line to meet him and get his autograph. I started off really well with talking to him but he thanked me and seemed so sincere about it that I got all flustered and forgot how to word. Then he came back in October to promote his children's book. So he read it to us. And he was hilarious. Didn't stand in line for that one but still got an autographed book.
- LeVar Burton came to Book People. He also read his children's book to us. He made me tear up more than once. Some because of his book and some because of how much he does for reading and Reading Rainbow. Got to stand in line and meet him too.
- R.L. Stine came to Book People and that was pretty awesome because he was a big part of my childhood. And I got to tell him that too!
- I did not get to meet Cary Elwes but I did get to hear him speak. There was a The Princess Bride quote-a-long (which was entertaining) and then he answered some questions. And there were also autographed books involved.
- The rodeo back in March. The rodeo is always good. I will never not love the rodeo. Also, I just found out that The Beach Boys are going to be at the rodeo this coming March and I am super excited.
- Thanks to Cat Hellisen I have discovered that I actually can write every day. As long as I set a low minimum. There are days where I can still write lots, but on those days when I don't want to write anything I can still manage 100 words. Either of rewrite or on something new. This has been a December only thing so far and I hope I can take this with me through the new year.
- October 11th was National Coming Out Day. I was going to write a blog post about it but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. However, I did take to twitter and tumblr to come out as asexual.
- Seth MacFarlane came out with a Christmas CD. I am super picky about my Christmas music but I love everything on this album. This is also when hubby finally realized I would leave him for Seth. Heh.
- I discovered Lindsey Stirling this year even though I should have discovered her ages ago. And I fell in love.
- I read some good books. I've blogged about them but I'll just list some of my favorites here.
Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann
Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine
The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm by LeVar Burton
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Bliss by Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau
The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman
A Charm of Magpies Series by K.J. Charles
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva
Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen
Brute by Kim Fielding
Tease by Amanda Maciel
- Stephen King. Did you really think I wouldn't mention that I got to meet Stephen King? Talk about the highlight of the year. Stephen King. Yeah.
2014 was supposed to be better than 2013 and it was, but it still wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. I didn't expect to feel better immediately but I had hoped to be past certain things by the end of the year and I'm just not there yet. I have learned some things though and I know how I want to handle my writing in 2015. I know how I want to handle my life in 2015. I have goals. I have things I want to accomplish. But I also have the knowledge that sometimes life just gets in the way and unless something has a strict deadline, it's not the end of the world if I don't finish everything I want. I'm still writing and that's what really matters.
A large part of 2014 was about healing and I'm sad that this has to roll over to 2015. However, this isn't about making 2015 a better year. This is about taking control of my life in a way I didn't do this year because the first part of the year was still fairly rough.
I learned a lot this year. And I am thankful for that. Now it's time to take what I've learned and put it to good use. (But OMG don't hold me to that!)
- Hubby got a job that he really loves. I mean really loves. And this is a wonderful thing for him and for me. It means I get to stay home and write.
- I published three short stories. There were times where I feel like this wasn't much of an accomplishment because they're just short stories. But I wrote them. I worked hard on all of them. And they are out there for the world to read. And I enjoy writing short stories. They are fun for me.
- I went to the RWA Conference in San Antonio. And I loved it. There was something wonderful about getting together with a large group of women who write the same thing you do. And by same I mean romance. Most of the time when people found out I wrote gay romance I was the only one they had come across that does so. Still. There was really something special about this for me.
- I have found that knitting works wonders when I'm having a rough day and I've worked to add more of it into my life.
- This isn't necessarily a happy thing but I really wanted to say something here. Like many I was devastated by the loss of Robin Williams. I've never mourned a celebrity before and I didn't know what to do about this. Our local drive-in theater had four nights of tributes to him. We went on the last night. Other nights they had shown some of his more serious stuff but that final night was all about the comedy. And at the end of it I realized how perfect it really was. I feel that's how he would want to be remembered. For making people laugh. For making people happy. What better way to pay my respects?
