Hope you have a great day. Your card will get there eventually... *face palm*

I have a post up over at The Witchy Chicks blog. Stop by and check it out. =)

http://witchychicks.blogspot.com/

Today, I'm thankful to my critique partners for saving my butt and my sanity on a regular basis. They're amazing women, fantastic writers and the best friends I could ever have.

I love you guys. *smishes*

When I pick up something I wrote a year ago - or even six months ago - I'm always surprised by how much of it I've forgotten.

It's like my brain is a colander and it only holds in the big chunks. I remember the story arcs, the characters, some pieces of dialog or scenes I'm partial to. But it's always a revelation (and usually a joy) to revisit a work that I've set aside.

And yeah, I'm listening to holiday music, because I've been working a bit on the holiday script I wrote last winter. Yeah, it's early, but sue me. Because damn, what a great playlist.

I'm thankful for the many things I inherited from my parents, especially the willingness and ability to get up well before the sun because, as Dad always said, "Early morning is the best part of the day!"

I'm not sure I buy into that completely, but it's a comfortable time for me to work. The house is quiet, my mind is calm and refreshed (or still full of dream images that I can work into my writing). I have hot coffee. My pesky familiar Oberon is still in bed so he's not trying to sit between me and my monitor or sprawl across my desk. My kids are sleeping peacefully and making no demands...you can see why it works.

After realizing what the rest of the year will be like between the holidays and my kids having 4 weeks (FOUR WEEKS!) of vacation between now and January 11, I had a decision to make. Either throw up my hands, say I'm not under contract at the moment so why not relax and take time off OR make writing a priority and adjust my schedule accordingly.

Taking time off might seem like the saner path, but after my down session this summer, I had an incredibly difficult time getting back into the swing of my writing. And I believe that now - when I'm feeling momentum and getting hopeful responses from agents - is NOT the time to lose steam. Now is the time to keep the energy moving, the words flowing, the power building.

So. I set a new alarm on my phone. It will go off every day at 5:30 a.m. except for Sundays, which will be my one day off.  Doesn't matter if I write 5 words or 5 pages, I'm here at this desk in the wee hours of dawn. And I'm not just blogging or surfing the Net, either. I'm writing, because it's what matters and in the end, it's what keeps me sane. =)

Obviously I'll grant myself sick days as necessary, but this will mean not losing entire days when my kids are home sick. It will also alleviate guilt for days when I have appointments or want to meet a friend for coffee. I can do that, since I'll already have clocked some writing time.

The new alarm plays "It's the End of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" - because I do.  As a matter of fact, I'm feeling great about this decision. I've tested the pattern out this week and I'm loving it so far. It's a new way of doing things, but it feels like the right way, at least for now.

I've embraced the passion and the fearlessness, now it's time to really dig into the discipline!

I have a post up over at the Witchy Chicks about thanksgving - the verb, not the noun. Stop by if you can. =)

http://witchychicks.blogspot.com/

Today I'm thankul for my Shiny New Story Idea. WHEE!!!!!!!! *runs around squeeing madly*

I'm also thankful for conversations with friends, great research connections, healthy comfort foods, my loving family and an incoming rainstorm.

ETA: ooh, and coffee. All hail the Great God Java! *bows*

ETA.2:  The ever-hilarious Terese Ramin has posted "A Brief Song About Coffee" over at the Witchy Chicks blog. I'm calling her later to make her sing it for me, since it's my new personal anthem. *grins*

Check it out:  http://witchychicks.blogspot.com/

To heck with setting goals. Let's take a leap, believe in the magic that exists in a seed, a dream, the beginnings of a new year. Let's make three personal wishes for the next full turn of the Year Wheel - we're being selfish now, we'll go for the global stuff later - and believe that they can and will come true!

