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Hey, look over there!
Oct. 16th, 2014 11:45 amNo, no, over there, at Penumbra's blog!
Why yes, that is a guest blog from your truly, talking about great writers--as in, like, Great Writers.
So while I try to figure out what the hell the point is in the Boxtrolls post I have saved in my drafts, head on over there and find out who I think are Great Writers. (At least one of them should not be a surprise to anyone who's read this blog for any length of time ...)
Why yes, that is a guest blog from your truly, talking about great writers--as in, like, Great Writers.
So while I try to figure out what the hell the point is in the Boxtrolls post I have saved in my drafts, head on over there and find out who I think are Great Writers. (At least one of them should not be a surprise to anyone who's read this blog for any length of time ...)
Penumbra's October issue is out ...
Oct. 2nd, 2014 07:37 am... and my ghost story, "Hauntings," is in it!
There are other stories in it, as well, all of which play with the theme of "paranormal adventures" during this spookiest of months. (I love October. I love ghost stories. I'm so excited about this, I can't even tell you.)
The issue is $3.99 and is available in a variety of formats for your e-reading pleasure.
(This is a standalone story, by the way; no Teachouts in sight.)
There are other stories in it, as well, all of which play with the theme of "paranormal adventures" during this spookiest of months. (I love October. I love ghost stories. I'm so excited about this, I can't even tell you.)
The issue is $3.99 and is available in a variety of formats for your e-reading pleasure.
(This is a standalone story, by the way; no Teachouts in sight.)
My short story, "Hauntings," will be appearing in the October issue of Penumbra eMag--the theme is "Paranormal Adventures."
I'm very excited! And if you want to check Penumbra out, their first year of issues is available for free (you can click on the banner at the top of the page I linked to above).
(also, "The Curator's Job" is still up over at GigaNotoSaurus for your reading and re-reading pleasure ...)
I'm very excited! And if you want to check Penumbra out, their first year of issues is available for free (you can click on the banner at the top of the page I linked to above).
(also, "The Curator's Job" is still up over at GigaNotoSaurus for your reading and re-reading pleasure ...)
"The Curator's Job" is live!
Sep. 1st, 2014 01:01 pmAll right, y'all, my long short story, "The Curator's Job," is up at GigaNotoSaurus!
This is another story about Corwyn and Gwen Teachout, lady adventurers for hire ... except it's rather early in their career. [1] Here, I'll give you a teaser quote:
The story is also available on the website for download in EPUB and MOBI formats, for your e-reading pleasure.
1 [back]This one takes place before "The Drowned Man" (a link to which you can find in my sidebar), and you don't need to read one to read the other (though you should totally read both! And then go read the vignettes on the blog that are also conveniently linked on my sidebar! It's Labor Day--have a marathon read of my work!)
This is another story about Corwyn and Gwen Teachout, lady adventurers for hire ... except it's rather early in their career. [1] Here, I'll give you a teaser quote:
“I think if you want to see her stop playing and kill you all like it’s a job, you take me out there,” Corwyn said with a grunt, then brought her boot down, hard, into his foot.
The story is also available on the website for download in EPUB and MOBI formats, for your e-reading pleasure.
1 [back]This one takes place before "The Drowned Man" (a link to which you can find in my sidebar), and you don't need to read one to read the other (though you should totally read both! And then go read the vignettes on the blog that are also conveniently linked on my sidebar! It's Labor Day--have a marathon read of my work!)
So my story, "The Curator's Job," will be appearing in an upcoming issue of GigaNotoSaurus!
I am very excited, as they publish some really great stuff--which you should go check out. They're also a market for longer stories ("longer than a short story, shorter than a novel," as their About page says), so if you like a long story, head over there and get your read on.
"The Curator's Job" is another story about Corwyn and Gwen Teachout, lady adventurers for hire--and this one takes place in their hometown of San Xavier, which I am really excited for people to ... er ... see (well, more than the glimpse of it you get in "The Landlady").
I'll post links when the story goes up, as always.
I am very excited, as they publish some really great stuff--which you should go check out. They're also a market for longer stories ("longer than a short story, shorter than a novel," as their About page says), so if you like a long story, head over there and get your read on.
