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Typing With Wet Paws: Mid-October Edition

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Hi! How is everybody? I’m Storm, and I’m good. I am learning my job as Aunt Anna’s new mews. So far, a lot of that has been sitting behind her and complaining that I don’t have a good enough view. Aunt Anna says I am her Velcro kitty, because I always want to be near her. She says she is probably going to have to make a space for me to sit next to her computer when we are settled in our new home. Right now, I have a folded towel and/or t-shirt. Sometimes I sit there.

The big development here is that the apartment the humans thought would be a good match, really was not, so they are on the search once more. Aunt Anna says that they are only looking at cat-positive places, which is good because I am a very positive cat. Actually, I will probably get two seats, on two desks, because Aunt Anna likes to have her computer desk and her handwriting desk be two different desks. While we are in the motel, she has her computer set up on the only desk, and then she writes longhand on the bed, with me. Her pens make great toys.

Okay, on to the usual information. There is the usual Buried Under Romance update, and a bonus one as well.

Purr-sonally, I think the answer is pretty obvious, but you can read Aunt Anna’s take on the issue on her latest Saturday Discussion post.

Since I did mention a bonus, here is what that is. This week, Buried Under Romance has had excerpts from more than ten (that’s as high as I can count right now, but I am learning) Regency Christmas novellas in the Winter Wishes anthology. The authors have some interesting things to say, and they will be giving away books to two lucky commenters, so get your comments in on the first link above, to get your chance.

this book falls under “high time”

On the reading front, Aunt Anna is not very happy about being six books behind in her Goodreads challenge, but she is determined to get current and maybe even exceed her goal. There are still more than two months left in the year, and she has me to supervise her reading, so I think odds are good. Her current reads include Blue Heaven, Black Night, by Heather Graham, originally published under her Shannon Drake name. It is a big, medieval historical romance, that Aunt Anna started reading many many years ago, but wandered off. She figures it is now high time to move that to the “read” list.

On the writing front, it has been pretty real-life-y this week, but Aunt Anna did send a chapter to Aunt Melva, and they were both interviewed by a journalist in advance of their author event on the 26th. So far, Aunt Anna is feeling pretty good about that, but still thinking she may need to go buy red shoes (if you have read Chasing Prince Charming, you will probably know why) because the ones she wanted to wear are still packed. I am glad I only have to deal with paws.

I think that’s probably the important stuff for this week. Aunt Anna says she will have a good sized planner post to make up for the last couple of months, especially since the holidays and new year are around the corner. I, of course, will be on hand (or paw) to assist as I deem necessary. She has some idea of creating a writing planner. That should be interesting, or at the very least, a good cat bed.

Headbonks!

Typing With Wet Paws: Perfect Storm Edition

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Hi! I’m Storm. What are your names? I am new here. My mom is on a top secret mission (I think she is a super hero) to help some very important people, so I am going to stay with these guys. So far, I am calling them aunts and uncle, but we will see how things develop. If you have been following Aunt Anna on Facebook or Instagram, then you have probably seen pictures of me. If you want to make sure you don’t miss any of those pictures, follow the hashtag #calicolovestorm on Instagram. There are only a few pictures up there now, but I have only been here for about a week. Give everybody some time.

The search for a new location for Stately Bowling Manor is, hopefully, drawing to a close. Aunt Anna will have more information on that later, but for now, let’s focus on me. I am a beautiful calico girl, about two years old, but I might still have some growing to do. My legs are super long. When we had to be in the car for a while, I rode in Uncle’s lap, in my carrier, and I yelled a lot. The humans got very concerned, until they realized I wasn’t scared. I was mad. The view stunk. I wanted to be held up so I could see out the window.

Anyway, we are all still getting acquainted. Sebastian said something about me taking over the Friday blogs. Then he rolled over and snored. I guess this is what he means. Aunt Anna still has some numbers to crunch before she can update her Goodreads challenge, and she has been busy with moving things for the last couple of weeks, but there is a lot of fun stuff coming very soon at Buried Under Romance.