Remember, when setting intentions it's always good to be specific. Also, these are wishes. Reach for the stars! (And be ready to do the appropriate work to back them up. *grins*)

Here are mine:

1) I wish for an offer of representation by a reputable, committed agent who loves my work.
2) I wish for a multi book contract from a big publisher.
3) I wish for continued good health and happiness for me and my beloveds.

Your turn. The circle is open, anyone can join in. 

*waves wand* For the good of all and harming none, so mote it be.

As the year wheel turns into the deepest darkness, may the ancestors whisper loving wisdom in your ears, may your cauldron be full of magic and may the bulk of your chocolate NOT be Tootsie Rolls.

Here's wishing you many more treats than tricks!

This Thursday, I'm thankful to the writers, producers and cast of Friday Night Lights, who rolled out the most gorgeous, heartfelt, bittersweet, funny, well-written, flawlessly acted season premiere I've seen in a long time. Maybe ever. It embodied everything I love about this show, had me laughing, got me teary-eyed and made me fall in love with the residents of Dillon, Texas, all over again.

Also, I'm grateful for Direct TV, without whom this show would have already been cancelled. And I'm grateful I have DirectTV so I can watch it now instead of waiting until next summer. Woot!

I really need a wireless ergonomic mouse. I love my Goldtouch ergo mouse, but its cord is too short to pull it down on my keyboard tray. In fact, I can't even pull it all the way to the edge of the desk. So when I'm using it a lot - like when I'm editing - I'm leaning forward in my chair, reaching over my tray, which is not good for my back or right shoulder. I've been editing for two months straight, so I'm really feeling it. (Plus, I've been seriously slacking on the yoga. Bad Lisa.)

When I get a book contract or another script option, I'm so buying this mouse:

http://www.thehumansolution.com/evoluent-vertical-mouse-wireless-vm3w.html

Goldtouch has discontinued their line of mousies (how is that word pluralized??) but they're selling this brand in packages with their keyboard and gel wrist/mousing pads. I love their products, so trust that this would be good.

Actually, I highly recommend The Human Solution to anyone shopping for ergo products. Their prices are competitive and they're so nice to work with online or over the phone. Very knowledgeable and helpful.

Okay, 'nuff shopping and dreaming. Time to work.

ETA:  Yo, FTC. I'm not being paid, bribed or rewarded for endorsing The Human Solution, Goldtouch products or the Evoluent Vertical Mouse. If I were, I wouldn't be wishing for this mouse. I'd already have it. =D

The Witchy Chicks' annual Round Robin Tale of Terror is underway. Today is my turn. *holds flashlight under chin* It was a dark and stormy night....

http://witchychicks.blogspot.com/

For:

• Coffee.
• Goldfinches!
• Walks.
• New tunes.
• Good editing mojo.
• Books.
• Yoga classes.
• Friends.

And now for a woofreakinghoo...

Friday Night Lights season 4 starts next week!

And a BWAHAHA...

The Witchy Chicks annual Round Robin Tale of Terror has begun. 9 days, 9 writers, 9 kinds of crazy fun. Don't miss out on the madness!

http://witchychicks.blogspot.com/

 

....and I'm thankful for:

• stormy weather
• dinner out with a friend
• Thai food  (Yum! Leftovers!)
• new eps of my favorite shows
• reconnections
• pumpkin patches
• partners in crime - er - I mean critique partners
• and love, twoo wuv...

It's Thursday, and I'm thankful for:

• Cooler weather and a forecast for rain
• Spicy, autumn scented candles
• Pumpkin patches
• Hugs from little boys (and big ones)
• TV on DVD
• Guiness beer and Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" (the dynamic downtime duo)
• Scary movies
• Work in progress

Yes, I read them, though not nearly as often as I used to or should. Honestly, I don't have a lot of kids-free down time and when I do, I'm usually so burned out on words that I don't want to look at them.

Anyway, I've read a couple lately, and I'm finally getting around to reviewing them. (I was trying to stick them under a cut, but LJ doesn't like me right now. So, sorry for the lengthy post.)

