Pushing Away November Blues by Making Warm Things

Hello, all my pretties. In case you were so doused in the abnormal winter chill in your area, you didn't know that we, in the north part of Illinois had winter early, well, I'm here to tell you, we did. Oh, the snow wasn't a factor. But being 20 or so degrees COLDER than you should be in November, and having to run every dang heater you own, just to stay warm--that's what we did for those 10-12 days. Today, we've got rain and temps are in 40's. It's going to turn around and snow tomorrow, but for now, I don't mind the rain.

So, since my office was not winter prepared, I couldn't get in here to do anything. Not even check my emails, and I'm still working on getting caught up.

Meanwhile I've been crocheting (since I don't have a laptop). I've been making things non-stop. Here are a few of the types of things I've been working on.

I made this headband in one afternoon. But they didn't have the "flower" in the pattern, which was a dang shame, but I've found one, and will add it to this. And I need to buy a large button for it, as it buttons underneath. I made it in medium blue, but turquoise might work too.




I've also been making "boot cuffs", and I like these pretty well.





but I also want to make leg warmers. Like these...

Remember these? I haven't seen any in the stores, but I haven't gone shopping in a while.

I need "skinny pants", in order to wear such things. Since dropping 25 pounds, I need to buy some new clothes!

I've also made a few "fingerless gloves", like these...

And my larger project is this autumn afghan/throw

This looked simple, until I got into it. Thankfully, I'm not a beginner, and I work on this one later in the afternoon. I'm using a darker olive green, burgundy and terra cotta for centers, a gold for the second row, and for the browns I'm using coffee, cafe, and warm brown.

I've been experimenting on "finger knitting" and "finger crocheting". But it wears out the fingers too much. I prefer working with a hook. I might invest in a very large hook for something more dramatic.

I am slowly doing work on my writing. I've lost interest, basically in trying to make a sale. Not making money at the the writing doesn't bolster my need to get something done. So, it's sort of a "whenever" attitude if I do publish another book, or not. I'm going to look into selling my crocheted, and craft things. That's the thing about art. You can see a painting, or, a craft item, or something like the above in a craft store or show, and decide right away you want it. With a book, a sale is tough to get because it's a commitment to something you can only go by the reviews (if you believe them), and the description. And I've found that selling to other writers is not where the fan base is. You are competing against these other authors. I've had only minor success (sales) placing my books into the facebook groups where you basically are selling to other authors. It's really a waste of my time with a slow modem. I can't compete with people who have aps and can plunk their books down all day long, shoving yours down in the page, so no one ever sees it. What's the point?

The blog, too, doesn't work. Non-writers won't come to look at your blog. Not that I've noticed, anyway. So, I'm falling back on doing the blogging as well.

But, I'm just going to work on my two loves (writing and crocheting), and see what happens, where it gets me, and not stress about it. I get a sale here and there, make only $100 a year with the ebooks, fine. I want to try and sell my art. I can sell things like the above for $10-$100, depending upon what it is.

Years ago, I made the mistake of going too diverse when I was making/selling crafts 15-16 years ago. I was only making enough to go buy more supplies (paint, brushes and wood is really expensive). I also didn't like that I had to change my stuff from one holiday to the other. The small stuff sold really well, but again, I didn't make any profit. This time, I'm going to go about this differently. But, until I find a shop that will take my things, that's just a pipe dream. There aren't as many shops like that around any more. But the craft shows are more abundant.

Next week we have six days off, so I'm going to be happy about that, as long as I can work on something. Depending upon the weather, I may have to move my computer into dinning room again!

Well, until I blog again, have a good Thanksgiving!

Moon Lighting... well, sort of...

"Moonlight" starring Alix O'Loughlin, above,
ran for only one season and then they pulled the plug!

I love the show, "Moonlight" with Alix O'Laughlin as Mick St. John (he's a hunk).

The show was great. Someone should be blindfolded and shot for letting this show go off the air.

Okay, I got my rant done.

Wait, another one might come to me.

Anyway, To get you all up to speed, now that we're into the NANOWRIMO where no one does any blogging, unless it's to other people who aren't trying to get their writing quota done for the day (yup, you guessed it, I am not that focused OR abusive toward myself in that way.) (And yet, as a writer I get shit done).

I've just about put the nail in the coffin on one of my older manuscripts that has spent more time in the dark than Dracula.. Originally called "Vampire Legacy" it is now renamed AND rewritten, Dhampir Legacy. I've got to put the ending to it. Since I had the day off, I wrote the climax and have still got my nasty master vampire yet to be put to a final rest, but my dhampirs are going to get to that, eventually.

I stopped working on Sabrina Strong #8, to get this one done. And earlier--well, let me see, now, it would have been last month, I guess--I finished up first edits of #5. Have more to do there, but giving it a rest for now.

Not sure how much longer I will continue doing this. Really. I'm having to re-evaluate the reason why I write and figure out if it's all worth it.