On the writing front, I will be assuming mews duties. So far, this largely consists of me batting the pen out of Aunt Anna’s hand when she writes longhand. I am also super good at lying next to her and purring (I have a loud, rumbly motor under all this sleekness) when she needs to think about stories, or read stories somebody else already wrote. I can also help her watch TV shows on her tablet, but with fair warning. My mom showed me a computer game where I can smack a virtual mouse, so I kind of do that when there are other things on the screen, too, hoping the mouse will appear. Aunt Linda was not too thrilled when I did that yesterday, when she was playing a game that did not have any mice in it. Sorry not sorry.

Since things are headed n a back to normal direction these days, I will leave it to Aunt Anna to mention the chance to meet her and Aunt Melva in person. All I will say for now is that if you are in or near Western MA on the morning of October 26th, and like it when authors talk about books, there will be something super special coming your way. Aunt Anna is looking forward to putting down roots and getting back into the normal swing of things. I, of course, will be su-purr-vising (cat pun, couldn’t resist) it all. I’m a mews now. That’s what I do.

Headbonks,!

Typing With Stuffed Paws: Notes From The Road Edition

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Greetings, Foolish Mortals. Sebastian Thunderpaws Hart-Bowling here, coming at you with most of the stuff from the couple of weeks that were. The search for a new location of Stately Bowling Manor is drawing to a close, and the big news here is that an Heir Presumptive has been chosen for the position of lead feline.This does not mean that I will be gone entirely. Somebody has to watch the young pretender…um, I meant rightful heir. Whatever. While I do value my naptime, I also liek having a public forum to air my stuff, so we will still be in touch.

Other than that, life continues. Writer Chick is writing. A lot, actually, and making good use of the notes function on her tablet, because sometimes ideas come when she least expects, so that’s a good thing. More on that in a later update, but she expects to be back to regular blogging, or as regular as she can get, anyway, in the very near future. once the new manor site has been secured, the office is the first room that will get her attention. This is good news for everybody. For those of you eager to see what’s coming up with Buried Under Romance, things will be happenng starting next week, and we are rather excited over that.

On the reading front, Writer Chick is back in the saddle. She has been clipping through books at a pretty good rate. Here are some of the ones that are closing her in on her reading challenge goal:

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Not too shabby on that front, I must say. Still a ways to go before she is current, but at this rate, I think she’s going to make it.

Anything else on the writing front is hers to tell. She has thought about attempting the “real” NaNoWriMo in November, as a rebel, to get Drama King all the way to the finish, but don’t quote her on that. Maybe, maybe not. One thing is for sure, though: she plans to get to The End of both Drama King and Her Last first Kiss (respective drafts of each) by early 2020. The waiting room in her imagination is getting crowded again, and she has to make room. Stay tuned for future updates, as well as some cool new stuff coming to melvaandann.com.

Outside, the leaves are turning beautiful oranges, reds, and golds (tribute to handsome orange stuffed boys, I am sure) which pleases Writer Chick greastly. This is the time when her superpowers return, and they seem to be doing so in full force. Once we take the new manor, things will get a lotmore regular, so stay tuned, and you won’t miss a thing.

peace out,

Of Human Vagabondage

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Week two of Vagabond 2019 is going well, all things considered. Still enjoying motel living -not sarcastically; this place is nice, and it’s actually a relief to have a breather while we search for the next location of Stately Bowling Manor. Real Life Romance Hero and Housemate are off to their jobs, and I am back at mine.

I haven’t been getting a lot of reading or viewing done, though that should be picking up in the next few days. I am three or four episodes into season nine of The Walking Dead, and will likely binge So You Think You Can Dance when I am through. One show at a time seems to be what makes the most sense viewing-wise, right now. When I am through with that, I will probably be on the hunt for a great historical drama, so if you have recommendations, leave them in the comments. I have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

I also have Kindle Unlimited, which makes the fact that I am only partway through two KU books in the last two months, and I am not okay with that. I am starting an experiment where I schedule reading time, and, hopefully, that will get me back on track on that front. Planning has been a big help with all of the things that have to be done on our route to the next apartment. I have also drawn Housemate over to the planner side, and I am a proud planner mum, watching her find her own system and style, while refining my own.

