Writer Days and Almost Summer Cleaning

May 25, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Hey there. Anna here. Hopefully this bunch of blabber counts as proof of life. I had meant to write a blog post this morning (same day though, so surely, I get partial credit for this) but I leaned into the whole monthly reset thing for planning and writing both. Jashii Corrin on You Tube has some excellent ideas on this kind of thing. The first part of that is a physical reset, aka “y’know, this mess is going down.” Some stuff is staying, some stuff is going. All the stuff gets a thorough assessment and finding neat stuff that might or might not have been appropriated as cat toys is a bonus.

This is a good time for rolling up real and metaphorical sleeves and diving into The Work. Melva and I have heard from The Wild Rose Press, and the news wasn’t what we had hoped. That’s a little disappointing, but we will have Drama King back out on submission soon and are considering whether indie publishing might be right for the rest of the Love by the Book series. We are also in the discovery draft stage of a new contemporary romance series starter, which allows me to research ice cream and honestly say I am working.

Her Last First Kiss is primed to resume. I have 45k words left to complete the revised draft, estimated at 100k words. I am using the last bit of this month to break the outline into work sessions, aka how many it will take to get to The End. I have never been that much of a word count person, but Camp NaNo is coming, so why the heck not? Besides, that means I get to make a progress tracker, which is always good.

It’s also time for A Heart Most Errant to get back out there on submission, and, again, I am considering indie publishing, but we will see. Not going to worry about following books at this point, I have a couple of places to consider submitting, so this should be an interesting journey. Let’s see what happens with this story first.

After that, there is the pirate trilogy. This story is one I have wanted to tell for a very long time, though I didn’t know exactly how I wanted to do that. It still needs some time to crawl organically out of the primordial ooze. Broadly, it’s the story of three generations of pirates, starting in the aftermath of the English Civil War, then touching on an island-sinking earthquake and coming to a close at the end of the golden age of piracy. It’s three books but feels like one story in three parts.

After that, it will be interesting to see. I do have bits and pieces of things that have been floating around my brain long enough to be able to drink, own property, and marry without parental consent. That sounds about par for the course. One of the journals I have going at the moment is a media tracking joufrnal, covering not only the books I am reading, but other media I am consuming; television and movies watched, games played, podcasts, music, etc. All in all, a big ol’ pot of idea soup. This includes TV shows (I am still going to call it television even though we do not have a TV at present and watch everything on streaming.) that I follow only by recaps, as I don’t subscribe to the channels where they currently are streaming.

A few of these include:

Yellowjackets
The Last of Us
Silo
From (seasson two)
Fear the Walking Dead

There are definitely more, and then there are shows and movies I have seen and want to re-explore. This very much does also include books, and i will probably blabber about them here at some point. Nothing particularly earth shattering here, but that was never my goal when writing this.

What are you up to this week?

Typing With Wet Paws: Yes, You May Edition

May 5, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. The humans were pretty sick (they said it was flu) for a while there, but they are better now, and I am free from the ardous labor of round the clock nursing to once again address my public.

In case you did not know this already, my Papa loves coins. He got some coin related stuff in the mail yesterday and wasted no time in getting it out of the box, which was clearly for me. Fits like a charm. He also got a special coin hat is not even money but is just for pretties. It says “Lucky” in English on one side, with writing that I think might be Japanese, too, and some koi fish on the back. It reminded Mama Anna of the Japanese money cat statues, which are always calico. I agree; having a calico cat makes humans feel very lucky indeed.

Mama Anna does not do the whole coin thing, but that’s okay. She loves stationery and has been doing a lot with it lately Right now, she is super excited about filing the last forty pages in her current catchall journal and then starting a new one. Would you be interested in her sharing her process for starting a new journal? Le me know in the comments, and I will tell her. She’s kind of thinking about making more videos, and I would like to encourage her. Especially because it means a chance for me to video bomb her. When she has been on the glowy box for too long, I crawl across the desk and up onto her shoulder and head bonk her head. So far, everybody I have videobombed her on have been one hundred percent paws-itive.

