Where Personal and Professional Life Collide...

Life is kinda crazy right now and I have no original content to share. So you guys need to generate it for me. Got Qs about SILVER ON THE ROAD, "Crossroads," "The Devil's Jack," or the world as a whole?

Now's the time and here's the place to ask!

When I spend All Day at the Office & then come home late, the housecats are Seriously Affectionate, each in their own way.... For Boomer, that involves trying to eat my hair and head-butting.  Oaf.  But it makes me wonder why cats and horses seem to think eating hair (not grooming, EATING) is a sign of affection.  Should I be switching shampoo?

After several days among people, and a convention looming, and more interaction on the month's horizon,  I am starting to develop that Introvert's Twitch, the one that says "I like you a lot but please stand over there and don't talk to me?"  There are several friends who have perfected that art: alas, most of them are Not in NYC.

Due to scheduling issues (not mine) I'm juggling four different major projects this week.  Two is optimal, three is manageable, four makes me cranky.  The smaller projects are huddled in the corner, waiting their turn.  Apologies to anyone waiting on one of those smaller/non-time-sensitive things...

My brain is utterly in mystery mode right now, not fantasy. Good, because I'm writing a mystery. Bad, because I'm also revising a fantasy.

Writing mysteries is actually both weirder and calmer for me: there's less fannish connection, less chatter in my daily life, so I'm not distracted from the Story by the Community. This is partially because I was a reader rather than a Fan of mysteries and so not hooked into that community the same way, and partially because there seems to be less online "noise"  for mysteries the way there is F/SF.  Pluses and minuses to both.


and now I have to go away and juggle some more.  Feel free to use this thread to ask me anything.  I reserve the right not to answer (or to lie like a rug if provoked/inspired) but I'll try to get to all questions...

I am, this week, ear-deep in the Writing (huzzah!) so in light of my aforementioned anniversary, I'm going to throw this thread open to questions specifically related to writing and/or publishing, either my own work or general wonderings about the industry.

Ready.... go!

My own words from an interview came back to haunt me today:

"A working writer is always working on at least 3 levels: in-production, currently-writing, and hope-they-want-it."


Add in the working editor aspect of my life, plus the freelancing end, and you kinda have an idea of what this week is looking like. Plus, I'll be puppy-sitting this week; plus, there are Social Engagements. And the gym, because MC and ES are bad/good influences on me, and I'd like to at least maintain the sleep thing, crap though it's been lately, and...

Yeah.

So. Let's throw this open to, hrm, questions about my writing, to maintain the theme. Any form, any series. If you've got 'em, ask 'em!

There is Chaos in Ch. Felidae this morning, and a to-do list that makes me whimper, so will just throw this Open to a discussion of whatever folk want to ask -- or, yannow, a Leveragefest of squeee. :-)

( quick mostly non-spoilery throughts behind the cut for those who DVR'd it )

Busy busy day and probably tomorrow, too. So I'm handing this post over to y'all, with one caveat.

You have to answer "Why?"


Why what? You choose. Deep, shallow, serious, funny, thoughtful, flippant... go for it.

You will be graded for spelling.


A comment chosen not-quite-at-random will get a copy of STAYING DEAD (or can have it sent to someone else, if they prefer)

I periodically go on about this, but mzkit does it for me, this time.

This is, as we’ve said dozens of times, not an easy business. It’s a fairly terrible way to make a living–nerve wracking, uncertain, frequently desperation-filled. If the repeated rejections take you out of the game, then you’re probably not suited for this job. There is *nothing wrong with that*. It’s like not being suited to be a surgeon or a golf pro or a concert pianist. Not everybody is cut out for it. Not everybody wants to go to fifteen years of medical school or practice their swing shot every day or spend hours a week playing scales.

The original topic was vanity press and self-publishing. Catie nailed that on the head in her original post as well, although I have a few thoughts on that from the Big NYC Publishing House POV that I should put down at some point. But someone will have to remind me...

And that reminds me to post a reminder that I've thrown an Open Thread out for y'all to play in...


And now the cats are fed and it's time for the writer to drink coffee and read over yesterday's work...

As Yr Hostess has to go off-desk today, I figured I'd throw out a directed Open Thread for y'all to play in....

Over on My Wine Education, there's a post about Long Island wineries that pretty much sums up my feelings about that region -- nice wines, overpriced (the cost of land there almost requires it, sadly) and enough with the Merlot, already! You've got other grapes, too!

It is funny, though -- my first trip out there was back when "Long island wines?" was said in a tone of disbelief, not appreciation. You had to go to the winery to try them, or catch the rare local restaurant that had done a direct deal -- now even non-local wine stores carry a decent selection, and it's the same as any region -- some good, some bad, some Oh My God (and not in a good way, either. There was one winery....).

Ironically, the more I learn about wines, the less I drink. I think part of that is just the backlash from the year-plus I spent working in the wine store -- when your job is to taste several new wines a week in addition to your usual habits, not to mention the 30+ tasting every other month, you get pretty discriminating about what you actually consume. But, also, I've learned that there are varietals and styles I just don't like. I may revisit them every few years, to see if things have changed, but I'll gravitate to either a known favorite or a new experience, given my druthers (as jaylake can attest, my reaction on seeing a new wine list is "okay, what do they have I don't know?").

Of course, there are SO many varietals*, there's no way a non-pro can try everything (I'm not sure a professional can either, these days, that's why the experts tend to specialize).

So what wines do people here like? What do you not like? Can you tell me why?





*seriously. Many thousands. Hybrids and rediscovereds and wow-that's-not=what-we-thought-it-was, and regional divergences....

I am exhausted and my brain is refusing to function, despite having a full day ahead. I am also hearing the distant sound of deadline drums even in my sleep, which is a Bad Sign.

Make your own content here. I'll be back to grade your submissions later.

-- $700 billion bailout bill fails in House. Dow down by nearly 600 more than 700 points.

Put on your seat belts, everyone. The storm is not pending, the storm is now.

suggested reading before leaping into the fray, because it's the least overtly biased in either direction as I can find on quick search

This thread is now open for comments, questions, yowls and whimpers. Keep it polite, and don't throw accusations you can't support. And if you're not a financial advisor, please state so before offering financial advice.

EtA: since someone asked: my so-called credentials. /tongue in cheek (mostly)