Which brings us to writing. When we were packing and hauling stuff to storage, my original plan was to put my writing notebooks in storage, and write everything in one composition book, then transcribe when we land. That lasted as long as the ride to the storage unit. I couldn’t do it. They stay with me, because longhand first is how I work best, and I am, as I go, finding what each individual binder needs, and what gets me to where I want to be – The End of each individual draft. I do have my desktop set up in our room, and I like that bit of home, that space that is all mine. I also like that the hours when the rest of my family is out of the room are my one shot at getting any work done without interruption, short of parking myself in the lobby and getting in some longhand time.

Yesterday was laundry and errands, but today is blocked off as a writing day. I find that exciting.

Talk to you soon!

Like Writing A Bike

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Hi. I’m baaaaack. For those who have been wondering where I’ve been, our family is in the moving process. We are comfortably ensconced in a very lovely motel, while searching for the next incarnation of Stately Bowling Manor. For those wondering why we moved so quickly, without a new apartment secured, the answer is bedbugs. Bedbugs everywhere. They were affecting the health of a family member, even after a visit from an exterminator, and our exhaustive bugproofing, so that became a very clear signal it was time to move into the next chapter.

Segue into writing, especially for those who are here for the romance writing side of things, aka where the fluff are the kissing books? The good news on that is that they are forthcoming. For the last week, we have been turning in cable boxes, apartment searching, playing storage unit Tetris, a whole lot of planning, and all of that was necessary. That’s what allows me to have the room to myself while Real Life Romance Hero and Housemate are both at their jobs. It is time for me to return to mine. Today, I go back to regular writing.

When deciding which device to bring into the room with us, the desktop won. Also, the MacBook, which I love, is doing the three beep thing, so desktop makes the most sense. It feels like home. I get to put my butt in the chair and there is no housework to distract me from writing. This is kind of scary. It’s also very exciting. One of the great things about writing is that I can literally do it anywhere. Even hotel rooms. Last night, I brought my A5 binders for both Her Last First Kiss, and Drama King, into the room, and that small change did a lot more to tell my brain that everything is actually okay, than anything else.

The first thing on the list is getting back to blogging. Which means this post. For the time being, this is my desk and when the rest of my family is out of the “house” it is, once again, my workplace. Availability of fresh towels? Making of beds? That’s Housekeeping’s job,. This one is mine, and, no matter what I might have thought this day would be like, when I could finally get back to business, it’s…no big deal. Okay, I did have the dream where I have to traverse a whole city on foot, this time from brownstone to brownstone, in the snow (for the record, I love both brownstones and snow) but other than that, it’s like riding a bike. Which is why the title of this post is Writing a Bike.

Ever since I started planning (there will be a planner post in the near future) I have found that making lists and schedules helps me manage life in general. Getting back to writing work is on that list, and getting back to things that fill my creative well, including but not limited to reading historical romance and contemporary YA, playing Sims, chatting with friends, watching Netflix/Hulu, etc. I very much look forward to getting back into the swing of happy mail/snail mail as soon as we get the address thing sorted, but, for right now, things are looking good, my imaginary friends are chatty, and I am back in the saddle.

Talk to you soon,

Writing While Packing, and other stories

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Yesterday, I emptied the kitchen cabinets of all foodstuffs we do not intend on A) eating in the next week, or B) taking with us to the new place. Today, we view our first potential apartment. Yesterday, Housemate and I drove past it. It’s a gorgeous neighborhood, as Mr. N requested, close to Panera, where I meet with N every Tuesday. It’s near my beloved park, that I have missed over the past year, and on the same street where my delightful acquaintance, D, lives. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a step in the right direction.