Mama Anna also loves pink. Pink is good, stationery is good, pink stationery is very good. Especially if I can lie on it. Some of my nose and paw pads are pink (some is also black, her other favorite color) so this works in my favor. Anyway, here is one of the planners Mama Anna has set up for the coming month. I will tell you a secret though – not all of the planners she sets up are for actual planning. She sometimes just brain dumps into them and then figures out where she is going when she gets there.

She is turning over a bunch of her stationery to flowery spring/summer themes. Her version of those seasons may be different from what other people use, but that’s okay because she likes being different. Same with me. Did you know that no two calico cats’ splootches (what we call my colored areas) are the same? Chaos, baby.

Okay, about the writing. Mama Anna and Aunt Melva are still looking forward to finding out the next steps for Queen of Hearts and Drama King, and Mama Anna is creating a notebook section for when she and Aunt Melva are ready to think about new writing projects together. Aunt Melva has given a thumbs up to Mama Anna’s back forty outline to Her Last First Kiss, so now it only remains to break things down into scenes, and then get a-writing.

As for the reading…it is not happening a the moment. Mama Anna is not pleased with this, but what does please her (and will help to fill the remaining pages of her current journal) is to write about why the reading is not happening. Well, actually it is happening, but very slowly Mama Anna likes her reading nook very much, and even though she likes the chair that is there now, she is going to measure the area to see if a comfier chair will fit there. Either way, it will really be my chair. Every chair is my chair. I love chairs. Also boxes. I will happily sit in either one. Or a box in a chair. That would be awesome. Ooh. Paper. In a box. On a chair. Yessss. with catnip in it. In a sunbeam. Mama Anna, make that happen, please?

What’s your favorite place to sit?

Typing With Wet Paws: About Time for April Edition

April 21, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. I would apologize for not posting as much as the schedule says, but, well, I am a cat. Sunbeams exist. Deal. Windows have been open. I know my priorities. Anyway, I’m back now. You’re welcome. Here is a picture of me in the midst of daily activities.

Mama Anna says I also should shear the whole picture, to show how hard I work, and some of the things I help her with as she refines her planning and journaling process. I am always up for new pictures of me, so here it is:

What you can see here are a case where Mama Anna has put the washi that she uses most in one place, and me in the box from her first (but not last) Archer and Olive journal. I don’t exactly fit, but I sit anyway. Mama Ana says that I make a really good paperweight. I like to think of it as keeping her on task. She ccan’t put the journal away while I am in the box, so why not write in it? Right? It’s a fair strategy.

In case you want a better view of the washi, here it is:

Mama Anna likes the general assortment of tapes here, though she does need some more dark florals. She used most of the ones that were there. She doesn’t do cute or too bright. The tapes that are not turned so that the pattern shows are, my left to my right, second row: blush pink with white line art of people; two different purple dreamy celestial stuff. She has other washi, but it is stored elsewhere. This is the stuff she wants to grab if heading out the door for spontaneous journaling outside or something.

Mama Anna is working on getting her reading back on track, because it has been very much off track. She is not too happy about that. Journaling helps with that, and also with the writing. She and Aunt Melva will hear about Queen of Hearts in a few weeks, which is not that long. Mama Anna is pretty chill about it. Her outlook is that her boos are going to get out there. If it’s trad pub, cool. If it’s indie, cool. I have to say that is very cat-like of her. I am proud. She’s learning.

Soon, maybe this weekend, maybe later, she is going to set up a special journal or notebook to organize future book ideas, so that they are all in one place. She really really really does not like chaos. That is why we are doing a lot of rearranging and organizing these days. That’s fine by me because I can explore things as she moves stuff. Since we have a lot of boxes, that’s a lot of boxes for me to sit in and on; no need to choose.

That’s about it here this week. We have had the fan on, when necessary, which is rather nice. Wind in my fur, but still inside. Best fo both worlds. What’s awesome in your life this week?

