Chicks-n-Scratching

Archive for the ‘gripes’ Category

So, my current WIPs are many and varied.  The three getting the most work are the Stinking Dissertation ™, the paranormal menage, and the vaguely paranormal, absolutely weird, hareem eunuchs and multiple partners  story (VPAWHEMP for short).

This involves a lot of switch hitting (on both my part and the part of characters in the fictional stuff). Yesterday, for example, I spent several hours in the morning working on the Stinking Dissertation.  This involves a certain academic frame of mind and concentration on the task – no thinking ahead, no worrying about dialogue.  Additionally, there’s the added problem of the fact that the academic style prefers – nay, requires – obfuscating prose and esoteric usage, and generally convoluted sentence structure.  Pretty much the polar opposite of good erotic fiction.  Which is what I worked on in the afternoon yesterday – the paranormal menage.

I’m finding it particularly difficult to swap between the dissertation and the menage – more difficult than when i work on the VPAWHEMP or previous pieces. I’m not sure why this is the case, but I am finding it really irritating.  I have to work the Stinking Dissertation.  It’s non-negotiable.  And there’s a deadline coming up for the paranormal menage, so I don’t have much wiggle room there, either.  I hate situations like this.

My current approach is to spend the bulk of my time working the Stinking Dissertation – for which I can see the light at the end of the tunnel – and if the paranormal menage suffers, I will just have to fix it later. Bah, humbug. So, even though I’d RATHER be writing fiction, I’m writing academic/nonfiction. Double bah, humbug.

“What it boils down to is deadlines.” –Jeff Blake

Deadline : A Deadline is a specific date or due date by a which time a project must be completed or debt paid. The term also refers to a time limit or specific length of time by the end of which the project or debt must be finished. Failure to meet a deadline usually results in negative consequences.

Although this term usually refers to work and finances, it also describes a line that prisoners cannot cross without deadly risk of being shot. The word originated from war camps in the Civil War.

Yeah, I am under a deadline. Three actually and theyall end in the next week. So

THIS IS THE BLOG ENTRY!!! ISN’T IT PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURDY?

Wish me well, that is all.

Duck!

Kate is on a rant.

I just took my car over to have the brakes looked at. They were making a grinding sound and vibrating really badly every time I used them. Now, take into account my car has only 9,300 miles on it. Yes, less than 10K. If my milage were a story, it would be a short one! So, I take it over to my friends at STS – the same one we’ve been going to for years, and the manager takes the wheels off and comes back inside the waiting area with a disgusted look on his face.

“Sweetheart, your rotors are rotted through and your brakes are down to the nubs on the right side. You have less than 10,000 miles on that car. You’re still under warrenty.”

Now, this manager is a doll (hot, too, I might add) and he picked up the phone, called my dealership and made the appointment for me. My rant has nothing to do with him as he’s always gone out of his way to take the best possible care of all his customers, Dave and I included – which is the reason we’ve been such loyal customers over there for the last 16 years. My rant is with the automaker.

WHY PUT SHOTTY-ASS PARTS ON A BRAND NEW CAR?

You know, it’s no surprise the automakers are in major crisis when they do asshat things like that to the consumers. This is the third Saturn I’ve owned, and Dave reminded me as we were driving back from the dealership (in our 11 year old Jeep that’s only needed brakes replaced twice in that time) that our other Saturns required rotors and brakes with a frequency that was staggering. Really? Why don’t I remember this? Sure, I remember taking it in for such repairs, but parts do wear out on cars and need replaced. It’s just the way it is. But it’s always been long past 10K when the brakes needed attention.

To me it seems counter-intutive to put shotty parts on new cars. Yeah, you might luck out and get the owner past their warrenty before things need replaced and force them to purchase new, but what does that do to consumer confidence? I’ll tell you: it sucks it down a big black hole of anger, and straight to the Yellow Book to find the nearest Toyota dealership.

The only upside of this farce is the fact I won’t have to pay for it.

End Rant -

-Kate

I woke up after minimal sleep with the headache from hell. Dropped the Spawn at school and came home and went back to bed. Let’s pretend this blog is really long and informative and all that jazz. I need more Aleve.

when an idea is going to hit and when one is going to miss? Granted the books I’m talking about came out one day apart and have seen completely different degrees of sales.

Two different publishers, both paranormal books. One is  contemporary comedy, the other a more serious historical paranormal- but still fun.

One book hit number one on the publisher’s website, the other I believe -though I can’t verify this – has had dismal sales despite good reviews.

I’m absolutely heartbroken. My editor wanted me to write a sequel for the second book I mentioned, and asked me to back when I contracted said book. Now, since the sales have been horribly slow, I really don’t want to even bother, though I’m already about a third of the way through. I feel it’s going to be a waste of my time and energy and I should concentrate on books that are going to sell well or have a wider audience. Of course there is always the chance that I may see better sales from book one if I do come out with book two. Readers wanting to go back to see what happened in the first book, will go back and buy it – at least that’s the short theory.

The other theory I have on sluggish sales are covers. One cover rocked in a hipster way, the other not so much. I know I’m one who let’s a cover draw them in, but I have to read something in the blurb that catches my eye, sparks my interest. What about you? In other words, the cover may rock, but if the subject don’t, I won’t buy. What about the other way around? If the cover doesn’t draw you in, but the title does enough to get you to the blurb, would you buy then? For me, I guess it all comes down to the blurb and if the plot is intriguing enough to make me spend my money. But something has to draw me in -cover or title. Word of mouth? I’m about 50-50 on that one. A lot of what other writers are reading out there, I’m not really interested in either, so I might buy based on that or I might not.