- B.J. Novak came to Book People twice. And he is just the sweetest. In March he came to promote his adult book. This is when I stood in line to meet him and get his autograph. I started off really well with talking to him but he thanked me and seemed so sincere about it that I got all flustered and forgot how to word. Then he came back in October to promote his children's book. So he read it to us. And he was hilarious. Didn't stand in line for that one but still got an autographed book.
- LeVar Burton came to Book People. He also read his children's book to us. He made me tear up more than once. Some because of his book and some because of how much he does for reading and Reading Rainbow. Got to stand in line and meet him too.
- R.L. Stine came to Book People and that was pretty awesome because he was a big part of my childhood. And I got to tell him that too!
- I did not get to meet Cary Elwes but I did get to hear him speak. There was a The Princess Bride quote-a-long (which was entertaining) and then he answered some questions. And there were also autographed books involved.
- The rodeo back in March. The rodeo is always good. I will never not love the rodeo. Also, I just found out that The Beach Boys are going to be at the rodeo this coming March and I am super excited.
- Thanks to Cat Hellisen I have discovered that I actually can write every day. As long as I set a low minimum. There are days where I can still write lots, but on those days when I don't want to write anything I can still manage 100 words. Either of rewrite or on something new. This has been a December only thing so far and I hope I can take this with me through the new year.
- October 11th was National Coming Out Day. I was going to write a blog post about it but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. However, I did take to twitter and tumblr to come out as asexual.
- Seth MacFarlane came out with a Christmas CD. I am super picky about my Christmas music but I love everything on this album. This is also when hubby finally realized I would leave him for Seth. Heh.
- I discovered Lindsey Stirling this year even though I should have discovered her ages ago. And I fell in love.
- I read some good books. I've blogged about them but I'll just list some of my favorites here.
Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann
Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine
The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm by LeVar Burton
The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Bliss by Lisa Henry and Heidi Belleau
The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman
A Charm of Magpies Series by K.J. Charles
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva
Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen
Brute by Kim Fielding
Tease by Amanda Maciel
- Stephen King. Did you really think I wouldn't mention that I got to meet Stephen King? Talk about the highlight of the year. Stephen King. Yeah.
2014 was supposed to be better than 2013 and it was, but it still wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be. I didn't expect to feel better immediately but I had hoped to be past certain things by the end of the year and I'm just not there yet. I have learned some things though and I know how I want to handle my writing in 2015. I know how I want to handle my life in 2015. I have goals. I have things I want to accomplish. But I also have the knowledge that sometimes life just gets in the way and unless something has a strict deadline, it's not the end of the world if I don't finish everything I want. I'm still writing and that's what really matters.
A large part of 2014 was about healing and I'm sad that this has to roll over to 2015. However, this isn't about making 2015 a better year. This is about taking control of my life in a way I didn't do this year because the first part of the year was still fairly rough.
I learned a lot this year. And I am thankful for that. Now it's time to take what I've learned and put it to good use. (But OMG don't hold me to that!)
Entry tags:
Depression
I've thought about posting about depression before but I never did. I think now might be an appropriate time for it. Like the rest of the world, I am absolutely devastated by the loss of Robin Williams. He was a treasure and he will be greatly missed.
( Read More )
( Read More )
Entry tags:
Release Day
It's release day and I'm exhausted. I've had a headache for the past couple of days, though it seems to be fading now (crossing my fingers on that one) and I leave today for the RWA conference in San Antonio. Such bad timing because I've had no time to do anything with that stupid headache. Also, I've completely broken out which just great when I have to be around people later today. Yay fun.
Now that all of that is out of the way, my short story, Eight Seconds is out today. It's also included in the Rode Hard Anthology. This is my rodeo short story that makes me giggle every time I read it. I hope you enjoy it like that as well. The cover is also something pretty to look at.
