Dog Gone...CRAZY!

So, I've been MIA for like ever and to those of you who have not decided to un-follow my blog, I'd like to say I appreciate you still being there or um here. Right now I'm trying to Christmas shop, work, wrap presents, write, and in the midst of all of that, I'm trying to become the doggie whisperer. I know I'm not supposed to feel guilty about blogging or not blogging, but sometimes I just do and probably always will. I prefer self loathing from time to time. It gives me an excuse to have wine. Just kidding about that last part. I never need an excuse to have wine.

As some of you may already know, I have a Great Dane. His name is Cooper and he's just turned a year and a half this month. He's so sweet and cuddly, AND he's lost his freaking mind. While I'm trying to write, he stands behind my chair, flipping my ponytail up and down, trying to get my attention. When that fails, he stands behind me, resting his head on my shoulder in some sort of staring contest I'm not even participating in, and I'm not sure how to convey that to him. Casualties are high in the Mckee household. We've lost two high heels which I won't miss at all. Say what you want, they're not natural anyway so no loss. On a sad note, we've lost a pair of Merrell's which was a bad day. Those shoes were like little pillows of heaven strapped to my feet. Sighs.

Aside from the shoes, we've lost two Christmas ornaments, a phone case, and I think he ate a slipper but I can't prove it til tomorrow. I Googled the terrible two's for dogs, and it turns out, they actually have them. Who knew? I'm worried the poor thing may think his first name has been changed to Damn-it. Other times, I can't even form an actual, intelligible word and its really sad when your dog knows you're making crap up. So this is what's going on in my little world. What's going on in yours?

Fooling Around

Okay, so I'm not NaNoing per say. But I decided to take the advice of a friend and just fool around with a few of those floaty things that seem to be captivating my mind during the drive home from work. I was worried that working on something else would take my mind too far away from my current, sometimes eternal looking WIP. And maybe it has to some degree, but its nice to work on something different even if it is just for me. Who knows where the break will take me. So I'm with ya, sort of, just unofficially. Hows it going for you?

To NaNo or not to NaNo?

For me it wasn't even a question. I admire those of you who are taking on the project of writing a 50,000 word novel in a month. I've been working on just one for well over a year. I think I may be a little challenged. I'm not even sure my husband actually believes me when I say I've been writing. To him, writing a novel must take most of your lifetime because it's not looking like I'll be done anytime soon.

I did think about joining in on the fun this November. Maybe writing something else for a whole month could give me a whole new perspective on the old story. But all in all, I know I would simply never have the time to take on such a project. So, I wish all of you lots of luck and I look forward to watching your progress. How do you plan to find the time: starve the children, board the dog, cancel Thanksgiving? I'd love to know. Good luck and Happy Halloween.

Holy Crap!

So I decided after like three weeks to sign into my totally abandoned blog. I. Am. A. Loser. Is it me, or does it seem like someone pressed the fast forward button? Summer is over. No one told me. This afternoon, I nearly had a panic attack in Wal-Mart. There were pumpkins everywhere, and beside them, Christmas decorations and turkeys. What the? Can we not have one holiday at a time, people? Sigh....Rant over.

Wait! Today's blog actually has a purpose. Swear. I bought, SILENCE, the third book in the Hush Hush saga by Becca Fitzpatrick. And then I defiled a plastic turkey and placed a Nutcracker in an awkward position. Er-it may have been the other way around. I don't remember but either way I'm calling it retail therapy. I went from panicked to excited about the whole experience and I just hate that none of you could be there to share in the moment with me. Sad.

And there's more. I'm sure you hoped it was over, it's not. Sorry, but I think you'll be excited about this. I was reading Chuck Sambuchino's blog better known as Guide to Literary Agents because it's AWESOME. And while reading, I came across a new publisher called Entangled Publishing and also an agent that lives close enough to stalk in person. YES! I can't mention her yet in case there may be questioning later. I'm only joking about some of that. I plan to mention her in another blog when I'm a better blog mommy and not so neglectful. For now though, new publishers. How do we feel about them? Are they scary? Do they make you feel like you're settling for less than NY, because you are. But is this a good thing or a bad thing, ya know, to not be so New York?  Please opine.