Self-Discovery Draft

April 13, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Right now, I am sitting at my desk, in front of an open window. The temperatures are going to hit the high eighties today. Seems a little soon for summer temperatures to me, but what do I know? I am drinking peach iced tea. The nook is progressing quite well, so expect pictures of that soon. For now, the above is my everyday carry traveler’s notebook. Skull book is lined ivory paper, and pouch with the kitty on it holds small ephemera and a Pink Pearl eraser. Pen next to the book is a brush tip Mildliner in Vermillion. Still working out what pen I want for an everyday carry, so will keep you updated on that front. Dark flowery dashboard wraps around a lined insert I am using for a random collections journal. I can move those into a proper bound book later.

Melva and I have sent Queen of Hearts to our editor at The Wild Rose Press, so now we wait. We are putting a sticky note on Drama King, so stay tuned. Since I did indeed write my back forty outline for Her Last First Kiss, I get to watch The Lords of Flatbush, which I may turn into a Saturday matinee. In the meantime, I devoured FROM and Daisy Jones and the Six on streaming. I absolutely love both of them and am excited to see FROM return for a second season on the 23rd, so that’s only ten days away. You bet your sweet bippy I am planning on reading the book version of Daisy, and very likely gobbling the rest of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work.

On the research front, I will be dipping my toes into Imperial Rusia, which is a new area for me, but it’s part of Ruby’s background in Her Last First Kiss, as she is herself half-Russian, so there will be interesting tidbits I can share along the way. My father was once engaged to a delightful Russian cosmetologist. Alas, they did not suit and went their separate ways in the end. Had they wed, we would have traveled to Russia to meet her side of the family, She told me that I would love Russia, and Russia would love me. A once upon a time writing group member returned from a trip to Russia with some amazing photos and the insistence that I had to write something set in Imperial Russia. This might be close. 1784 England, but half-Russian heroine, so yes? Maybe I better rewatch Dr. Zhivago just to be sure. Yes, I know, different period, but the ice palace.

Reading hit another snag. Eh. It happens. I have been doing a lot of journaling lately. I like the direction that’s been taking lately. I took a bunch of detailed notes while watching the last two episodes of Daisy, which resulted in a bunch of sticky notes of topics to expand upon later. The whole interviewing present day (of the story) characters about what happened years or decades ago is catnip for me. Add protagonists in the arts and I think you can hear my “yesssssssssssss” from wherever you are. Plus the music does not suck. Yet another reason I want to have one of my journals be a place to stuff idea soup ingredients. This thing goes with that thing, which fits with that thing, but with this change, so it’s best to have one place where they all live and some sort of index that allows me to access it all when I need it, rather than shuffling through bits and pieces scattered everywhere. I call it my organized magpie stage.

If I didn’t mention, I did not end up registering for Camp NaNo, and I am okay with that. I am actually getting stuff done, which is the whole point, so still calling that a win. I will put a sticky note on the July version of Camp, especially if I am ready to tiptoe into a new discovery draft by that time.

What are you discovering this week?

Book Nookery, Self-bribery and the Potential of Waterfowl

April 6, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

It may have taken me until now, but I finally have a reading nook in our bedroom. One very comfy patio chair, one suitably spooky elegant pillow, a comfy throw (not pictured) and I’m home. Of course, obviously, I am home, as in this is the place where I and my family live, but this nook is only for me. Okay, me and Storm. Beethoven glasses case is a gift from Real Life Romance Hero, and journal is an A5 Exceed lined journal. Right now if I could only have one journal, that’s the one I would pick (100 gsm; there is also 78 gsm, but I always want the higher count.) Embellishments (washi and floral sticker) from my stash cobbled from various sources. Current pen is a Zebra Sarasa.07, but I’m not picky about what black gel pen I’m using. I like Pilot G2 and Paper Mate Inkjoy as well.

Now that I have the chair in place, I now have plans to repurpose the rolling cart on one side of it to be specifically for reading and journaling supplies. I foresee myself doing a lot of longhand writing in this nook, which is a good thing because I am very much a longhand-first person.