"The Curator's Job" is another story about Corwyn and Gwen Teachout, lady adventurers for hire--and this one takes place in their hometown of San Xavier, which I am really excited for people to ... er ... see (well, more than the glimpse of it you get in "The Landlady").
I'll post links when the story goes up, as always.
(no subject)
May. 1st, 2014 05:23 pmI posted a Teachout vignette called "The Landlady" over at the WP blog, if you're looking for something to read today ...
Tangent Online put "The Drowned Man" on their 2013 Recommended Reading List.[1]
Also, Jenny Barber placed "The Drowned Man" on her list of recommended "funky stories" of 2013 (and I'm not sure I can tell you how tickled I am to have that story termed "funky"--I love that word).
So, yay, total strangers liked my work! (As you may know, this is basically my definition of success.)
There's a lot of good stuff on those lists, as well, so if you're looking for things to read ...
1 They currently have it listed as a short story (with a star! woot!), but I have let them know it falls under the "novelette" category.
Also, Jenny Barber placed "The Drowned Man" on her list of recommended "funky stories" of 2013 (and I'm not sure I can tell you how tickled I am to have that story termed "funky"--I love that word).
So, yay, total strangers liked my work! (As you may know, this is basically my definition of success.)
There's a lot of good stuff on those lists, as well, so if you're looking for things to read ...
1 They currently have it listed as a short story (with a star! woot!), but I have let them know it falls under the "novelette" category.
So, 2013. For an awful lot of reasons, just a not-good year.
But every year has good things, and this is a list of mine:
1. My lovely husband just kept happily surprising me at every turn this year.
2. Got to go to Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer's ninja gig in Sarasota with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jkason!
3. Had a lovely 40th birthday slumber party withdoggiesushi, jkason, and my boys. John surprised the hell out of me and prompted the sort of swearing I usually reserve for ... well, actually, I don't know what I reserve that level of swearing for, other than my oldest BFF on my front porch after chatting with me like he was going to the damn store in Michigan. (Special thanks to sugarcoatedlie for keeping the secret on Facebook.)
4. Team Zweeble trip to Legoland! Got the kid on two rollercoasters, one of them four times!
5. Team Zweeble trip to North Carolina, which was, for me, a lovely respite from a really hard time. My in-laws are good people that I like being around. (Next time, though, secret grandkids-generation illuminati dinner out at the pizza place in Murphy!)
6. The boyo loved Peter Pan--he sat through the entire thing, solemn and enthralled, and at the end of the evening he declared it the best night of his life.
7. "The Drowned Man" in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, y'all!
8. So David proposed to Jason, and Scott and I got to be a part of it. I got in so much trouble, but it was totally worth it.
9. NOBODY WAS SICK FOR THANKSGIVING. And we all went to Mote Marine!
10. I love all of my friends, but Jason (and David) gets some extra love this year for being amazing. JC gets an honorable mention, because we both ended up needing some phone calls this year that, really, neither of us wanted. Thank you all, though, for being here for me and generally being lovely.
There were also a lot of stories, and new friends, good music, and a growing boy who also spent the year surprising me at every turn.
Hope you all have a wonderful New Year, and a 2014 that includes stories and art and love and good friends. And pizza, because I'm about to have some.
But every year has good things, and this is a list of mine:
1. My lovely husband just kept happily surprising me at every turn this year.
2. Got to go to Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer's ninja gig in Sarasota with
jkason!3. Had a lovely 40th birthday slumber party with
doggiesushi, jkason, and my boys. John surprised the hell out of me and prompted the sort of swearing I usually reserve for ... well, actually, I don't know what I reserve that level of swearing for, other than my oldest BFF on my front porch after chatting with me like he was going to the damn store in Michigan. (Special thanks to sugarcoatedlie for keeping the secret on Facebook.)4. Team Zweeble trip to Legoland! Got the kid on two rollercoasters, one of them four times!
5. Team Zweeble trip to North Carolina, which was, for me, a lovely respite from a really hard time. My in-laws are good people that I like being around. (Next time, though, secret grandkids-generation illuminati dinner out at the pizza place in Murphy!)