( Pretty Picture )
See. Very nice to look at. I can't be around for my release day because as I said, I leave today for San Antonio. I hope to learn some writerly things for my romance stories. I also hope to network, but talking to people is hard and scary so we'll see. If anything, at least I will get to say that I met Eloisa James!
I will blog about RWA when I get back from San Antonio. Hopefully I'll have at least one interesting thing to tell you all. In the meantime, enjoy my new short story! Or, if you'd like, Torquere has my first short story, The Wolf in the Woods on sale. Enjoy!
Now that all of that is out of the way, my short story, Eight Seconds is out today. It's also included in the Rode Hard Anthology. This is my rodeo short story that makes me giggle every time I read it. I hope you enjoy it like that as well. The cover is also something pretty to look at.
( Pretty Picture )
See. Very nice to look at. I can't be around for my release day because as I said, I leave today for San Antonio. I hope to learn some writerly things for my romance stories. I also hope to network, but talking to people is hard and scary so we'll see. If anything, at least I will get to say that I met Eloisa James!
I will blog about RWA when I get back from San Antonio. Hopefully I'll have at least one interesting thing to tell you all. In the meantime, enjoy my new short story! Or, if you'd like, Torquere has my first short story, The Wolf in the Woods on sale. Enjoy!
Entry tags:
Fan Bingo
I don't write much fanfic these days, but I plan on devoting July Camp NaNoWriMo to it, so why not get a new bingo card. Even though I have so much fanfic I need to write.
This is for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fanbingo
( bingo card )
This is for
fanbingo( bingo card )
Entry tags:
It's A Date
A first date, to be more specific.
Another one of my short stories was just accepted by Dreamspinner's YA Imprint- Harmony Ink. It will be in the First Time for Everything Anthology, and it is a first date.
It's a sweet little story filled with awkwardness and butterflies and excitement and promises of a second date. But no smooching. Heh.
There isn't much of a story to tell with this one. I saw the open call for first time stories and decided I wanted to write a first date. And then I wrote it. And that was all.
They had over eighty submissions and this is Harmony Ink's first anthology. I'm really excited to be part of this.
Now, back to watching Leverage and thinking about that Sterling/Eliot fic I need to finish writing.
Another one of my short stories was just accepted by Dreamspinner's YA Imprint- Harmony Ink. It will be in the First Time for Everything Anthology, and it is a first date.
It's a sweet little story filled with awkwardness and butterflies and excitement and promises of a second date. But no smooching. Heh.
There isn't much of a story to tell with this one. I saw the open call for first time stories and decided I wanted to write a first date. And then I wrote it. And that was all.
They had over eighty submissions and this is Harmony Ink's first anthology. I'm really excited to be part of this.
Now, back to watching Leverage and thinking about that Sterling/Eliot fic I need to finish writing.
Entry tags:
Cowboys!
Torquere had an open call for a cowboy/cowgirl anthology, so I submitted a rodeo story and they accepted it! It's called Eight Seconds and should be out this July.
I love the rodeo and a couple of years back, I really wanted to write a Dean/Castiel (Supernatural) rodeo AU where Dean was the rodeo clown and Cas was the bull rider. I have so many issues with that show though so I've kind of fallen out of writing fic for it. After attending the rodeo back in March, I decided that I really wanted to write an original story based on it. One day I will write something longer for the rodeo, but for now, I really love the short story I wrote.
One of my guys is a bull rider and the other is a bull fighter. This story makes me giggle. Seriously. Anytime I think about it, read it through, revise it, edit it, it just makes me giggle. It's a silly story and I hope it makes you guys giggle as well.
I love the rodeo and a couple of years back, I really wanted to write a Dean/Castiel (Supernatural) rodeo AU where Dean was the rodeo clown and Cas was the bull rider. I have so many issues with that show though so I've kind of fallen out of writing fic for it. After attending the rodeo back in March, I decided that I really wanted to write an original story based on it. One day I will write something longer for the rodeo, but for now, I really love the short story I wrote.