Melva and I have indeed heard back about Drama King, and we are carefully considering the requested changes. In the meantime, we are submitting Queen of Hearts, the story of Heather, Dominic’s sister from Chasing Prince Charming. We are also both working on our own solo projects, so expect some chatter about that/those around here in the near future. Getting back into social media is very much in pushing off the lid of the sarcophagus stage, but that’s a needed stage. Anyway, my goal for this week is to get the revised outline for what I call the “back forty” of Her Last First Kiss from longhand to document, and then get other eyes on it. If I meet that goal by the end of the day Saturday, I get to watch one of my favorite movies, The Lords of Flatbush. Streaming services are a wonderful thing. I am highly self-bribe-able in this regard. I will definitely be journaling about that and possibly sharing some of that here.

Right now, the temperature is in the sixties here in NY state. I will probably open the window when I get up after posting this, and the dilemma of hot drink or cold drink is real. In the next couple of days, I should be back to my walks around the lake, aka baby duck peeping, because I have missed my springtime surveillance of young waterfowl. Not sure if there are babies yet, but there is only one way to find out. It’s been a while since I’ve been active in that manner (as in others) and I say it is high time.

What are you looking forward to this season?

Springing Forward

March 30, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Welp, we are staring at April. I did not authorize that, but here we are still don’t know if am signing up formally for Camp NaNo, but now that Melva and I are waiting on word for Drama King at The Wild Rose Press, I get to turn my attention back to Her Last First Kiss. I am excited to get back to writing historical romance in general, and back to Bern and Ruby’s story specifically. I am starting out the month at 55k out of a projected 100k, and last week was gutting the second half of the book and totally rewriting the outline. It’s rough as heck and that’s exactly how it should be at this stage of the game.

My goal for April is to go in small bits, scene by scene, and figure out what method works best as I go. I know that one thing that works well for me is accountability, so I will be doing some form of tracking. Hence the new bujo pictured above. 120 gsm paper, coated, in a gorgeous ivory shade, all pristine and ready to move into. I’ll be sharing more about my stationery love here in blogs to come, because A) I can talk about stationery anytime, and at length, and B) posting here is a totally legitimate way of keeping track of things. It’s a process. I may also add reading posts here, or in a separate place. Still working that out at present, but right now, for me, vintage historical romance = life. All the adventure, all the history, all the swash and buckle; I am all about all of that stuff. I will now stop saying “all” as much as in that last sentence.

The best way I can describe things in general right now is pushing the lid off a sarcophagus. Oh, this is what I do. Okay, I can handle that. The spring-cleaning mode is strong in this house at the moment, and a bunch of that includes my writing life/area. I am hoping go bust my secretary desk out of stuff jail (aka storage) and move my beloved fall and winter stationery into a clearly labelled and easily accessible box so they can nap until August. Spring-and-summer falls most naturally for me into one category, so I am treating it that way.

As far as reading is concerned, I am three books behind on my Goodreads goal, but lucky me, I also have three books going a present. Two are vintage historical romance and one is fantasy romance by one of the OG historical romance authors. All are rereads. One is hardcover, one is paperback, and one is on audio. Nope, I lied. There’s also an e-book that is also vintage historical romance.

April is turning out to be a refresh in several areas, so it feels right to show signs of life here as well. Right now, it’s time to put away a mountain of laundry and then some planner/bujo setup. What’s going on in your world?

Typing With Wet Paws: Weekend Prep Edition

March 10, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. This week, I want to start with congratulations to Mama Anna for being on track with her Goodreads Challenge. Starting strong, that’s what we like to see. Also whatever she is doing at a given moment, because, you know, I am a cat.

This picture of me from one year ago is proof that I am a cat, and also that Mama Anna needs to take more pictures in general, and of me specifically. We are working on that. Everybody loves cat pictures, and if the pctures of me happen to be of when I am sitting on or near her planner/journal supplies and/or other stuff, the pictures can cross-post to special interest groups. I like to multitask.