6. The boyo loved Peter Pan--he sat through the entire thing, solemn and enthralled, and at the end of the evening he declared it the best night of his life.
7. "The Drowned Man" in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, y'all!
8. So David proposed to Jason, and Scott and I got to be a part of it. I got in so much trouble, but it was totally worth it.
9. NOBODY WAS SICK FOR THANKSGIVING. And we all went to Mote Marine!
10. I love all of my friends, but Jason (and David) gets some extra love this year for being amazing. JC gets an honorable mention, because we both ended up needing some phone calls this year that, really, neither of us wanted. Thank you all, though, for being here for me and generally being lovely.
There were also a lot of stories, and new friends, good music, and a growing boy who also spent the year surprising me at every turn.
Hope you all have a wonderful New Year, and a 2014 that includes stories and art and love and good friends. And pizza, because I'm about to have some.
A short vignette on the Wordpress blog ...
Dec. 5th, 2013 02:36 pmIf you're a Corwyn and Gwen fan, and I hope all of you are, head on over to the WP blog for a short little thing in honor of ... something I link to over there.
If you haven't read "The Drowned Man" over at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, it's probably not a prerequisite, but this one won't mean a whole lot if you don't. So, you know, go read that one, too. :)
If you haven't read "The Drowned Man" over at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, it's probably not a prerequisite, but this one won't mean a whole lot if you don't. So, you know, go read that one, too. :)
also on WP ...
Nov. 22nd, 2013 10:40 amAnd here is my footnote-heavy post from today, which is all about safe spaces and taking teenagers seriously.
in which i natter on about myth and stuff
Nov. 22nd, 2013 10:24 amI posted this on WordPress last week and didn't have a chance to cross-post, so here we are ...
I'm kind of obsessed with myth. (I suppose I could also call it "persona," but I think it's more than that.)
Not the big myths (though I read the hell out of those when I was a kid and really enjoyed my Old Norse class in grad school specifically because we were translating myths and I could decide how I wanted to phrase certain things), but everyday myths. The myth of you, or me, or that dude over there. And the thing that really fascinates me is all the parts of that myth that we'll never know.
Katharine Hepburn's relationship with Spencer Tracy is part of her myth ... but we'll never really know what went on with them, day-to-day. And it's true for everyone, not just celebrities--my husband and I always say that nobody can ever understand someone else's marriage/relationship in the day-to-day interior of it.
Parents are the same way--but I didn't really realize it until I had a kid: there are things about me he'll just never know. Facts, sure. Stories, sure. He'll know where my scars came from; he'll know I went to Europe and spent a semester abroad. God help me, he already knows about my Glee obsession and my (not nearly so explicit, but still) Fish Called Wanda-esque love of Scottish accents ... but there are things he'll never really know. Nor should he--he's my kid, there are boundaries, and everyone needs a secret to discover after someone dies.
A side story: When my paternal grandmother, from whom I get my first name, passed away--we found out her name hadn't actually been "Laura." Apparently, she started life as "Lauretta." A few years later, my husband's paternal grandmother passed away, and we found out she was actually a year older than her husband; no one outside her sisters and her husband knew this. My maternal grandmother passed away recently, and so far we haven't had any such shocking revelations about her, but I have to admit I was wondering what we'd find out when we sorted through her things.
I don't think I'm the only person who watches celebrities, or the President and his wife, or my friends, and wonders, "How does that work when no one's around?" There's a tension there, though, because I also love mysteries, especially the sort that are hinted at but rarely solved.
(If you've read my stuff, you are likely not surprised by this ...)
I'm kind of obsessed with myth. (I suppose I could also call it "persona," but I think it's more than that.)
Not the big myths (though I read the hell out of those when I was a kid and really enjoyed my Old Norse class in grad school specifically because we were translating myths and I could decide how I wanted to phrase certain things), but everyday myths. The myth of you, or me, or that dude over there. And the thing that really fascinates me is all the parts of that myth that we'll never know.
Katharine Hepburn's relationship with Spencer Tracy is part of her myth ... but we'll never really know what went on with them, day-to-day. And it's true for everyone, not just celebrities--my husband and I always say that nobody can ever understand someone else's marriage/relationship in the day-to-day interior of it.
