Writer's Literary Agency? Sounds a bit too easy, you know what I mean? And they specialize in people who have self-published?

I'd be willing to give them a shot if it seemed like they weren't some hokey crew of wannabes. What do you guys think? I've never heard of this before.

PENDANT PRODUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENTS:

Original art by Rebecca Hicks for Pendant Productions

Episode XX - "Running Hot and Cold"

The Blue Harvest crew are penned in by the Empire, Bounty Hunters, and Jabba!

"Star Wars: Blue Harvest" is a serialized, full-cast audio adventure with one new episode every month. Available for free download in .mp3 format, or as a Podcast!

Also available -- a commentary track with the director and writer!

Now available exclusively at PendantAudio.com via the following links:

iTunes link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=270527851

Podcast feed:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/SWBH-podcast.xml

Download:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/starwars.php

( Running Hot and Cold )

July Thinks To Do:
- finish TRUTHSEEKER revisions
- revisions for DEMON HUNTS
- proposal for Walker Papers #6
- write “Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight”
- Chance graphic novel proposal
- an essay or two for the Chance GN
- getting together all the materials for that GN
» includes asking my team if they want to write essay things
» and getting color notes to Jason
» email a reminder to the team
- proposal for WAYFINDER
» messy outline completed, synopsis to follow
» actual chapters & stuff won’t be done until I get the 2nd TRUTHSEEKER revision letter, I think, ’cause that still needs work
- (rough) WORLDBREAKER pitch

I have moved:
- Marvel application
- Mia graphic novel proposal
- Walker Papers short story

to August (first half of August, I swear, Lanny), although I had previously thought I’d moved the WAYFINDER/WORLDBREAKER stuff to August. Today corrected that think.

Damn, I feel like I’m juggling hot potatoes right now. I also just agreed to write another short story (that was what prompted LAG’s comment earlier), but it’s not due until December, so that shouldn’t be difficult. Also, I think I’m well past the place where I can claim I don’t write short stories. I used to not write short stories. Now I do. :)

In the War Room just now, Laura Anne said, “Kit, I am in awe, once again, at your mixture of productivity and total lack of self-preservation.”

I suspect that says it all. Not that she should talk. :)

I’m also kind of fond of this final line of the synopsis I’m currently working on: “and KERSPLODY is the final scene of the book”

Sounds good, huh? :)

Doing the 100s Wednesday was apparently more than my shoulder could handle. I am very crankily not swimming again until Monday in an attempt to set it right, and I will not do sprints until I’m in much better condition. *sigh* I’m also going to try to mostly stay offline over the weekend, particularly off the laptop, because using it aggravates the injury. It is possible this will cause me to shrivel up and die. I’ll keep you posted. Or not, if I’m supposed to be offline…

Muahah. The postman has just delivered the last of our mad spending spree materials: the complete Angel DVD collection (because I’m a fruitcake, and want to watch seasons 4-7 of Buffy alternating with seasons 1-4 of Angel, the way they were aired, and Ted is a good enough person to agree to my lunacy), two of the X-Men graphic novels I need to catch up, and the last of the Star Wars RPG stuff to complete Ted’s collection. Wow. Could we be any geekier?

Arright, I’m going for a walk since I can’t swim, and to the bank because the landlord sent the reimbursement check for the new furniture.

miles to Minas Tirith: 454.4

One of the things the Internet has done is freed the consumer from the very high cost of complaining. If you don't get satisfaction, put it on a website, put it in your blog, email it to all your friends...and now make a video and put it on YouTube, and Twitter.

Here's one in the eye for United Airlines from Dave Carroll and the Sons of Maxwell.

Things are going along quite well lately. I finished the hallway last month, and then last week I was able to refinish the floors in the hallway and living room. I traded shifts with someone to get Thursday off, when Jody and Tripp would both be out and was able to get four coats of varethane on the floors. They look great! Now we have to pick up the poplar do redo the entryways to the hall and kitchen, and then Jody can put up the trim for the doors, the baseboards and the crown moulding that's already stained and ready to go.

This week, because we weren't able to get to Libertycon, I took yesterday off to try and finish the laundry room. I managed to finish mudding and sanding the dryer half of the room. This morning I was able to prime it and paint it. I need to get some spray foam for around the window, and then I can put up the trim, and then move things over to that side of the room while I finish the other half.

