Days of Writeringness
Jun. 10th, 2006 06:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lagilmanthis post is mainly so my agent will know I've not been slacking off. *grin* But it will also show that a writer's life is not all slaving over the hot keyboard all day. Although it mostly is.
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Rolled out of bed early Friday morning and took the train down into The City (Manhattan, for those playing along in other regions). I was a meerkat with a mission. Actually, several missions.
First, I hit the bank. Woo. I then walked from Grand Central to my secondary publisher (about 20 blocks, ow!), in order to pick up the page proofs for THE SHADOW COMPANION. As a plus, I got to see the final shiny glossy cover (oooooo) AND a hot-off-the-press copy of MORGAIN'S REVENGE, which is in stores next month and available for pre-order RIGHT NOW.
Then I hit a few bookstores in the area and defaced what little stock I could find -- either they're not taking the mass of STAYING DEAD or they're sold out already. I know which one I'd prefer...
A subway ride downtown, and lunch with my editor at Luna. But first, a suprise -- in the Harlequin lobby, up there with all the bestselling names like Nora Roberts... a full-size poster for BRING IT ON! Dude. I took a picture of it. I did. But I refrained from asking the receptionist to take my picture with it. Am geeky, but with some small dignity left.
Anyway, I did the usual rounds of hello-the-office (a friend of mine from the Berkley days works there now, so I always stop by). The three of us are chatting about the uusal industry gossip things, when the woman in the office next door pops out and says "I'm sorry, I heard you talking and I just wanted to say... I love Wren and Sergei. When's the next one coming out?"
I have fans. In my publisher's office. (one of the managing editors, a guy, has also waxed eloquent about his reading enjoyment). This...boggles and delights me. Madame Editrix is amused by my bogglement.
Also stopped by to see one of the muckety-mucks, mainly so Matrice and I could remind her that she's been holding onto one of my proposals for Long Time now. Giving the editor a face to go with the have-you-read-it-yet guilt is always a wise move. I also picked up my first-sighted copy of the mass edition of STAYING DEAD (wow: the people who were asking for larger type should be happy!) and a couple of books to read on my forthcoming plane flights, and then was whisked off to be fed.
Lunch was good, red meat and white wine, and much was discussed of matters pending and future.
Then I was sent off to do research for the ending of the current book, whch involved a lot of walking. A lot of walking. And photo-taking (and me pausing to discuss with the nice policeman on duty that yes I was taking a lot of photos of the bridge, and city hall, and the police department building, but it was all perfectly harmless, really, see here's my card...). I also got details out of him that helped in blocking the scene. Yay for bored-but-alert NYC cops!
Then dealt with a cranky subway at rush hour to go back to midtown to meet the folks for dinner (white fish and red wine, just to be different) and hear all about their recent trip to Alaska, exchange stuff with them (Alaskan goodies, yum!), then dash the ten+ blocks back to Grand Central and thence home, tired and creaky and lugging a very heavy bag.
(Amusing note: on the train down I saw an older woman with long blonde hair who was dressed for An Event: very short (upper thigh) black skirt, black fishnet hose, high-heeled black shoes, black lace top showing a more than noticable amount of cleavage. Me, I'm a modest dresser -- you either cut it low or cut it high, but both is overkill. If so, she seriously overkilled. But she was also wearing a really lovely straw hat with it, which gave her bonus points. Anyway, on the train home, guess who I saw walking out of the station? Yep. I can't help but wonder what her day was like.)
Collapsed and slept like the dead.
Woke Saturday to pouring rain, and with every joint in my body reminding me that I had done a hellacious amount of walking. Thankfully, my plan was to stay in all weekend and Get It Done. Pulled out the page proofs and marked 'em up but good. Some stuff I screwed up, some stuff they screwed up, and some stuff I'm just marking up to the great gods of confusion and typos.
Then on to the three pages of notes that went with my photo-taking, reconstructing the scene for posterity and bloodshed. It's not going to be entirely accurate (authorial license!), but there will be enough specifics, hopefully, to give people a sense of the place. Kids, don't try this scene at home. Especially if you don't have wings.