If this seems a long and rambling post, you’re right. I’m sitting here trying to rethink strategy and figure out a way to get some sales going with the limited resources I have at the moment. Not a good situation. My books are like my babies. I don’t want to see one languishing on a website waiting for someone to choose them. I want it to see awesome sales and readers to adore it and wait on tenterhooks for the next installment. Is that too much to ask?

So, if you have any really kicking ideas. Have had this happen to you in the past and managed to bust through the less than enthusiastic response? Let me know. I’m looking for a few good ideas here.

-Kate

Finally back. I love my Doc(also my research buddy) but damn he takes FOREVER!

First, I got a lecture on my BP which I knew would be up because I was taking OTC sinus meds. He wrote me a scrip for some non-BP raising stuff with the lecture. Like I told him, breathing is a good thing. But now I will keep some of this stuff on hand, too.

I also asked him about removing a mole on my upper cheek that rubs my reading glasses. He said sure, let’s do it now. Mmmkay, didn’t expect that but let’s do it. So I now have a red, numb yet burny-stinging cheek and no mole YAY!  Sent it off but I figure it will be fine. it wasn’t changing colors or anything just in my way.

My foot…After poking and prodding, getting laughed at (he found it hilarious that a BOOKshelf bit an author), I got an x-ray. No broken bones!! It is still swollen but not bad and wowser purple and blue. More wrapping, ice and staying off it. A bone bruise thing but he wants a recheck on Wednesday. So I will go back.

And we talked more about my research. I borrowed a book his mentor had written about a fellow intern of his. My doc is mentioned in the acknowledgements. It is titled The Tennis Partner and it deals with Doctor drug addiction among other things. I read a chapter or three while waiting for xrays. So far it is interesting. I told him I am modeling a secondary character off him and changed his name by one letter which he thinks is cool. He wants a copy to give his wife so she can say she is married to a man froma romance book. Told him if I sell it, sure, I will get him a copy. ROFL

My foot still hurts, my cheek is stinging and now I have to go get my kids. I think tonight is a pizza night.

Yesterday I was so nervous!  My very first NY bound Manuscript made its journey onto the hands of publishers and now I wait. So I was pretty emotionally  wired. I had thought ahead and decided I could maybe give mother nature a nudge by doing my spring cleaning early while keeping my mind occupied and preventing email stalkeritis from setting in.

I had a game plan. It was outlined and detailed and it would have worked.

Enter fate.  First, I have the sinus/head/chest crap from hell. Icky green goop…well, let’s just say I feel bad. But no matter, I would push on!

Then my parents showed up days early with a new bed for my Daughter and a new bookshelf for me. NEW SHELF!  MORE BOOKS! This one is heavy and sturdy and over 6 foot tall.

Except I wasn’t ready for this. I still have major arranging to do. Maybe YOU can clean without making a mess first but I can’t. My dad set the bookshelf in my semi-office and leaned the new bed stuff against the old, wide bookshelf out of the way. No problem right?

Wrong. An empty bookshelf can be top heavy and this one is no different. My cat Mojo jumped on top of this new piece of furniture, lured by the height and the WOW NEW PERCH aspect. The sucker started rocking since Mojo is no featherweight pussy. I tried to catch said bookshelf as it teetered and tottered.

I lost.

The bookshelf started falling, Mojo jumped clear and I made this incredible swan dive to save anything it the path of destruction. One pole lamp with frosted glass globe=toast. Shattered. Slivers and shards of glass EVERYWHERE. Okay, on top of this, the bookshelf fell on my right foot. I have high arches and it cracked directly, full weight down on my foot.

My foot is now screaming in pain, I am surrounded by bits of razor glass and bed set starts quivering under the close impact. I shove the bed set back upright and try to avoid stepping on glass. One problem, my foot doesn’t want to work.  UHm, not good.

I quickly put my shoes one and clean up the glass, vacuum and re-situated the bookshelf with a few boxes of stuff on the bottom for weighted stability. Too little too late. I immediately left, limping, to get my kids and within 15 minutes of driving thought I was going to pass out from foot pain. I bring the kids in the house and took off my shoe.

Mistake.

It was like letting a air out of a balloon in reverse I watched my foot swell like in was inflated. And then it started really throbbing and changing colors. Joy. Feet are ugly enough without having one that is multicolored. So I got my butt parked on the couch with a lovely bag of frozen corn as an ice pack thinking a few hours I would be fine. Simply walking to the bathroom is like labor. breathe through the stabbing pain and grumble under my breath.

I am the chagrined owner of one Fred Flintsone foot, purple in color. OMG it is ugly and holy shit does it hurt. It isn’t my ankle but the top of my very high instep all the way down to my toes, which resemble 5 very pudgy pups snuggled to their mother. I still have not ruled out getting an X-ray because, yeah, I think I actually may have broken something.

So I have parked my fanny on the couch, all my plans for the week are now a total washout. And I am in pain. ANd I still have green goop streaming from my sinuses.

This was so not what I wanted to be doing this week.