Oh, and my husband just told me we'll have to pick a new plan with health insurance because we'll be paying nearly $150/mo--which would not be possible. And the odd thing is we're making less this year than last year. Isn't life just grand? Now I'll have to deal with that crap. AGAIN!!! ARG!!!

I'm going to sit and crochet rest of the afternoon.

Post Birthday Post

I had a special birthday, yesterday. But I was scheduled to work. So was my husband. There should be a law passed that you do not have to work on your birthday.

However, because I worked, and my husband could "get away" for about an hour, he was able to go to town and get me stuff for a birthday surprise. So, I couldn't wait to see what he bought me.

Dennis greeted me at 2:20 at the door, helped bring in my things and got into the air conditioning. There on the dining room table was a large bag with "Happy Birthday" all over it, and stuffed with lots of turquoise paper. Off to one side was an African violet--it was orchid with white centers. The card I read first and it was pretty good. Almost like he had the person who makes card write out exactly what I needed to hear and what was true about me and turning sixty.

Then, I went into the bag. Well, inside a large latte cup (not unlike the one above) were two bags of special coffees. One was French vanilla/decaf, and the other was chocolate macadamia, a Godiva chocolate bar and to the side of this large cup was a gift box with a large gourmet mocha espresso cupcake! OH! The frosting was to die for! I want one for every day I get off the bus and come home! Anyway, I ate it with a glass of milk right away because I was hungry.

While I ate the cupcake, he told me how he went to town with the old park truck--not knowing if he'd get it back or not! He went blow-by-blow how he went to the bakery and selected this cupcake from the special window and they put it into the fancy box for him (he had wondered how the heck he was going to get it home and put it into the bag--hahah!) Then he had to find the coffees and the chocolate and a cup. Then he went to the florest and picked out the violet. And of course the paper and bag and card.

I do not question that I married the right guy. I did. He pampered me all day, not letting me do dishes, or put anything away after we ate our easy deli chicken and coleslaw. He did it all!

I'm drinking a cup of one of my coffees right now. Need to get some whipping cream, however. What luck! It's actually on my diet! The cupcake was not, but I get to be naughty at least once a year!

Vampire Fans Wanted, Dead or Alive

Ha. Ha. Joke. Get it?

I have been working all summer on the 8th book. I have had this further section written, it seems like forever. A few months ago, probably. I finally got the in between and middle sections written, just today. I've got over 260 pages done in this. I'm not the type who puts some sort of word count per day on myself. If it feels right, I write. If not, I won't force it. All summer I've had things to do, other things to occupy my time, like gardening, and crocheting. I was feeling somewhat burned out back in the spring and just needed to chill on the writing. This was a good plan of action. Each day I did write, I got a little further along. It adds up.

Yep. I've got a birthday coming up (August 27th). I've always hated the date my birthday came on. It was always after school started. In this case, I begin work again, next week--NIU starts back up and I'm driving the big bus again. And Wednesday I'll be on it for 7 hours. Bummer.

But I've been celebrating it all month long by having my first two ebooks of the Sabrina Strong series at 99 cents each.

Vampire Ascending
&
Vampire's Trill

I won't be doing this again. I only turn (60) once in a life time.

That's a lot a BULL! (And updates)

Largest statue of a bison, Jamestown, SD

Yeah, had way too many "anonymous" comments on both blogs, and had to get rid of them. These people are not interested in me or my posts, their aim is to sell something from their web-site. Among a number of things which tips anyone of us off that they are not one of us, is their leaving their website and asking you to come and check them out. Plus, they've got no NAME!

NO

THANK

YOU!!!!

So, hopefully, I've eliminated their comments from getting into my email--yes, it goes there and I can DELETE them! 

Now, on to other things.

All aboard!

Silverton, Colorado

Work on WIP, is coming along. I've been writing a couple of scenes which take place on board a train--yes a locomotive, as a matter of fact. This book takes Sabrina back to the world she visited in the 3rd in series Vampire Nocturne, called Black Veil. Since I've never been on a train, I went and did some checking about trains, best I could. I found out that the conductor takes care of all passengers and everything else except for driving the train, and there's a man who feeds the train either coal or firewood called a "fireman".

I've found some pics of inside of trains on the web to help me out.

seating car

I would love to be able to buy a ticket on a locomotive out west and experience the ride, some day. I've been on short rides where you're cramped in with other people. I've even rode a stagecoach at least twice. Like this one in Silverton, Colorado. It's a dusty ride, in case you have the chance to ride one--bring a scarf--yeah there was a reason cowboys had those scarves around their necks. In our case it rained and we had to put down the window coverings. That was a new experience. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a throw-back--I was born in the wrong century (Dennis and I both). So, these sorts of experiences are something we both enjoy.

Stage ride in Silverton, Colorado 2010

I'm also hunting for a picture of a statue of a woman's face--from the neck up (tight). I may have to ask someone to take a picture of one, if I find something suitable. It's for the next book. Not an angel by no means. I'm not certain where I'll find something, but my search is on.