That means that, on days like this, when both Real Life Romance Hero and Housemate are at their places of employment, I get to go into full Domestic Warrior Queen mode, which, when combined with Planner Woman mode, is both satisfying and effective. This does not mean that there is no writing going on, because A) this whole “eat the elephant one bite at a time” thing applies to both writing and packing, and B) both processes go a lot faster and more smoothly when I am listening to my story playlists, with songs that keep my story hamster happily running on her wheel, no matter what my physical body might be doing.

I am not sure, yet, what the electronics situation will be when we blow this popsicle stand. A lot of that will depend on when we turn in our router, and our move-in date for our next place, whatever its location. Laptop (in need of repair) set up desktop if we are going to be in a hotel for half a month. Third option, tablet, AlphaSmart, and good old notebooks. Who are we kidding, the notebooks are coming anyway.

One thing that is markedly easier in this move (besides mental health) is that packing books is a heck of a lot easier. With the exception of a few volumes for RLRH, all of the books in our current abode are electronic. They all fit in my (and Housemate’s) purse. The others are all still in storage, and will be unpacked in the new apartment. There are times when I want to pet my physical books, pop in and revisit favorite books, authors, and characters. The ability to do that whenever I want is a big perk of the upcoming change of address. Putting my all-time favorite historical romance novels in the bookshelves my father made for toddler me will be a big indicator that we have indeed landed.

Writing, during this move, is a vert different experience than with the last one. This time, it’s not just the idea of writing, but the actual act of it. I want to get my time at the keyboard or with pen and pencil. My plotting board (big cardboard tri-fold) was a victim of the infestation, but that only means I get to pick up a new one once we are settled, or, more likely, more than one> Melva and I are agreed we are beginning the home stretch of Drama King, and it’s time to start sketching out Queen of Hearts. After that, we want to work on a collection of Christmas novellas, outside of the Love By The Book (LBTB) world.

For my solo historicals, I am chomping at the bit to get to the end of the second draft for Her Last First Kiss, and to hop back on my discovery draft of Plunder. As to finding homes for My Outcast Heart, Orphans in the Storm, and A Heart Most Errant, that will be put on pause until the moving dust has settled, but that’s still happening. The waiting room in my head is getting crowded, with all those characters demanding I tell their stories. I’d tell them to take a seat and wait, but this isn’t my first rodeo, so figuring out the best way to get those stories told is a necessity.

They (ah, the mysterious they) say that necessity is the mother of invention, and, as I go about packing our home and my writing (and art/planning) I have to agree with them. Whether it’s a place to put this oddly shaped thing, do we really need this or that, or it’s better to junk XYZ and get a new one when we have settled, the best thing to do is make a decision and move forward.

So that’s where we are right now. Putting stuff in boxes and bags, then storage unit or set aside for the truck, looking at apartments, and planning on what gets written when. All in all, it’s pretty good deal. Maybe the bedbugs did us a favor after all.

A Moving Story

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First of all, big thanks from Melva and myself for all the lovely things readers have said about out first joint venture, Chasing Prince Charming. It’s been wonderful to be able to say “current release” again, especiallywhen drafting query letters for other projects. Fall is truly around the corner, with September waiting for us in the weeknd, and there are some new and exciting things going on around here.

For those in or near New York’s capitol region this February, I will be presenting my workshop, Play In Your Own Sandbox, Keep All The Toys, where the media we already love inspires original stories, characters, and maybe even entire new worlds or series. More details in the Coming Soon section. I am already looking forward to this.

I am also looking forward to thenext big change here at Stately Bowling Manor, which will be…the location of Stately Bowling Manor. We had been debating, for some time, when it was the right time to begin the next chapter of our lives, and the bedbugs helped to give us that answer. We will be leaving our current apartment in the early part of next week and are narrowing our options on our next apartment. The decision was unanimous, and most of our posessions are basically packed alredy, with the preparations for the exterminator, so this really is a good time.

