Lilith Saintcrow

Just a flyby post, since the last few days have been crazy. Next week will be better.

Tonight at 6:30PM (Pacific) I’ll be doing #askawriter on Twitter or about 20 minutes/half an hour. Come by and ask questions about writing/publishing. I will NOT answer questions such as “will you read my manuscript?” or “can you help me with my homework?” Other than that, fair game.

It’s a beautiful blue-sky day and I’ve some zombies to kill. Catch you later.

Yesterday’s OMSI trip was a blast despite the crowds. The youngest among us loved the room that shoots little blue balls everywhere, the middle crowd went gaga over the space exhibit, and us oldfolk had the most fun with the T. Rex skeleton. H. told me that there’s some thought that T. Rex was actually more of a scavenger than a predator, which I have to say makes some sense given their teensy arms. I leave it to the paleontologists to sort out, possibly with a caged deathmatch. SCIENCE FIGHT!

Ahem.

Today is the day I take myself on a Valentine date. *primps hair* I’ll report back on the Wolfman tomorrow.

Oh, also, yesterday I goofed. Fellow Razorbill author Suzanne Young is signing tonight out at Cedar Hills Crossing. The Princess loved her book, The Naughty List, and Suzanne is a ton of fun. If you can, go out and show some love! I don’t know if I’ll be able to get out there, but I’ll be there in spirit cheering her on.

Before I take myself on a date, however, I have to make a stab at a short story. 5K, five scenes 1K apiece. This is going to have to be careful, delicate surgery, my dears, requiring gallons of caffeine and lots of staring into the distance, turning the story over inside my head before I draw and make my cut.

Wish me luck.

Spin me right round, baby right round…

I’ve gone from being barely able to run for two whole minutes without gasping and feeling like I was being tortured…to running for almost an hour at double the pace relatively easily. I’m glad I’ve looked back at the original contract I made with myself to exercise, because it reminds me of how far I’ve come in baby steps. Breaking up a goal into bite-size chunks and methodically working through those chunks isn’t glamorous, but you do eventually get to a place where you look around ad realize, holy crap I’m doing X when before I could barely do Y! It’s a great feeling.

I won’t be signing up for any marathons soon. For right now it’s enough that I know I can do these things, and feel the effects in my much-smaller-now body.

Anyway, today is President’s Day and the kids are home from school. We’re heading out to OMSI with our friend H. and her son. Another great thing about fighting my way back from the abyss–I have energy to do cool things now! I am fun again! *rolls eyes at self* But really, that’s how I feel. Like I’ve plugged back into the socket that is my awesomeness.

Tomorrow night, my awesome fellow Razorbill author Suzanne Young is signing out at Cedar Hills Crossing. The Princess loved her book, The Naughty List, and Suzanne is a ton of fun. If you can, go out and show some love! I don’t know if I’ll get out there, but I’ll be there in spirit cheering her on.

Oh, and my Valentine’s Day date-with-myself has been moved to Tuesday. It just worked out better that way. I’m going to go see The Wolfman. Yeah, it might suck. My expectations are pretty low, I’m just going for the escape, the costumes, and Benecio Del Toro’s lips. (The man pouts like Mae West and I LOVE IT.) Plus I’m going to buy myself popcorn, because I am a Good Date.

I can also say that I’ve finished the latest round of revisions on Heaven’s Spite and am flipping back to Dru 4 and a short story. No rest for the wicked, and I’m getting to like it that way. So I must bid you a civil adieu. Regular blogging will resume tomorrow.

…just like my temper today. Ha ha. I got nothin’ today, so here’s a couple links:

* It’s the one-year anniversary of the Deadline Dames. Come over for giveaways, prizes, exclusive spoilers, and more!

* Plus, Philip Palmer (the coolest Welshman since Daffyd op Owen) has started a new feature: the SFF Song of the Week. Check out this week’s offering.

As for me, I’m still working away on Dru 4. Tentative title: The Blooming. The book’s taken a weird left turn, which is both terrifying and a Good Sign. Plus, today’s laundry day. The fun just never stops here at Casa Saintcrow.

Catch you later…

The Authorfest last night was a ton of fun. Thanks to everyone who came out–new faces and old! I got to see Aimee A., Marne O., Jay S. and his lovely wife, and Kristin B. (otherwise known as the Bravest Woman In The World) as well as lots of new fans. I got to sit next to the amazing Nina Kiriki Hofman, who was very very kind to the Little Prince. (She also had her Nebula with her, which was awesome to see.) Big thanks to Powell’s for hosting us, to Saint Peter Honigstock for putting the whole thing together, and to Lea D. for helping.

Plus, a special shout out to the 501st–you guys are rad. Especially the nice young man who let the Little Prince put his stormtrooper helmet on. He’s still talking about that, with a dreamy glint in his big eyes.

I was so busy from the moment I got there I was barely able to say hello to my tablemates and grab a quick hug from the Hendees. Fellow Dame Devon Monk was there signing up a storm, as well as the charming Alma Alexander, who I almost accidentally hip-checked. I am clumsy.

I know I’ve missed a bunch of people that were there. I literally didn’t have a free moment the entire event. I was exhausted by the end of it, and had to get home, though I would have loved to go to at least two of the dinners I got invitations for, but I just couldn’t. I got home, made pizza for the kids, and promptly finished a short story, then crawled to bed.

Today is for sliding the revisions on Heaven’s Spite to the front of the queue, so I can have a workable first draft by deadline. No rest for the wicked, right? But I wouldn’t trade this job for the world. At least every time I revise a story I have a chance at getting it closer to what it was in my head. I may not ever get there, mind, but at least I can get closer.

Over and out.