Well Hello There.

 

So I'm back from my vacation in Bermuda and I'm missing it already. To say that I had a bit of R&R would be putting it mildly. I lounged around the pool all day, sipping lovely little fruity drinks that some tanned guy named Javier kept bringing me. Well okay, his name wasn't really Javier but he didn't seem to mind that I kept calling him that, although, when I tried to use his wash board of a stomach to help out with a little laundry mishap, he failed to see the humor in it. I say what good is a wash board for a stomach if you can't use it to get out a little mustard stain, hum?

On a serious note, I thought I'd die without the computer and my cell phone for eight days. I definitely didn't. Doing nothing seems to come alarmingly natural for me after about, oh, the first hour or so. Disappointing for sure. I thought I'd at least need forty eight hours to adjust to being a complete slug, but it appears my weaknesses are easily reachable. Good to know. Word to the wise if you're planning a trip to Bermuda or even one that involves a very large boat as mine did. Stop after two rum swizzles. I mean it! I ended up a little sideways along the top deck, lost my wallet in the bathroom, and I think I had half a pizza. It was a grand time, and no, I never found my wallet, had to file a lost/stolen report, and was concerned I'd never make it back into my own country without a picture ID. For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to travel all the way to Mexico just to get back into the country. Ah...good times. Now that's a vacation to remember. I do miss my wallet though. I had to cancel everything. I'm waiting for replacement cards, and there was a coupon from the bra and panty club at Belk that needed only one more stamp for a freebie and now its gone. Whoever has my wallet, I hope you end up with a pair of skivvies that give you perma-wedge. Not that I'm bitter just slightly vindictive. 

Moving on past the skivvies, I was able to use some of my vacation getting into one of my characters. Part of my story involves some time out on the open sea. It was truly inspiring to take in the scents and sounds, the air, everything that my character might have felt were she truly there. I hope I can put that inspiration to good use now that I'm back at my computer, but somehow I think experiencing something that surreal can never be written as well as it was felt. Maybe I'll have just one more rum swizzle while I give it a try.

I'll be stalking you soon.

I'm back...

Helloooooo fellow bloggers. I've been away in Bermuda being bad but I am back. Hopefully if time permits I'll have a real post and some pictures out before the end of the week. Hope everyone in the writer/blogging world have been wonderful this week. I look forward to catching up.

Goals. Er....

Goals, we all have them. Reaching them, well, that's quite the conundrum. Sometimes I think its about fear. Like if we actually reach our goals, then what? I've been trying to finish rewriting my MS. I get on a roll then I just back off. It's like I'm afraid to be finished. It's so...FINAL.

Then again, maybe its what's lurking behind the finish line. Literary agents, synopsis's, and query letters. OH MY!

So, I was able to sympathize with my dog, Cooper, today. Strapping young pooch, one hundred and sixty pounds of man puppy. His goal. The bone. The conundrum? The bone was behind the door. Not a real problem you say. Ah, but hold on. The ironing board (literary agent) was behind the door. The ironing board is very scary to man puppy. It makes a loud screeching noise whenever it's approached with clothes (query letters). Apparently ironing board is particular about clothing associations.  Puppy backs away from the door, paws the air, and whimpers in a whining puppy sort of chanting way, hoping to will the bone to puppy. No chance.  Bone is now being held hostage by the damn ironing board, and man puppy has abandoned goals of being respectable altogether. He's spread eagle on the bed in front of the fan, showing his man goodies to the world. My God man, show some decency. This will not be me, people. I'm going to get the bone (manuscript done)  for the man puppy. Hopefully, his moral code will be restored before he winds up as Mr. October. Fingers crossed.