The book Mama Anna is focusing on this weekend is Lisbon, by Valerie Sherwood, who is one of her top tier historical romance authors. This was Ms. Sherwood’s final book, as far as we know, and Mama Anna hasn’t read it again since she read it the first time, when it was new and she and Papa just starting their lives together. She still has her copy in storage, I think, and it is very special to her, because Papa went out and got it for her in hardcover, because she was so excited for the book to come out and didn’t want to wait for paperback. This copy is from the library, and they will want their copy back at some point. I am especially fond of Mama Anna reading hardcovers in bed, because A) I get to rest on it when she falls asleep next to it, and B) I can cuddle with her while she reads, and rub my scent on it at the same time. I wonder if there are any cats at the library who will appreciate me annotating in that manner.

In other news, we are now on spring watch. This means that I in particular am keeping an eye on the windows and asking the humans to open them for me. Open windows are extremely important for neighborhood surveillance, which of course is one of my duties as a cat.

Other important duties come into play at this time of year as well. With Mama Anna moving her papers and pens around to make way for the switch to focus on new writing projects, my opinion and input is vital. I may or may not make off with the occasional eraser, pen cap, or bookmark, but I consider that due payment. Ditto my new habit of walking from my drawer (that is level to Mama Anna’s desk) onto said desk. If I go back and forth, that means that I want a cuddle and I want it now. It is then her turn to invite me into her lap, which I will accept. Then I put my head and front paws on her shoulder. Today, she gave in to the inevitable and paused in what she was doing and concentrated on cuddling me. She’s smart that way.

So, that’s about it for this week. The weekend should involve reading, cuddles, journaling and cuddles, maybe watch something on streaming and cuddles. Do you see a pattern here? How’s your week going?

The Big Furry Mess Option

March 9, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Absolutely no plan for today’s blog, even though I had, er, planned on one, but I am overtired, thus a tad loopy, and in my defense, was left unsupervised. Melva and I are happy to announce that our revise and resubmit of Drama King, the second book in our contemporary romance series, Love by the Book, is now under consideration at The Wild Rose Press. We will know in a few weeks. Seems only natural to be turning my planning and journaling stuff over for a new season in more ways than one.

Right now, I am sitting in a wash of sunlight, listening to Reddit threads read over an external speaker because somebody who lives in my apartment and has paws, has a thing where the line between earbud and snack blurs. I will remedy this soon. In the meantime there is the speaker (which also has cool lighting options I have not yet figured out) and a pair of wireless earbuds in a cute kitty shaped case, which do not go anywhere near the actual cat.

I am also surrounded by (yeah, passive tense, what of it?) all the elements of highly organized workspace. All they need is for me to put them in the right order. Or any order, as I look at them today. Over the winter, I have been trying a bunch of different things in the stationery-verse to see what actually works best for me, and the way I do things now, not the way I think they should be or how they have always (or usually) been. Most of it is still in flux, but a more streamlined flux, if that makes any sense.

I have what I call a “big furry mess” stage, where things are generally in the same space. I have, for instance, a tote that’s all set up for my morning stuff. Morning brain dump and sleep log, my catchall planner, which is almost entirely functional, a fact that surprises the heck out of me, but there you have it, and the writing planner that I am still splashing about in the shallows with but trust that it will right itself (not write itself) by the time we shift into summer mode. There is one set of pens in that tote, the specific sticker books and accessories where appropriate, that I will be using with those specific planners/notebooks. I didn’t intend for a color theme, but I lump my morning stuff into “pink grapefruit,” as it’s all pinks and oranges and I can work with that. I, for the record, have never cared for the taste of grapefruits of any hue, but I do love a good theme for my stationery, and halved grapefruits topped with halved cherries (I do appreciate a good cherry) were standard breakfast images in the media of my childhood. I do not know why this is. I don’t remember either of my parents having grapefruit for breakfast, and it was never offered to me.

Right now, I am very much attuned to the traveler’s notebook format. Discbound is probably my number two format at present, but I am sorting out what works in the various sizes of traveler’s notebooks I have going. Part of it is the covers. Leather or vegan leather, the strings that give me options of what inserts to include (a benefit also afforded by discbound systems, and the process of getting all tactile as well as functional. I don’t strictly need the decorative elements, but I like them.