Parents are the same way--but I didn't really realize it until I had a kid: there are things about me he'll just never know. Facts, sure. Stories, sure. He'll know where my scars came from; he'll know I went to Europe and spent a semester abroad. God help me, he already knows about my Glee obsession and my (not nearly so explicit, but still) Fish Called Wanda-esque love of Scottish accents ... but there are things he'll never really know. Nor should he--he's my kid, there are boundaries, and everyone needs a secret to discover after someone dies.
A side story: When my paternal grandmother, from whom I get my first name, passed away--we found out her name hadn't actually been "Laura." Apparently, she started life as "Lauretta." A few years later, my husband's paternal grandmother passed away, and we found out she was actually a year older than her husband; no one outside her sisters and her husband knew this. My maternal grandmother passed away recently, and so far we haven't had any such shocking revelations about her, but I have to admit I was wondering what we'd find out when we sorted through her things.
I don't think I'm the only person who watches celebrities, or the President and his wife, or my friends, and wonders, "How does that work when no one's around?" There's a tension there, though, because I also love mysteries, especially the sort that are hinted at but rarely solved.
(If you've read my stuff, you are likely not surprised by this ...)
Laura's Writing Log Day 1
Nov. 5th, 2013 06:22 pmMy Soon-to-be Standard Disclaimer:
So here’s the deal: I have a tendency to think I’m not writing. There are a couple of stretches in my life where I honestly thought I hadn’t written a damn word, until we moved and I went through all my files and found all the things I’d been working on.
That said, I don’t do well with daily word goals. I do better with page goals (when working on a book, I try to do 3-5 pages a day), but even then they need to be guidelines more than rules. Recently it’s been a lot of short stuff, so my goals are usually write the scene with the monkey and the hole punch or dear god, untangle that paragraph before it kills us all.
But in order to not beat myself up, I do need to keep a log. And I thought I’d go ahead and attempt to do that here on LJ, because why not. I’ll probably link to it on WP, but not mirror it.
We’ll see how it goes. If you scroll past, I will not blame you.
Laura’s Writing Log
So, Laura, what did you do today? Writing? Revisions?
Hmmm ... well, I reworked the last scene of a story that will probably never see the outside of my hard drive, because it is very self-indulgent. But I'm okay with that, because I've mostly been working on it to just keep myself writing while the part of my brain that tells me about Corwyn and Gwen grows back. In theory, I was also supposed to be doing research ...
Research?
Yeah, not much going there--I HATE THE BOOK I'M GOING THROUGH. The last one was so easy to read, and this one is not.
But. It has to be done. Even a staff person such as I only gets so many renewals at the library.
Submissions?
Stuff is out, and I'm waiting.
What did you do that you’re telling yourself is work?
Downloaded and started making notebooks on Springpad--I think it's going to be really nice for research, actually. It's like Pinterest, but I can clip articles and make notes and to-do lists. And apparently, once I let it eat my soul, it'll do all sorts of crazy things like alert me when stuff I want to buy goes on sale, or when a book I like comes out, or or or or ...
But first, I slowly start compiling my Teachout net-based research.
Anything interesting to report?
Nope. But I need a nap pretty desperately right now.
So here’s the deal: I have a tendency to think I’m not writing. There are a couple of stretches in my life where I honestly thought I hadn’t written a damn word, until we moved and I went through all my files and found all the things I’d been working on.
That said, I don’t do well with daily word goals. I do better with page goals (when working on a book, I try to do 3-5 pages a day), but even then they need to be guidelines more than rules. Recently it’s been a lot of short stuff, so my goals are usually write the scene with the monkey and the hole punch or dear god, untangle that paragraph before it kills us all.
But in order to not beat myself up, I do need to keep a log. And I thought I’d go ahead and attempt to do that here on LJ, because why not. I’ll probably link to it on WP, but not mirror it.
We’ll see how it goes. If you scroll past, I will not blame you.
Laura’s Writing Log
So, Laura, what did you do today? Writing? Revisions?
