A Bad Night

It's not a bad night because I didn't get any work done. I actually got more written than I thought I would considering the circumstances. There is also the dilemma that I created a new and entirely unexpected spell for Book 3 that I need to work all the details and consequences out for before I write another single word.

No, tonight I dropped my cats, Harley and Demona, off at the Vet to be spayed and declawed. I feel absolutely awful knowing that I'm putting my little babies in any kind of pain. They cried the whole way to the vet in their carriers and started to cry again when the vet took them away. I was crying by the time I reached my car alone.

I've only had my cats for a little over a year, but they are my constant companions. They've helped me write Dayhunter as well as the novella for the upcoming anthology Unbound. They've also been instrumental in slowing down my progress on Book 3.

It's been strange working tonight without Demona trying to climb into my lap along with my laptop, or having her bat at the pen as I make some notes. I haven't had Harley around to stretch out on the floor right in front of me and give me the "you must come rub my belly" look. And it will be lonely to go to bed tonight without them curled up around me.

So, before going to bed tonight, give your cat, dog, ferret, rabbit, goldfish, or whatever an extra bit of love for me. I miss my girls and I'm looking forward to having them home again.

Busy Weekend

It's going to be a busy weekend. You know, it's one of those rare weekend where you decide that you're going to be an insane overachiever. They happened rarely in my case since I like to relax over the weekend.

Harley and Demona were nice enough to wake me up at 7:30 this morning when I should have been able to sleep until at least 10. After a quick breakfast, I went for a brisk walk and then headed to Panera for some coffee and work. While at Panera, I shipped a few website updates over to Design by Drake. I'm hoping they will get posted to the site sometime this weekend. I'll keep you posted as to when they appear. In addition, I got some writing on the short story done.

From there, it was to Home Depot for some paint for the spare bedroom, then to Biggs from some flowers and a cool pot, and then to Bed Bath & Beyond for some curtains and a rug for my entry.
I'm currently waiting for my father to get home. He has a larger car than me and I need some planting soil before I can get the flowers in the ground. I am also thinking of picking up a ceiling fan for the spare bedroom.

Later tonight, I plan to hang out with a good friend and then work on the short story again while finishing my laundry. Whew.... I'm tired just listing all that. Tomorrow is supposed to rain so I think I'll be writing and painting.

Hopefully, you're smarter than me and you have a relaxing, do-nothing weekend. If so, here is a random video for your enjoyment. It's one of the more twisted ones I've been sent.

Christmas, Cute Cats, and Books I Need to Write

Christmas is just around the corner and I believe the New York is starting to shut down for the rest of the year. My lovely agent sent me an email today stating that the office is closed for rest of 2007. Lucky bum. Corporate America's got me working, but that's just how it is. But Jen has and my darling editor have earned the break. Jen fell in love with my book (so how could I not just adore her?) and very quickly landed me my first book contract this year. And my editor, well she helped to complete what I hope is a truly fantastic book. So, let them have a break, because 2008 is gonna be an amazing roller-coaster ride.

I popped over to Rachel Vincent's blog today to find that she has been posting pictures of her ultra-adorable new kitten. It helped to smooth over my jealousy -- she finished the rough draft of her new project. I've been struggling to make progress on my second book. I think I finally have a plan that will make for a great book. Of course, it means adding a book to the series I hadn't planned on, research for a location I wasn't planning to feature, and completely re-vamping the ending I had planned for the second book. But it will be worth it. The changes will give the series a better sense of balance and will allow me to spend more time fleshing out some of the subplots I have planned. I'm so excited!

Finally, since Rachel is posting cute cat pictures, I thought I would join in the fun. I just can't believe how big my girls have gotten. I got Harley and Demona when they were around four months old. They are now more than nine months old and still run around the house like holy terrors -- particularly at 2 a.m. on Mondays.

Also, for those who have not seen it, I have pasted below one of my all-time favorite Internet videos. I swear, this is every cat I have ever owned!

Count Down to the Edit Letter

So, I dropped off the face of the earth briefly. Actually, I've been painting my new house. I've heard from my lovely editor today and I will be receiving my edit letter early next week, which means that I now have one week to finish everything that I need to complete in my personal life. After that, it looks like I will be working straight through for the next few months on not only getting NIGHTWALKER absolutely perfect, but also finishing my revision of book 2. My hope is to take some time off at the beginning of December to squeeze in some Christmas shopping.

So far, I have my home office in this wonderful dark green and the living room (with its cathedral ceilings) painted brown. I am now working on the kitchen and dining room, with hopes of squeezing in the master bedroom and finishing the outdoor landscaping before the letter arrives. Yeah, I don't see it all getting done, but it's nice to have goals.

In case you were wondering, yes, the cats were nice enough to help me with the painting. I have included two pictures below. The first is preparing to paint and the second is preparing to clean up.

I can't wait to see how they help me when it comes time to work on the book.