Then there’s this baby. Have I introduce Nyx yet? My very first Archer and Olive, with black dot grid pages. Do I have a purpose for her that sets her apart from al the others? Nope. Do I love her intensely? Yes. Am I planning on just tossing anything onto her pages just because? Also yes. I’ll figure out some sort of order maybe halfway through, which is okay, because…wait for it…I can buy more. We clicked when I stalked the clearance sale, so we are going to make this work. Also, Tiny Anna always wanted to write in white in on black paper, and y’know what? I am going to make that kiddo’s wish come true. It’s me. I’m the kiddo.

I am also blabbering. I completely and cheerfully admit this. When I sat down at the keyboard this afternoon, I had two options. Option one: throw some words on the screen, even if they don’t make sense. Possibly a bold move, but worth the risk. Option two: post nothing and feel guilty for the next howeverlong. I don’t like option two. Option One it is, then. Same as Monday morning was the first time in a long time that Her Last First Kiss was the story on the front burner (and wowzers, have I missed that story)

Option One for completely ripping out the second half and redoing it to take advantage of a historical thing that would make the second half oh so much better, felt scary, but Option Two, putting it off and feeling guilty, yeah, I don’t like that one. It doesn’t work, and it doesn’t get books written. I’m not sure if I actually went with Option One or if this counts as Option Three: get the big furry discbound notebook currently holding pieces of things, ignore any files on the computer, and physically write out what Happens Now that we are doing the historical thing. I am not entirely done with that phase, as my weekly call with Melva to talk contemporary doings happened when I was about on page…. I want to say seven. Going past that will involve looking at maps and making some lists and bouncing ideas off fellow writers of historical romance fiction, but…yeah.

With a projected 100k wordcount, the part that is staying as is sits at 55k, which is over the halfway mark, so yay me. My What Happens Next pages are literally just that. X happens, okay, what happens after that? And after that? And after that? Lather rinse repeat until HEA. Once we get there, go back and expand as needed until done, and then off to first readers it shall go. I do know where I am going after that with my first all new historical ms in neveryoumind years. This also involves a friend with roots in the country from which said hero hails, and this is the very first time I am planning on books being linked from the start. I normally think in standalones, which I can still do, but this is also commercial fiction, sooooo…..

Yeah. That’s where we are on this fine March afternoon. I am probably going to noodle an doodle in Nyx after I get done here, and/or stick my nose in a physical book, because I am back in reading mode with a vengeance, thanks to an influx of classic historical romances. I will no doubt be talking about those later on, because I have thoughts.

How is your week going?

Pre-Spring Stationery Rambles

February 16, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Another Thursday, another blog. We are now past the midpoint of February, and I am not at all sure we are going to get smacked by winter this year. I am not sure how I feel about that. To be determined, I suppose. One way this reflects is in the way I handle my stationery, because stationery is life. Though I didn’t manage to get the pastel Christmas theme this year (but I did get a start on it for next year) I figured that pastel winter would do as well, but then it wasn’t clicking, so I am now in a themeless wilderness. I will probably keep the Bloody Valentine theme for the rest of the month and then we will see. March, for me, suggests RWA conferences, though we haven’t been for the last few years for various reasons. I’m sure that will pick up again in the very near future. In any case, full speed ahead.

In full stationery nerd mode, I am currently fiddling around with my everyday carry (EDC) aka what’s in my bag. With spring in the offing, I want to stretch myself into going out more. Ever since we got this apartment, after our year of vagabondage, I have bene more of a homebody than I would like to admit. Not that it’s a bad thing, but I am an extrovert, I work at home, and I live in a city. There are people out there. :gestures to window: Part of this means doing some of my journaling and possibly discovery drafting outside of the house.

Not going to lie, nifty stationery goes a long way toward that end. Right now, I am sorting things out when it comes to my EDC. Pictured above is a leather traveler’s notebook from Chic Sparrow, in the size A6. This size is new to me, so I didn’t have any inserts that size, wasn’t sure where to find them, but I found a bound sketchbook that looked like it might fit. I popped it in, and oh my mercy, it’s great. The shiny things in the first picture are plastic dashboards, also from Chic Sparrow, which I can fill with whatever strikes my fancy. I moved the pocket sized inserts I had been using into a pocket-sized cover from another maker. Do I want to carry A6 with me, or pocket, and what about my B6? The good news is that as a writer, I absolutely am going to write in all of these books, so I’m not worried.