Hmmm ... well, I reworked the last scene of a story that will probably never see the outside of my hard drive, because it is very self-indulgent. But I'm okay with that, because I've mostly been working on it to just keep myself writing while the part of my brain that tells me about Corwyn and Gwen grows back. In theory, I was also supposed to be doing research ...
Research?
Yeah, not much going there--I HATE THE BOOK I'M GOING THROUGH. The last one was so easy to read, and this one is not.
But. It has to be done. Even a staff person such as I only gets so many renewals at the library.
Submissions?
Stuff is out, and I'm waiting.
What did you do that you’re telling yourself is work?
Downloaded and started making notebooks on Springpad--I think it's going to be really nice for research, actually. It's like Pinterest, but I can clip articles and make notes and to-do lists. And apparently, once I let it eat my soul, it'll do all sorts of crazy things like alert me when stuff I want to buy goes on sale, or when a book I like comes out, or or or or ...
But first, I slowly start compiling my Teachout net-based research.
Anything interesting to report?
Nope. But I need a nap pretty desperately right now.
A Halloween story!
Oct. 31st, 2013 12:03 pmI have a story up for Halloween on the other blog, so if you're in the mood, feel free to pop over and read it. (Hell, if you don't want to read it, just pop over and make my site stats go up.)
The Strange Horizons 2013 Fund Drive!
Sep. 12th, 2013 05:46 pmWhat is Strange Horizons, you ask? Well, my friend, Strange Horizons is an online magazine of speculative literature--poems, short stories, and nonfiction; scifi, fantasy, horror, and so on--and they need money to keep putting out quality work!
I love SH. They publish great stories--one of my all-time favorite stories, just generally, is "Draco Campestris" by Sarah Monette, and guess where that was first published? Yup. You can get lost in their archives, and that is not a bad thing; there are stories there, old and new, that will haunt the back of your head.
And, you know, in 2011 they published a story by me, which you can find over in my links. Working with then-editor Jed Hartman was, as I've said before, a really enjoyable experience that taught me a lot, and seeing my story in the same place as work from my favorite writers still gives me a thrill.
So if you have some extra cash, send it their way. And go read the magazine!
things I find on the library databases
Jun. 25th, 2013 05:38 pmDo you know how hard it is to try and research what types of fabric were used in the 19th century? I mean, it's a small detail, and it's a throwaway line, and it's alternate history, anyway--but while that means I could probably say that denim came into widespread use in (as a totally fake example because I don't have my notes in front of me and I feel lazy right now), say, 1850 rather than the (totally fake, again, making it up) actual date of 1887, I don't want to do something akin to dressing a character in polyester in 1850.
Anyway, I decided to hop on the library database since Google was doing me no favors ... and while, in the end, my lovely costume-designer friend, David, was way more of a help in a Facebook comment than either the databases or Google (not to mention various other folk--make friends with librarians and intellectuals, y'all, it pays off), I did find what may be my favorite article title ever: "'Fighting the Corsetless Evil': Shaping Corsets and Culture, 1900-1930." Here, have a quote from the abstract:
"Manufacturers and retailers instituted new merchandising tactics to resist the 'corsetless evil' and disseminated pro-corset ideologies culled from dominant discourses about race, nation, and female inferiority. "Scientific" methods of corset-fitting blamed discomfort on fit rather than on the garment itself."
"Pro-corset ideologies." This is lovely. Since I've read numerous modern articles claiming that if a bra is uncomfortable, you're wearing one that doesn't fit, I am filled with thought and speculation, now ...
Oh, and damn, I was actually going to research the history of the brassiere and forgot. Note to self.
Look, kids, cite your sources! The above quote is from ...
Fields, Jill. "`Fighting The Corsetless Evil': Shaping Corsets And Culture, 1900-1930." Journal Of Social History 33.2 (1999): 355. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 24 June 2013.
Lots of Links!
May. 31st, 2013 12:20 pmSo I've got some links to give y'all ...
Tangent Online reviews Beneath Ceaseless Skies 120, which is the issue my story, "The Drowned Man" appeared in.
Locus Online also reviews BCS 120.
And I have a WordPress blog, which has (and will continue to have) basically the same stuff as I have here, but will, I hope, not go down due to Russian hackers or whatnot. If you feel moved to comment, you can do so here or there.