Posting may be a little spotty over the next couple of weeks, but everybody is happy and healthy and ready to roll. setting up a new office will definitely be fun, and perfectly in time for taking new signoff pictures. There will also be hauling of stuff, and, probably, a handful or two of experiences that will find themselves into future books.

For now, I am off to the storage unit. Updates to follow. So, what’s new with you?

B Minus Fourteen

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B, in this case is for book, because the book in question is, of course, Chasing Prince Charming. My math may be off, because I am me, but it’s two weeks out, and stuff is getting real. The hardcopies Melva ordered have arrived (at her place; I have not seen them yet, but I am sure they are gorgeous, and I may squeal and/or cry, when I do.) We are getting ready for our first author visit, at Buried Under Romance, which will go live on release day, and, at some point, it is going to hit home that it’s really happening and the dry spell is over.

As I may have mentioned before, I have anxiety and depression, and both have been tickled by domestic tornadoes this past week, which meant that something had to give, and that something, in this case, happened to be my Camp NaNo work, and I am now kind of squidgy about visiting the site to update my count, when I do have one (after I post this blog, I am off to play with the pirates) but I am going to do that. That’s part of the trick, if there is one, to writing through anxiety and depression.

What works for me is to show up, do the work that I can do, when I can do it. When I look into the well and find it empty, then it is time to focus on filling, once more. This is where planning is a huge help. When I say planning, I don’t mean the bare bones of an agenda or schedule, but hunkering down with pen and paper, optional variety of art supplies, and putting what’s in my head on the page. For me, that helps figure out where the emptiness is, and that’s the first, and often biggest, step in figuring out how to fill it. Though I do this solo, I do think it has something to do with being an extrovert (though introverts and ambiverts can certainly do the same thing, and probably do) because I don’t see this process so much as “journaling” but more “talking on paper.”

Do that for a while, and things tend to fade into focus. That’s what happened today. This is a blog entry because my agenda does say blog entry, and, after I get my Plunder pages done, I get to mess with art supplies, and listen to an audiobook. Lisa Schmidt-Rigby at Buried Under Romance showed me how to turn any book into an audiobook, thanks to text to speech technology, so that has me excited. I’m okay with the robot voice. My brain translates into narrative and character voices anyway, so it’s not even a problem.

Fourteen days doesn’t seem like a lot, sometimes, and then, other times, it feels like forever. It will be the same amount of time, no matter what I do, so that’s one thing off my plate. The passage of time is not my responsibility. I like that. It’s a relief. If I pound keys and write my way through the ink of a dozen pens, between now and August 12th, or if I spend the time contemplating my own toenails, August 12th is the date Meg and Dominic get released on the world. The story Melva and I conceived at that NECRWA conference, that seems both yesterday and foreverago, will go forth into cyberspace and TBR shelves, and people will read that story, some of whom will never speak a word about it, but I still like to think it will be a pleasant experience.

Besides that, I am staring down the finish line for Plunder at Camp NaNo, and have notes to setup a binder for this trilogy, with sections for Abandon and Treasure, and see how these fictional kiddos grow. I am querying my other historicals that are on deck. Melva and I are following Jack and Kelly into the final acts of Drama King, and prepping the soil, sowing the seeds of what will, one day, be Queen of Hearts. All in all, I have to call that good.

Reverse Hibernation (aka My Summer Happy Place)

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I am not a summer person. Not even close. Not even a little. I am sun and heat-sensitive, so, on weeks like this, when all of the daytime temperatures are in the nineties, a form of summer hibernation makes a whole lot of sense. Reverse hibernation, as I call it, works very well with the nocturnal phase of summer, when I am more active at night, sleepier in the daytime, which actually is a good thing, because summer usually sees me sadder, less energetic, and all-around-itchy.