In the meantime, I picked up the pine paneling for the back room, and stained it last week while waiting for the floors to dry between coats. Jody has already started to put it up, and it looks great. We'll still need to pick a few more packages of that up next week. Tomorrow I'll be at Ikea and pick up the laminate flooring and underlay for the floors back here. We've figured out a few different things to finish the room. I'm hoping that we'll have the whole thing, bookcases and all, finished by the end of August, with the bathroom finished by then, too. Then when my Dad comes down in the fall we can look at finishing the kitchen. That will leave the two bedrooms and the other bath for next year. The bathroom will be the most work. The bedrooms should be a breeze after everything else. I can't wait until it's all done!

PENDANT PRODUCTIONS PROUDLY PRESENTS:

Original art by Xaq Bazit for Pendant Productions

Episode 37 - "Fractures"

Doctor Laine fights to save lives as the death toll mounts in sick bay!

"Star Trek: Defiant" is a serialized, full-cast audio adventure with one new episode every month. Available for free download in .mp3 format, or as a Podcast!

Also avaliable - an audio commentary with the director and writer!

Now available exclusively at PendantAudio.com via the following links:

iTunes link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=152719094

Podcast feed:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/defiant_podcast.xml

Download:
http://www.pendantaudio.com/defiant.php

( General Quarters! )

tersa, who has been swimming with a local Masters club, expressed admiration of my 9 minute 500 the other day, and supposed that I’d be in the top group in her club, which requires an ability to swim 100 meters on 1:50, which means the swimming and the resting all have to be done in that time period. So, being competitive with myself if no one else, this morning I gave it a shot, to see if I could.

I did the first one on 1:33, which is probably not *quite* as absolutely fast as I can go in my current condition, but is getting fairly close, and the second on about 1:40, and then stood around gasping instead of trying for a third. I might’ve made a third, just. I wouldn’t have made a fourth. :) I said I might try again tomorrow, but I think I’ll be less ambitious, and try again next week. Especially since my shoulder’s acting up tonight.

miles to Minas Tirith: 450.4
ytd km swum: 51

You guys have blown my little tiny mind. The “Hot Time” commission closed out at over $1100, which is, uh. Well beyond my wildest expectations. It’s far and away the most I’ve ever been paid to write a short story (excepting “Ill Met by Moonlight“, which Harlequin bought from me lock, stock and barrel), and I’ll do my best to write you a very good story.

For those who couldn’t participate this time, there’ll be an opportunity from November 7-30 to buy the story directly from me for $10 (or more, if you feel like it), which is the minimum amount set by fundable, so I think that keeps the playing field level.

Wow. Thank you. O.O

There was a story from reuters I found a little while ago. It was World Health Organization officials saying that the Tamiflu resistant strain of swine flu is nothing to be worried about. Its just a mutation. Move along nothing to see here....*headdesk, headdesk, headdesk* The unbelievable STUPIDITY, not to mention extreme arrogance in that statement just purely pisses me off. Helloooo..knock knock, anyone with a brain around? Its a mutation so nothing to worry about? I mean REALLY have these idiots studied their history? Last time this little bugger made an appearance it stuck its nose up, made some people sick then disappeared for a period of months. It THEN came back evolved to an even nastier version and killed people. If it evolved once it WILL evolve again. Its a living thing MORONS, and all living things evolve/change in one fashion or another over the course of their lives. That's why its called LIFE!

*sarcasm on* Now gentle readers if you'll excuse me I'm going to go look at my plans for burying my family in the backyard since there's "nothing to worry about, its just a mutation" *saracsm off*

end of rant.

Just a few bullet points

( read on Magruff..but this subject truly ticks me off. )

Gah. Didn’t swim this morning due to an utter failure to wake up. I’ve made up for it by doing forty minutes of combined Pilates, barre work and weights, and later I’ll go for a walk.

The Janx & Daisani short story commission closes at 11:59pm Eastern tonight! If you want to be one of the first (few, only) people to read this story, scoot on over to Fundable and pledge some dollars! :)

After ten days of this haircut getting progressively worse instead of at all better, I have re-cut my hair myself. As my mother says, “Hell, I can give myself a bad haircut for free, and have no one to be angry at but myself.” It’s not as tidy as it would be if someone else had done it, but it looks a lot better than it did regardless. And I’m debating whether I want to grow it into a Louise Brooks bob with bangs or grow it all out so I can eventually re-bleach the stripe. The bob is a much quicker gratification goal, but delays the stripe (which is at least a year away *anyway*) indefinitely. Dunno. I haven’t had a bob like that since I was about twenty-five, and it’s cute on me.