Tangent Online reviews Beneath Ceaseless Skies 120, which is the issue my story, "The Drowned Man" appeared in.
Locus Online also reviews BCS 120.
And I have a WordPress blog, which has (and will continue to have) basically the same stuff as I have here, but will, I hope, not go down due to Russian hackers or whatnot. If you feel moved to comment, you can do so here or there.
Do you need something to read today?
May. 2nd, 2013 11:17 amMy story, "The Drowned Man," is up today at Beneath Ceaseless Skies!
I love BCS; they publish great stuff, and I'm incredibly thrilled to be included there. So go read my story, and then check out their archives. Also, if you're an e-reader kind of person, the issue can be downloaded in a wide variety of formats (I know the magazine looks good in ePub, as I have several issues on my Nook).
Go forth, read! The ocean and the mysterious passengers of the Leucosia await you!
I love BCS; they publish great stuff, and I'm incredibly thrilled to be included there. So go read my story, and then check out their archives. Also, if you're an e-reader kind of person, the issue can be downloaded in a wide variety of formats (I know the magazine looks good in ePub, as I have several issues on my Nook).
Go forth, read! The ocean and the mysterious passengers of the Leucosia await you!
End of 2012
Dec. 31st, 2012 06:54 pmSo 2011 was the Year of Change, and 2012 was the year of What the Fuck?
So let's do a highlights reel:
Hurrah!
1. I sold "The Drowned Man" to Beneath Ceaseless Skies!
2. I got a new job, which I like, working with a group of people that I like and who actually seem to get my geeky, sarcastic sense of humor. It's a steady paycheck, which is a good thing, too.
3. The Zweeble started kindergarten and has been doing really well. He doesn't seem bored, he likes his teacher, and we really like the school.
(side note: #s 2 and 3 were things I was really worried about before they happened, so there's an extra layer of good there.)
4. I got to seedoggiesushi this year! Yay!
5. Went to Disney with my parents, which was, on the whole, a good time. It's a bit of a learning curve, because there is so much there that they didn't have when I was a kid, and Z's interests are different from mine or Scott's, but we had a lot of fun. And people at EPCOT loved my "Keep Calm and Don't Blink" shirt--one girl asked if we could take a picture together; it was hilarious.
6. Got an iPhone, which ... well, the stuff it does well it does very, very well, and that's enough to make up for the stuff the Droid did better.
7. Holy cats, I'm really digging Glee this season. And the Doctor Who Christmas special. And the second season on Sherlock was made of cool. And, oh my god, The Avengers!!! Plus, did I start reading the Toby Daye books in 2012? Let's say I did, because they are really, really good and you should read them.
8. Spotify and I have begun a lovely relationship. Tumblr ... well, I have no bloody clue what the hell I'm doing with it, but my dashboard gave me a lot of stuff to think about this year, a lot of it interesting, and not all of it Glee or Who related. (In that regard it reminds me of when I first got on LJ, lo these many moons ago.) I wonder if there's an official Sherlock Tumblr?
9. Oh yeah, my mom got an iPhone, as well, and has entered into the exciting world of texting. This may be a blessing and a curse.
10. The Zweeble went to his first-ever play, starring the lovely and talentedjkason!
11. 21 years of the Scott and Laura Saga. Our relationship is now old enough to drink.
12. Four more short stories, and some odd stuff that might lead somewhere or might not, but what the hell, it's there.
13. My boys were, on the whole and as always, awesome and hilarious. As are my friends.
The Not-So-Hurrah
1. Well, my uncle died. It was not entirely surprising, considering his alcoholism, but it was a really fast decline before it happened and that sort of shocked me, and death is always a shock, whether or not you figured it was going to happen soon.
2. I got hit by a freaking truck! And I still can't quite decide if I like my new car or not.
3. You know, every year I wish I had my life more together than I do. Maybe this year I'll say to hell with that.
Looking Ahead
I have no idea. Seriously. It's going to be an interesting ride, though, because Scott graduates in May and then it's job hunting and paying back student loans. My mother-in-law retires this year, I think, so maybe we'll see the in-laws at some point. I want to see if we can go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween this year.