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. This non-fiction work by the terrific Ms. Kingsolver (with added bits from her husband and eldest daughter, Camille) details the year her family spent eating nothing they couldn't grow or acquire locally. The family moved from Tucson to Kingsolver's second husband's farm on a mostly wooded slope of acreage in the Appalachians. They raised chickens and turkeys, grew an enormous garden, bought milk and meat from neighboring farms and wheat from a nearby grain mill. They frequented the local farmers market and learned how to make their own cheese. It's an interesting idea, but it's clear that one must have time, funds and location on their side in order to pull something like this off. There are plenty of fascinating - and sometimes scary - facts about the evolution of the American diet into it's current state of disgrace, about the state of small farms in our country and about our government's not-so-subtle investment in helping Corporate America make us all fat.

I capitalized that C & A for a reason - Kingsolver has a self-admitted evangelical bent when it comes to eating locally, for both personal and environmental health reasons. So, if you can't get past that, don't read the book. You might end up hurling it across the room.  Honestly, there's not a lot in the book that was new or uncomfortable to me, though I did learn a heck of a lot about asparagus, and I'm sorely tempted to dig up some lawn and plant a bed of it now.

It was a heroic and successful endeavor on the part of the Kingsolver family, and I did enjoy the read. It was also a chance for me to practice non-flagellation, since my ideals of how we eat don't always mesh with the reality. I don't buy peaches off season (because yuck!) but I'm not giving up bananas  and the occasional pineapple if I don't have to. I buy what I can as locally and organically as possible - its pretty easy here in California - and forgive myself for the rest. In the end, I think all the baby steps add up.

And now, for something completely different.
 
Fade, by Lisa McMann. Fade is the sequel to McMann's NYT Bestselling YA novel Wake.  She doesn't waste time recapping, which made me sorry that I hadn't reread the first book first. It took me a chapter or two to remember who was who and what was going on, and by then I was so sucked in it didn't really matter. The stories center on Janie, who is a Dream Catcher. If she's in the vicinity of a sleeping person, she gets pulled into their dreams. She's trying to learn to control it, because it has some unfortunate consequences - including making her a serious hazard on the road. It isn't easy, but her boyfriend Cabel, who's a "relationship builder" - he makes connections, builds trust and gets people to admit things they never would otherwise - is helping her deal with the physical side affects. They're both working undercover at their highschool, using their unique abilities to help the local police.
 
It's a fascinating premise and I love that it's written in third person present. It lets you get in both of their heads, but still keeps things imminent. McMann breaks pretty much all the writing rules and I love her for it. Her prose is spartan, her dialogue sharp and real - and peppered with plenty o'  F bombs. This time, the subject of their investigation is a sexual predator, and Janie gets put in a very bad situation, but the self-defense class and her weightlifting with Cabe had her flooring her attackers in a way that made me cheer out loud. The book flap says "14 and up", despite some heavy sensuality, direct sexual description, and sexual violence. I did love that McMann describes the process of making roofies, shows how they can be slipped into anything with liquid (like the sauce on meatballs), explains that there are pocket sized test kits that anyone can get (and GODS, what a world we live in that such a thing should have a place alongside a condom and money for a cab home on a safe date) and takes every chance to say that no matter what you're told - anything that happens to you when you're drugged is Not. Your. Fault. Period. Unfortunately, times being what they are, this is information every young girl should probably have. (And a self-defense class isn't a bad idea either.)

Overall, an awesome read. I'm going to give both books to my 15-year-old neice, but not until next year, when she turns 16. They're pretty intense reads, and her folks might not be happy with me if I gave them to her now. Maybe I'll sign us both up for a self-defense class at the local dojo in the meantime. =)

I have a post up over at the Witchy Chicks blog, talking about one of my favorite October activities - visits to the pumpkin patch!

Fly on  by and say hello if you have a minute. =)

http://witchychicks.blogspot.com/