I'm off to Moonlight and Magnolias, one of the better known Romance Writers of America [RWA] conventions, put on by their large Georgia chapter.
I'll be pitching Tahir's Infidel and test marketing the sequel, Bethany's Revenge. Test marketing by entering assorted RWA contests reveals the manuscripts get better marks when pitched as thrillers than romantic suspense, so this will be an opportunity to try and sell the series to major publishers.
Getting there will be interesting, as there are gas [petrol] shortages in the northern part of the state. I never thought I'd be calculating fuel consumption and maximum range outside an airplane, yet here I am mapping alternate routes and potential fueling stops along major US highways.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Five Weeks of Construction
After what I shall euphemistically call plumbing problems, this is the first full day without construction workers in my house. Serenity at last!
Because of the proximity of tropical storms and hurricanes, the original plan of removing the house contents to a storage unit in the driveway changed to that of moving the house contents from room to room as the flooring was completed. I’ve now experienced the stress and frustration of a complete house move without the fun of a new location at the end of it.
Somehow it’s disorienting to find one’s stove sitting unplugged in the middle of the living room, while the refrigerator hums away in the office. I was forced to have strong words with the contractor about sanitary facilities at the point that I faced the very real possibility of both toilets being out of commission simultaneously. Fortunately the prospect of an infuriated woman deprived of indoor toilets resulted in the desired action and repairs were effected at the last minute.
At the end of it all, I have beautiful new flooring, which will be easier to keep clean. The furniture was rearranged to my satisfaction and the house is eerily tidy, as boxes remain to be unpacked onto the bookshelves. Only time will tell if I can keep things this way.
The sheer bliss of being able to ink several of my favorite pens, open my notebook and sit down to write, uninterrupted, for the first time in over a month, is indescribable.
Because of the proximity of tropical storms and hurricanes, the original plan of removing the house contents to a storage unit in the driveway changed to that of moving the house contents from room to room as the flooring was completed. I’ve now experienced the stress and frustration of a complete house move without the fun of a new location at the end of it.
Somehow it’s disorienting to find one’s stove sitting unplugged in the middle of the living room, while the refrigerator hums away in the office. I was forced to have strong words with the contractor about sanitary facilities at the point that I faced the very real possibility of both toilets being out of commission simultaneously. Fortunately the prospect of an infuriated woman deprived of indoor toilets resulted in the desired action and repairs were effected at the last minute.
At the end of it all, I have beautiful new flooring, which will be easier to keep clean. The furniture was rearranged to my satisfaction and the house is eerily tidy, as boxes remain to be unpacked onto the bookshelves. Only time will tell if I can keep things this way.
The sheer bliss of being able to ink several of my favorite pens, open my notebook and sit down to write, uninterrupted, for the first time in over a month, is indescribable.
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