One of my guys is a bull rider and the other is a bull fighter. This story makes me giggle. Seriously. Anytime I think about it, read it through, revise it, edit it, it just makes me giggle. It's a silly story and I hope it makes you guys giggle as well.
Entry tags:
Release Day
Today my first short story comes out! Yay :)
The Wolf in the Woods is part of the Torqued Tales M/M Anthology. There is also, if you are interested, a Torqued Tales F/F Anthology.
I talked a little about my writing process for this story here so I won't bore you with all the details again. Instead, I'm going to share a bonus scene and some inspiration for the story. The bonus scene happens before my story takes place.
( bonus scene and inspiration )
The Wolf in the Woods is part of the Torqued Tales M/M Anthology. There is also, if you are interested, a Torqued Tales F/F Anthology.
I talked a little about my writing process for this story here so I won't bore you with all the details again. Instead, I'm going to share a bonus scene and some inspiration for the story. The bonus scene happens before my story takes place.
( bonus scene and inspiration )
Entry tags:
A Cover!
Check out the absolutely gorgeous cover for the m/m edition of the Torqued Tales Anthology. My Little Red Riding Hood retelling, The Wolf in the Woods, will is part of the anthology, and will also be sold individually with this same cover art. This happens in two weeks (April 23rd)! I'm super excited. I can't wait to start making swag with this gorgeousness.
Entry tags:
Rodeo
March is rodeo month in Austin. Okay. For most people, March in Austin means SXSW, but that's not something that interests me. However, I am a huge rodeo fan. I might even be writing a cowboy romance right now that deals with the rodeo. That might also be because I went four times in the two weeks it was here, which might seem like a lot, but is not enough for me.
Our first night there, we (I go with hubby) saw something we've never seen before. One of the bull riders who made it the full eight seconds, after he was off of his bull, the bull kept spinning like he couldn't pull out of it. The best part, was that it made him dizzy or something and he fell down. The bull just fell right over. That's one of the funnier things I've seen at the rodeo.
The rest of the nights there were fairly normal, but no less fun. I don't like the new rodeo clown though. Last year, for the first time since we've been doing, there was a different rodeo clown, and then there was someone new this time. The original rodeo clown, the one I'm used to, was really good at what he did. Crash Cooper. He was entertaining and I miss him. The guy last year wasn't too bad, but the one they had this year was just dull.
I actually wanted to write a Dean/Castiel Rodeo AU where Dean was a rodeo clown and Cas was a bull rider. I never got around to writing it and now I've kind of fallen out of that fandom. However, after going to the rodeo this year I decided to revisit the idea, but as an original story. Now I have a bull rider and a bull fighter finding romance together. We'll see how this works out.
I can't believe I have to wait a whole year before the rodeo comes back to Austin. This makes me sad.
Our first night there, we (I go with hubby) saw something we've never seen before. One of the bull riders who made it the full eight seconds, after he was off of his bull, the bull kept spinning like he couldn't pull out of it. The best part, was that it made him dizzy or something and he fell down. The bull just fell right over. That's one of the funnier things I've seen at the rodeo.
The rest of the nights there were fairly normal, but no less fun. I don't like the new rodeo clown though. Last year, for the first time since we've been doing, there was a different rodeo clown, and then there was someone new this time. The original rodeo clown, the one I'm used to, was really good at what he did. Crash Cooper. He was entertaining and I miss him. The guy last year wasn't too bad, but the one they had this year was just dull.
I actually wanted to write a Dean/Castiel Rodeo AU where Dean was a rodeo clown and Cas was a bull rider. I never got around to writing it and now I've kind of fallen out of that fandom. However, after going to the rodeo this year I decided to revisit the idea, but as an original story. Now I have a bull rider and a bull fighter finding romance together. We'll see how this works out.
I can't believe I have to wait a whole year before the rodeo comes back to Austin. This makes me sad.