Here you see my very first Archer and Olive journal. That’s a silver spiderweb on the front cover, black linen with dark blue sparkles, and black dot gridded pages. I am challenging myself to make one spread per day. No theme, no plan, but throwing stuff on the page as I will, which I will probably show later. Right now, we are getting to know each other, and I am definitely planning on getting more, but definitely will wait until they go on sale. Go figure I finally discover this brand when they phase out the lined books. Eh, it’s fine. What I do know is that I am all about the GSM these days. I always suspected, but now I know.

For the rest of today, I get to transcribe that scene, send it off to Melva, and then tidy my desk area. I am excited to get back to historicals and seeing what I can do with that genre now, both with stories that have been on pause for far too long and new stories yet to come. I am eyeing Camp NaNo in April, which will no doubt get a notebook of its own.

That’s about it for that for the time being, so I will move on along to the transcription and then it’s desk tidying time. When we renew our lease in May, I want to get my secretary desk out of storage, because I want all the nooks and crannies. what notebooks are you using this season?

Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: Tales From the Deep Freeze Edition

February 3, 2023annabowling Leave a comment

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. We are staying nice and snug here in NY state, even though the temperatures are in the single digits today. Don’t worry about us, though. we are keeping warm. Mama Anna has fleecy clothes on, and I have a built-in fur coat, so we are good. Also, she drinks a lot of tea. I mean a lot. As long as it keeps her warm and happy, I guess it’s okay.

Anyway, it’s Friday again, and that means I get to take over the blog for the day. We will start with my most recent pictures.

Ahem. That is NOT me. That is part of Mama Anna’s everyday carry (EDC) traveler’s notebook (TN.) I guess I may as well talk about that for a minute. Mama Anna would be lost without this thing even though it’s not a planner. Seriously. Her planner is a different notebook. This is one notebook she writes in every day and then two others she hasn’t written in yet, but is holding onto because she will at some point. I don’t get humans. She actually has a lot of TNs, in different sizes (and wants more; whatever, I can sit on them and make them my own with claws and such) and only today figured out that the rando sketchbook she picked up at an art store is actually the size of book that is supposed to go in this cover, which is A6, not the pocket sized things she has had in there all this time. She does have a pocket sized book on hand so she tried moving the pocket size stuff into that one and then putting the A6 book into that cover, and then….well, she doesn’t have any other A6 inserts, so she did some checking around, also looked into making her own, and then :deep breath: figured out that if she put that A6 book in the A6 cover, she can’t carry as many pens at one time in the pen loop and back pocket, so it’s back to the original arrangement.

Now, this is me. Yes, I look a little rough here, but that’s only because I just that minute got up from a nap and Mama Anna put a camera in my face. She’s getting back into the whole picture taking thing and I seem to be her number one favorite model. She has good taste. I do question her thought process when she says I can’t walk across her keyboard while she is using it. I am trying to help here. Okay, I may or may not have deleted part of a PDF she was working with, and I did butt-dial a friend on Discord, but really, are those things so horrible? Counted against the sheer amount of cuteness I provide, these things can be swept under the rug with all of the missing earbuds and hair ties.

Speaking of earbuds, Mama Anna is trying out a new thing this weekend: wireless earbuds. She suspects that they will soon be reclassified as “cat toys,” which I think is very progressive of her. Everything is a cat toy when you’re a kitty. Anyway, things are going pretty good over here. Mama Anna and Aunt Melva expect to be sending Queen of Hearts off to their editor very very soon, and Mama Anna will be back in historical mode. I like historical mode. There are lots of cats in historicals, or there should be. Thinkn of it, all those birds and mice and other vermin. Who you going to call, hoomans? That’s right. Cats. You’re welcome.

Also, I have a new sign off picture. How is your week going?

Typing With Wet Nails

for the love of romance

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