I have one more Corwyn story to write, and then I'm gonna embark on another novel.
So last year, I wrote:
I wish for us all some unexpected, but very welcome, stories; the chance to see old friends and meet new ones; good music, books, and TV; funny stories about small kids and/or pets; the pulling off of something cool; and the continuation of something wonderful and true.
I think I managed all that. I'll leave it for this year, too, I think. Happy New Year, y'all.
So let's do a highlights reel:
Hurrah!
1. I sold "The Drowned Man" to Beneath Ceaseless Skies!
2. I got a new job, which I like, working with a group of people that I like and who actually seem to get my geeky, sarcastic sense of humor. It's a steady paycheck, which is a good thing, too.
3. The Zweeble started kindergarten and has been doing really well. He doesn't seem bored, he likes his teacher, and we really like the school.
(side note: #s 2 and 3 were things I was really worried about before they happened, so there's an extra layer of good there.)
4. I got to see
doggiesushi this year! Yay!5. Went to Disney with my parents, which was, on the whole, a good time. It's a bit of a learning curve, because there is so much there that they didn't have when I was a kid, and Z's interests are different from mine or Scott's, but we had a lot of fun. And people at EPCOT loved my "Keep Calm and Don't Blink" shirt--one girl asked if we could take a picture together; it was hilarious.
6. Got an iPhone, which ... well, the stuff it does well it does very, very well, and that's enough to make up for the stuff the Droid did better.
7. Holy cats, I'm really digging Glee this season. And the Doctor Who Christmas special. And the second season on Sherlock was made of cool. And, oh my god, The Avengers!!! Plus, did I start reading the Toby Daye books in 2012? Let's say I did, because they are really, really good and you should read them.
8. Spotify and I have begun a lovely relationship. Tumblr ... well, I have no bloody clue what the hell I'm doing with it, but my dashboard gave me a lot of stuff to think about this year, a lot of it interesting, and not all of it Glee or Who related. (In that regard it reminds me of when I first got on LJ, lo these many moons ago.) I wonder if there's an official Sherlock Tumblr?
9. Oh yeah, my mom got an iPhone, as well, and has entered into the exciting world of texting. This may be a blessing and a curse.
10. The Zweeble went to his first-ever play, starring the lovely and talented
jkason!11. 21 years of the Scott and Laura Saga. Our relationship is now old enough to drink.
12. Four more short stories, and some odd stuff that might lead somewhere or might not, but what the hell, it's there.
13. My boys were, on the whole and as always, awesome and hilarious. As are my friends.
The Not-So-Hurrah
1. Well, my uncle died. It was not entirely surprising, considering his alcoholism, but it was a really fast decline before it happened and that sort of shocked me, and death is always a shock, whether or not you figured it was going to happen soon.
2. I got hit by a freaking truck! And I still can't quite decide if I like my new car or not.
3. You know, every year I wish I had my life more together than I do. Maybe this year I'll say to hell with that.
Looking Ahead
I have no idea. Seriously. It's going to be an interesting ride, though, because Scott graduates in May and then it's job hunting and paying back student loans. My mother-in-law retires this year, I think, so maybe we'll see the in-laws at some point. I want to see if we can go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween this year.
I have one more Corwyn story to write, and then I'm gonna embark on another novel.
So last year, I wrote:
I wish for us all some unexpected, but very welcome, stories; the chance to see old friends and meet new ones; good music, books, and TV; funny stories about small kids and/or pets; the pulling off of something cool; and the continuation of something wonderful and true.
I think I managed all that. I'll leave it for this year, too, I think. Happy New Year, y'all.
state of the Laura: writing editon
Sep. 18th, 2012 10:29 amI'm at my desk, just sent a story out, did some other writery-business stuff, checking Tumblr and Facebook and LJ as I print out manuscripts that need revision (I am old skool and like a print-out). My "to-write" list has dwindled, and the "to-revise" list has increased, which is kind of fun. I have another half an hour to work on one of these before I need to stop and do yoga before getting ready for work. I should probably toss a load of laundry in the washer, too.
This is nice. I could use more mornings like this. :)
This is nice. I could use more mornings like this. :)