I have no particular desire to work today. New furniture will be arriving at some point, and I’m reasonably certain that will be followed by a thorough cleaning of at least the living room, possibly the entire downstairs, and so even trying to work seems sort of pointless. Also I sort of think that having finished the TRUTHSEEKER revisions I mostly just want to sit here all numb-brained for a couple says, which I suppose isn’t unreasonable.

Argh. I just realized I may have to stay off the internet for the next week in order to survive the week-long Torchwood run without spoilers before I get a chance to see it.

ytd km swum: 50
miles to Minas Tirith: 446.8

(sorry for repost, it is due to WP/LJ crossposting dipshittery)

- get a picture frame
» put together gift basket box
- get envelopes
» put chance issues in envelopes :)
- box up Walker Papers for Mr. M
- DEMON HUNTS revisions^H^H^H^H change of plans, work on critique instead
- call bonk
- make bread
- do laundry (Ted’s doing this, bless him)
- send receipts (VERY IMPORTANT)

Nice swim this morning. I did my first 500 in 9 minutes, which is faster than I usually…bother to do, if we’re being honest. I don’t think I could do one faster than about 8 minutes right now anyway, but I was pretty pleased to have done a 9-minute one. Technically I’m supposed to have one more day of 1K swimming, but I did 1300 meters today (to, er, bring my ytd km swum up to a round number, because I’m a dork like that) and I may just go straight to 1500 meters tomorrow.

This morning I received Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge’s BLACK AND WHITE, which is a superhero novel I’ve been dying to read ever since Jackie mentioned it. Now I must restrain myself and not read it until at least tonight, ’cause I have work to do! (Apparently that’s how reading is going: I either want to read something RIGHT NOW, or I can put it off indefinitely. No wonder I haven’t been buying a lot of books.)

Oh, speaking of reading, it turned out I had the ( HOUSE OF M graphic novel... )

(x-posted from the essential kit)

I'm holding my 1-year-old daughter in our pool and showing her, the future Empress of Sicily, some of the lands she'll rule over one day.




And here is the future Empress of Sicily herself.

I SPENT THE MORNING  looking around online at Lowes, Home Depot and 84 Lumber’s websites. 

All I wanted was a price on 2x6x8 SYP. 

I don’t want to call my local store and be placed on hold for hours whilst someone decides to answer the bloody telephone at the service desk. 

I don’t want a price on pressure treated dimensional lumber. Had I wanted a price on pressure treated lumber, I’d have clicked on “pressure treated”. 

I don’t need to know what my local store doesn’t stock.

I don’t want a price on “whitewood” – whatever that is. 

SOUTHERN. YELLOW. PINE. 

I don’t care where or from whom/what you all purchase your stock. 

HOW MUCH FUCKING MONEY DO YOU WANT FOR IT? 

So Monday I’ll be calling Ideal Lumber in Rocky Mount. They at least answer their damned telephone. 

They charge more than you all do. 

They answer the phone. 

THEY WANT MY MONEY. 

Cut, because although I know at least a handful of people will click through, largely I cannot imagine this is of interest to anyone but myself. :)

(x-posted from the essential kit)

4th of July: We went out for Indian dinner to celebrate, on account of Columbus having been looking for India. It was a *really* good meal, yum.

Furniture: Our living room furniture, which was not new when we moved in, has devolved to the point that when you sit in it you sink into the depths of dischair, so one of the many points I negotiated for our new lease was new furniture. I volunteered to go look for it myself (to the landlord’s *obvious* relief), so I finally made a decision yesterday, got the amount to spend cleared by the landlord, and bought them (after driving only a moderately altered bargain; I could’ve done better, but it wasn’t my money so I didn’t care that much). So we get new chairs and a new two-seater couch on Tuesday. This room will look very different indeed. On the definite up side, the cats will fit beneath the new furniture, so they’ll be able to collect their own cat toys when they knock them beneath the couch. :)

Raspberries: we had a raspberry on our raspberry bush yesterday! In celebration, we plucked and ate it. It was awful. :)

A review of “Public Enemies” beneath the cut, because it got rather long and has some spoilers, though nothing big.

(x-posted from the essential kit)

Once upon a time, but not at the beginning of things, we were colonies. We insisted we could do it better ourselves, and kicked out the people who thought we were supposed to stay under their thumb.

We've made a lot of mistakes. It's part of growing up.

And so, a toast. To those people who fought for our freedom. To those people who try and continue the ideals this country was founded on. And to the simple stubborn insistence on doing it our own way.

Holy crap! Sarah Palin is resigning as Alaska’s governor!