I've Said It Before...

...and I'll say it again.

A good crit partner is worth his/her weight in gold.

They make you see things that you've never thought of before. They put the bullsh*t aside and tell it to you like it is.

And in the end, you're better for it!

I love when someone comes in and pinpoints something that has niggled at the back of my mind -- something that I have convinced myself to ignore. IOW, something that indicates I have been living in the monkey house for far too long.

A fresh set of eyes helps me realize that I need to listen to that inner voice a little more and not stubbornly cling to something just because I THINK I can get by with it. The truth is, I shouldn't settle for mediocre. And someone who will call me to the mats on it is someone I want reading my work.

Whoot.

Fall Is Coming!

I feel it in the air, and I can't wait!

If all goes according to plan, FI will be completed and I can work on revising BTPM. It's the perfect time of year to get back to my lovely werewolves. Yay.

I love this time of year!

First Three...

...chapters of FI are out with betas. O.M.G. It's like I've never been through this before, I'm THAT nervous. And it's only 40 pages! Just wait until the whole MS goes shooting out across email. I'll need medication.

Houston, We Have Progress!

I finished my rewrite of the opening chapters. It's been a long struggle, but I THINK I have it just the right way. All it needs is a spit-shine. Then off to readers it goes!

I really hope people enjoy it. It has a real shocker of an ending that I LOVE.

Whew... what a relief. Now on to the next section. Should get a little easier...SHOULD. (g)


YAY.

Music choice tonight?

Soundtracks for Chocolat, Wyatt Earp, Gettysburg, and Waterworld. Random, right? I find orchestral is best. I don't know the music well enough to hum or sing along. (g)

You'll Never Guess What I Have In My Hot Little Hands

Three Clues:

1. It took a full thirty seconds for my computer to download and open.

2. It's a total of 848 pages.

3. It's the seventh book in a long running series.

Jealous? (very big evil grin)

Status

I'd post this if I could, but it's copyrighted and costs lots of money.

But....THIS...this represents my current state of mind with FAKING IT.

Hiatus

I'm probably going to be pretty scarce for the next few weeks. I'm pushing hard on FI, hoping to have it completed and in at least semi-decent shape before the Rocky Mtn. conference, which begins...eeek...Sept 11th! That's very, very soon, people!

I know you're saying to yourself...but Jen, you're hardly around now!

I know, and I apologize! LOL. It's summer...busy with work. Busy with life. And man, time is just flying by.

I'm not only staying away from blogger. There are other things I'm trying to cut down on. This includes books...*cries* I mean both the paper and audio variety here. My read list for 2009 is dismal, but I've been listening like mad. Even those are going off. I need to keep my characters and story at the forefront, and I have a theory that jumping back and forth between my world and others is pushing up one extra barrier that I just don't need right now.

So, it's music only from now on. I'll also be scarce from compu. I apologize for my lack of response to July X's...and my absence from the houseparty. You know I love me a good houseparty...but alas, it's just too time consuming right now. I'll also probably forego activities with my Gnomies. I WILL be checking in at MA. I need someone to crack the whip for me. :)

Anyway -- I hope everyone's summer is going well. I have a lot of things I'd like to blog about, but alas, they'll have to wait!

Wish me luck for the final push. This IS it. :)

'Tis A Sad, Sad Day. RIP John Hughes -- Your Movies Provided The Backdrop To My Life

This is SO Bubbly-Making

In order to promote his upcoming book, LEVIATHAN, Scott Westerfeld and his publisher are giving away free e-copies of UGLIES.

You can find it HERE.

How flippin' cool is that?

If you want to talk like me and sound like you've totally gone brain-missing, you'll want to check it out.

Plus, it's a pretty fan-flippin-tastic book. My personal fave in the UGLIES trilogy.

LEVIATHAN drops on October 6th. (Yes, I said drops like I'm some badass recording artist.) I can hardly wait!!!

Madison's Theme Song?

The first line being: I am a pain in your ass.

Hmmm, seems rather fitting.

I don't know what I love more. The song, the swearing involved, or the fact that the dude to her left is playing _his tie_.



ASHES by KT Tunstall

Two Signs You've Been Reading Too Much Scott Westerfeld

1. You're talking to your friends about the writing conference you're attending in September. You mention the fact that you recently sent off pages for an agent critique. You say it's all very nervous-making.

2. You're talking to a friend on IM, giggling about something someone else has done and you ask... Has she gone brain-missing??

Clearly I've got Westerfeld on the brain.

What's funny is that none of my friends commented on my weird phrases. lololol. (g)