Yesterday, I found my happy place, at least where writing during the summer is concerned. My worktable, once my dining room table, faces the living room window, open now, with a view of my houseplants, trees outside, and my beloved notebooks, pens, and a big jar of washi (decorative tape) in shades of pink. There will be a cool drink at my left hand, possibly a salty snack at my right, and a cookbook holder (vintage) holds my tablet. The box fan whirs, cool air on my bare legs. The whir of the fan may be the only sound, as I put pen to paper, or I may have my tablet tuned to music, podcast, or ambient sounds. My favorites in that department tend to be nature sounds, or atmospheric, like “coffee house on a rainy day,” with my all time favorite being a combination of rain, fireplace, and purring cat. One day, I hope that will be the actual sounds in my actual environment, but, for now, that reasonable facsimile will do.

Back to yesterday. I had a scene due for Drama King, and my Camp NaNo work to do, blog entry shoved off until today, because fiction has to come first, and I didn’t so much think about this new sort of work environment; it happened, all on its own. I opened my Drama King notebook, no need for headphones, as I had the apartment to myself, and off I went, the scene spilling out onto the page. After that, I didn’t want to go right back to the computer, and my Alphasmart was right there, so, once again, the bloop effect comes into play.

The writing flowed, the transcription flowed, and the touch of a button moved the transcribed pages from Alphasmart to word processing program. From there, it was a quick spellcheck, a change of formatting, and, once again, bloop, over to Melva, for her approval, in more than enough time for our weekly chat.

This is not a magic switch, by any means, but there is something special about having a creative space that is mine, where writing can be not in the same place where I watch You Tube and answer emails. It’s writing, not typing (sorry, Dad) and, for me, that makes a difference. This feels natural. This feels right. I can get to the end of a writing day, feeling satisfied instead of drained, and I look forward to settling in for the next session, pen to paper first

This kind of thing is organic for me. I have to splash around in the shallows until I start swimming, and then, after that, its’ all potatoes. (Family term, meaning “everything will be easier after X.”) I get to the end of my list, and then it’s time to take a break, most likely to watch aforementioned You Tube videos, mostly about traveler’s notebooks and/or bullet journaling. Sometimes I watch Book Tube videos, which makes me think about how fun it is to make video blogs, and that may happen, but, for now, it’s fiction first. After that? A long summer’s nap sounds lovely.

Summer Thoughts

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Monday’s post on Tuesday again, and I am okay with that. Yesterday was spent writing on Drama King, then my weekly Skype session with Melva Michaelian. My weekly breakfast with N is on Thursday this week, so the morning was found time to knuckle down and write…until I got a message from Sue Ann Porter, telling me she was five minutes away, and did I want to hang out? Umm, yes. We hadn’t had a chance to be face to face since January, so, around my kitchen table, and seasonally appropriate beverages, we got current.

We talked writing, and books. I cracked open Goodreads to recommend Panic by Lauren Oliver, and my heart swelled when Sue Ann told me how much she loved My Outcast Heart, and would love to see it as a Hallmark-ish movie. That would be fun. Right now, I’m focusing on getting it a new home in book form, which still needs to take a number.

We were joined, after a short while, by Sebastian Thunderpaws Hart-Bowling, Cat Regent and discussed having Sebastian join us for a proposed vlog about our shared appreciation of Poldark. I need to get current, because life last summer was kind of hectic, but, this year, it looks smoother. We discussed how much we like the verisimilitude of the historical atmosphere of the story world, and how we both like our historical romances to have a strong historical influence along with the romance, what makes a good romance novel, and what it takes to get a reader to want to come along for the ride, in any genre of fiction.

There was also a surprise visit by a local candidate, friendly and charismatic, encouraging voters to get to the polls. All too soon, Sue Ann and I both had to go back to life as planed, but I told her this was exactly the kind of summer I want to have. Filled with writing, and reading, and hanging out with good friends, coming away from the visit, not stressed over work time that was missed, but energized to get back to it, refreshed and refueled. I could get used to that kind of thing.