A few things today…
1. The official release date for Forever Dark will be July 1. Mark that down!
2. I will be at UtopYAcon, which takes place July 6-8, 2012, in Nashville. Yes, that Nashville, as in the Grand Ol’ Opry Nashville. I was invited by the organizers a few months ago but thought I might have other activities close to home, which ended up being scheduled for a different weekend. After some consideration, I decided to put aside my dislike of travel and make the trip. I hope to meet some of my fans there. It’s one of the few places you’ll ever have the chance to see me. I love meeting people, but I prefer to stay closer to home, so this is one of the few times you’ll find me somewhere else.
3. Related to #2, I will be hosting an exclusive Forever Dark Release Party during UtopYAcon. Books, swag, giveaways, etc.! Let’s have fun!
4. Editing of Forever Dark is underway. Woohoo! I finally got comments back from my young reader, who liked it very much. I’m putting the story through the mill right now and hope to have one more set of eyes on it before it goes out.
5. Writing on secret project 1 aka WIP1 or SP1 is postponed until I get this round of editing finished on FD. At my last writing session, I had passed 34,000 words on it, so the story is well underway. However, I may condense some of that last chapter as it dragged out a little, so some wordage may get cut. The story is going well, a good place to pause. I posted an excerpt a few weeks ago and wonder if anyone has guessed anything about it yet.
6. Another new project has jumped into my head. Bad timing, what with all the other work I need to finish, but it’s been brewing for over a year. I just didn’t feel comfortable with the limited ideas that came at the time. Inspiration comes when the time is right and walking always does that for me. Something loosened and started fitting pieces together that feel right for me. I’m making notes for now and hope that it doesn’t interrupt my editing too much, because I need to get FD done. However, I’ve learned to take what my muse gives me and run with it as long as I can. The other project I had mentioned on Facebook was a good idea but wasn’t really clicking for me. It was a means to keep myself writing mostly, and it may be right for a different time, but this new old idea is right for me now.
7. Little Azula is growing fast. She’s been on Interferon Alpha for a week and a half and antibiotics for a week. The antibiotics did the most for her goopy eyes and sneezing, I think. Within twelve hours of starting it last week, her blue eyes were clear and bright and the membranes weren’t as swollen as they had be since we brought her home. And my baby boy, Dargo, who hated her the most the first couple of days Azula was set free in the house has claimed her as his toy. He’s like a big brother kitty to her–patiently tolerating her every attack and playing with her, cleaning her, and even snuggling with her. I would never have expected such behavior from a neutered male cat, but this has worked out perfectly for the household. Since he has a playmate that can keep up with him, he’s attacking our older two kitties less. He still does sometimes, because they’re big enough to be rough with and he is gentler on little Azula. She’s living up to her namesake, a little spitfire furrball zipping through the house, but thank goodness cats don’t fire bend!
8. Last of all, my horse. I had a riding lesson on Monday and was able to refine so many parts of my riding. My instructor helped confirm what I was feeling under saddle and to recognize it more clearly so I can help my horse to carry himself better while staying forward and straight and balanced. There lie the biggest keys to success in dressage. He can do anything when all the pieces are in place.