Other than that I've figured out where the title of my 8th book comes from (usually it takes me a while to either come up with it, or invent it). Six Shades of Hell is the name of a desert that Sabrina must cross in order to get to where she needs to find clues about the missing princess Aljehambra.

My summer has been pretty good, so far. I've gotten a lot of gardening work done--some of it involved moving large, heavy rocks, and setting them down in a spot I needed for run-off when it rains. Still uncertain we'll get away for a day or more. We'll see. I know my husband needs a break from mowing--bouncing on a mower several hours a day does terrible things to your insides.

That's all for now. See ya around. You know I'm busy, but I'll check in with everyone now and then!

Screw Writing What You Know!

Make it all up as you go. It's more fun that way!

That's my advice for the day. Plus a few more tips that I've had clipped to the back of my upright desk for a while.

When starting out in a new book, you've got to ask and answer two main questions:

IS ENOUGH AT STAKE?

In other words, are the stakes high enough?
There has to be DEATH.
Either physical, professional, psychological or spiritual.
You pick one of the above.

HOW CAN IT GET WORSE?

This one is one that I sometimes have to kick myself on the behind to produce. I hate putting my favorite characters through so much horror/terror. But, you gotta do what you gotta do.

I remember one fan of my Sabrina Strong series asking me why I had killed off Dante in the end of second book, Vampire's Trill.

Why, indeed. Because he made Sabrina happy. But he couldn't be with her, because he was Tremayne's scion. If Dante (a handsome Native American hunk who happened to be both a shape-shifter and shaman in life), had continued his wooing of Sabrina, Tremayne would have had a hissy-fit in vampire terms. He'd of killed him. Which would have fit nicely in the above. But I needed her to loose him in a different way.
Besides, I brought him back to be Sabrina's biggest secret weapon when shit hits the fan in the third book.

With my current WIP I'm working my way into the meat of the story, and am plotting things to go awry, in every damn way I can think of. Dante, who is now an Undead, can't always be with her physically. He has to feed. Since I've invented this sort of unusual vampire, I'll explain that he has to feed either on the soul of the dying, or on sex. Because at this point I've written books 5,6, & 7, a lot has happened. Let me just say I've made things more difficult for these two to be together--either intimately, or him being able to become a physical being. Otherwise, he's a spirit who can reach her only through a mirror. As long as she carries one, or there's one wherever she happens to be.

I'm working up the villains in this story. One worse than the next. And sometimes, it'll be hard to figure out if the one that's supposed to have been the bad guy, is really all that bad. I'm having fun with it.

Rule #1:
HAVE FUN!

That's the other unwritten rule. If you aren't having fun writing whatever it is you're writing, then stop. Take a break away from it. If ideas aren't coming to you, you need to rest. Your brain needs to rest. Find something else to occupy your time, but above all, don't let the inability to write get to you. We won't call it "writer's block". To me that's a fancy schmancy word that the "professionals" have invented to make you paranoid about your inability to produce every day.

Rule #2
BREAK THE RULES!

If you pay too much attention to what the "professionals" say about the craft, you'll become constipated on the page. Don't. Listen. To. Crap.

I once attended a critique class a long, long time ago. The word "was" was considered bad, and if you used it in your writing, well, you weren't very good at writing. I busted my buns to try and write without using that word too much. All I got was crap on the page. I got nowhere with that rule. I'm not going to take out every last damned word that other writers - "professionals" - say we mustn't use. I've read all the masters from King to Rowling. What do you know? They don't pay much attention to "the rules". They most definitely break the "rules". So why shouldn't I?

Your main objective is to get the story down, first. Worry about the flow of words later. But the plot is number one. You also have to know who's going to suffer and how and where and who the bad guy's going to do this to your good guy from the beginning. Even if you don't have a name, names and descriptions can come later.

Eventually, "Six Shades of Hell" will get Sabrina down into some hot, nasty, hard to travel territory--that's why the title was chosen. This takes place in a world which is poised in the 1870's. How will she get through it, to her destination on horseback?  Will she be attacked by marauders? Will Dante be able to help her?

Her objective is to get to a small village named Elvira, and find the man who is supposed to have abducted the Princess Aljehambra (we know her from 3rd book, Vampire Nocturne). If she doesn't find Ali, they will kill her.

To top things off, Sabrina becomes romantically involved with the man, Hawk, who may have abducted her. Plus, in the very beginning of the book a wizard, named Booth, has asked her to find his wife and child, who he claims has been abducted by King Drakulya. (Drakulya/his son, Joha, denies this.) Sabrina declines to work for Booth, as she feels there is conflict of interest, since she has worked for Drakulya in the past, and would rather work for the Drakulyas to find the princess, instead.

So, you see, the stakes not only are high, but they become stacked higher and higher. Ali is Sabrina's friend and an innocent waif of a girl. When Sabrina digs deeper, she is startled to find that something more sinister is afoot in another place all together, and by someone else, who may be the most sinister villain I will write as yet.

Lorelei is author of Sabrina Strong series,
Spell of the Black Unicorn,
and short stories