Tonight, I'm going to put my feet up, pour myself a glass of wine, and let everything simmer. Tomorrow, hopefully, the Final Push on BURNING BRIDGES.
--------------------------
Rolled out of bed early Friday morning and took the train down into The City (Manhattan, for those playing along in other regions). I was a meerkat with a mission. Actually, several missions.
First, I hit the bank. Woo. I then walked from Grand Central to my secondary publisher (about 20 blocks, ow!), in order to pick up the page proofs for THE SHADOW COMPANION. As a plus, I got to see the final shiny glossy cover (oooooo) AND a hot-off-the-press copy of MORGAIN'S REVENGE, which is in stores next month and available for pre-order RIGHT NOW.
Then I hit a few bookstores in the area and defaced what little stock I could find -- either they're not taking the mass of STAYING DEAD or they're sold out already. I know which one I'd prefer...
A subway ride downtown, and lunch with my editor at Luna. But first, a suprise -- in the Harlequin lobby, up there with all the bestselling names like Nora Roberts... a full-size poster for BRING IT ON! Dude. I took a picture of it. I did. But I refrained from asking the receptionist to take my picture with it. Am geeky, but with some small dignity left.
Anyway, I did the usual rounds of hello-the-office (a friend of mine from the Berkley days works there now, so I always stop by). The three of us are chatting about the uusal industry gossip things, when the woman in the office next door pops out and says "I'm sorry, I heard you talking and I just wanted to say... I love Wren and Sergei. When's the next one coming out?"
I have fans. In my publisher's office. (one of the managing editors, a guy, has also waxed eloquent about his reading enjoyment). This...boggles and delights me. Madame Editrix is amused by my bogglement.
Also stopped by to see one of the muckety-mucks, mainly so Matrice and I could remind her that she's been holding onto one of my proposals for Long Time now. Giving the editor a face to go with the have-you-read-it-yet guilt is always a wise move. I also picked up my first-sighted copy of the mass edition of STAYING DEAD (wow: the people who were asking for larger type should be happy!) and a couple of books to read on my forthcoming plane flights, and then was whisked off to be fed.
Lunch was good, red meat and white wine, and much was discussed of matters pending and future.
Then I was sent off to do research for the ending of the current book, whch involved a lot of walking. A lot of walking. And photo-taking (and me pausing to discuss with the nice policeman on duty that yes I was taking a lot of photos of the bridge, and city hall, and the police department building, but it was all perfectly harmless, really, see here's my card...). I also got details out of him that helped in blocking the scene. Yay for bored-but-alert NYC cops!
Then dealt with a cranky subway at rush hour to go back to midtown to meet the folks for dinner (white fish and red wine, just to be different) and hear all about their recent trip to Alaska, exchange stuff with them (Alaskan goodies, yum!), then dash the ten+ blocks back to Grand Central and thence home, tired and creaky and lugging a very heavy bag.
(Amusing note: on the train down I saw an older woman with long blonde hair who was dressed for An Event: very short (upper thigh) black skirt, black fishnet hose, high-heeled black shoes, black lace top showing a more than noticable amount of cleavage. Me, I'm a modest dresser -- you either cut it low or cut it high, but both is overkill. If so, she seriously overkilled. But she was also wearing a really lovely straw hat with it, which gave her bonus points. Anyway, on the train home, guess who I saw walking out of the station? Yep. I can't help but wonder what her day was like.)
Collapsed and slept like the dead.
Woke Saturday to pouring rain, and with every joint in my body reminding me that I had done a hellacious amount of walking. Thankfully, my plan was to stay in all weekend and Get It Done. Pulled out the page proofs and marked 'em up but good. Some stuff I screwed up, some stuff they screwed up, and some stuff I'm just marking up to the great gods of confusion and typos.
Then on to the three pages of notes that went with my photo-taking, reconstructing the scene for posterity and bloodshed. It's not going to be entirely accurate (authorial license!), but there will be enough specifics, hopefully, to give people a sense of the place. Kids, don't try this scene at home. Especially if you don't have wings.
Tonight, I'm going to put my feet up, pour myself a glass of wine, and let everything simmer. Tomorrow, hopefully, the Final Push on BURNING BRIDGES.
