kate rothwell

as in what yummy foods match your characters' skins? I think it's a fun question that could really bring some hunger and creativity into the writing process. I take a kitchen tour at erotic muses. But golly, I can't read that Dear Author thread any more. It's just too familiar. Too much BTDT, hear the rants already. The passions and dismissals and the angers and the stunned hurt. Yup.

Good news! Diane Farr will have another book out Bad news**! It'll be in March. ** because I don't like waiting.

Repeat daily for at least a week. Add dramatic symptoms of cold when needed . me: Go to bed, it's midnight kid: I can't. I have to finish this essay. ** me: Go to bed, it's 1 am. kid: I can't. I have to study for the test tomorrow. ** me: Bed. It's 3. BED! kid: All right, all right. Jeez. ** ** me: Wake up, it's 6 am kid: brrboidfhwl'sjghls ** me: Wake up, it's 6:30 am kid: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz ** me: Wake up, it's 7. You missed the bus. I'll give you a ride to school. WAKE UP. kid: All right, all right. Jeez. me: Don't you mean thanks for the ride, mom ? kid: brrboidfhwl'sjghls ::hack::hack:: me: That's a nasty cough. Maybe you should stay home. kid: I have two tests today ::hack:: ::hack:: and rehearsal and the play's next week ::hack:: ::hack:: I already missed most of a day and I can't miss any more. And I don't have a fever. ::hack:: ::hack::::choke:: gack::

Every now and again I need to a new, more creative way to avoid work. When facebook or twitter fails to amuse, I check my stat thingy, see how many people are visiting this blog and why. And erg, dang, look the numbers are up. Erg, dang because I figure it's because of Irrational Arousal's major reaming over at SBTB (Just the thought of it makes me want to lunge for more chocolate. Shit. We're out of cookies.) Sure, sure some of you are coming from over there**. But listen, it's not all linked to that. I found another link to another bloggy thing as well, and I like this one. * * * It's Monday, which means SBD which I'll do later, I think. Except it's kind of a "I didn't like this book at all" report and it's too Mary Sunshine around here for that..... Yah, and with increased traffic, I really should put up a Best Of This Blog note. Except I'm too lazy and what do I know from the good posts. Hey, any of you doing NaNoWriMo? That ...

I've been doing exercises for scene setting lately, just because enough with the talking heads. Scene! Setting! So for this exercise I draw on memories of specific spots and listing the sensory details from my memories. So far I've got: tropical beach at night (St Barts mmmm), outside the Washington Cathedral on a Wednesday evening listening to the bagpipes, sitting on a porch at a lake, walking up a steep hill, driving on the NJ Turnpike, drinking tea in the garden of Dairy Cottage. Just a list of the words of what I saw, felt, smelled, yada yada.... and here's what I'm learning. --Memories established alone are more powerful. Apparently when someone else is there, I don't do much in the way of observation. --Memories evoke far too much emotion to be entirely useful. I get sucked into the regrets and the sense of loss instead of What Was Happening. Every one of them has sorrow attached which is kind of ....odd. After all, I got to live through pleasant experiences...

A couple of entries back? when I said think of the bunnies? There are two at the local pet store and I suddenly Want a Rabbit. I had one for a while -- a mentally negligible number (named Bertie of course). It didn't require much to keep it entertained and happy, and its nose action alone was worth the price of bunny chunks. The husband has announced that a kitten is out. And no puppies. He stamped his little foot about it. But more furry things in this house would be good. The mice that are moving in for the winter don't count because I rarely spot them.

I'm going to go find another cookie and really, stack that firewood. And wait for inspiration to strike.

advice to self after a SBTB DNF review 1. go find chocolate 2. reread my previous advice, and gaze upon the happy hippos (mostly because it's a cool picture) 3. think of the bunnies. 4. hope there are lots of comments, because it's good to get a lot of comments 5. for fuck's sake do NOT go read the comments. 6. get to work. 7. or stack firewood. 8. chocolate 9. bunnies. 10 reread this nice review of the same book a few times. 11, remind myself that just because SBTB is an incredibly popular site, and I happen to lurve Ms. Sarah. ..umm....just because. Wait, how is this number 11 going to help again? it helps that if I'm clever or creative enough I might get some real work. It also helps that I don't agree with a lot of what she wrote--the very worst reviews, the ones that stick around like a bad crabcake, are the negative ones that make you go Oh. Shit. She's right. * * * on an unrelated topic, those ads from Cancer Centers of America give me the willies. I ...

Well, hell. So do NOT OPEN ANY EMAIL FROM MY COMCAST ACCOUNT WITH THE SUBJECT LINE "hi" IT will take over your account and cause much wailing and gnashing of teeth and lots of spam going out. You don't have to open the thing for it to cause trouble. I didn't open attachments and BAM there I am, a spammer. Sorry

the spam box collection...various lines lifted from about 200 letters 1. I brush my hair Have you brushed your hair this morning? I thought about you Important that you reply I googled you today.... trouble viewing this email? Urgent news! I'm sorry I'm late again. We have not received your reply Billy was not satisfied. Your wife will not be satisfied. You will be satisfied. She will love you more Urgent News! 2 Replica Rolex Cheers. Sheaf Wizard Over the dying summer I have known. Now.... Replica they'll never know isn't real I was excluded I was excluded from parties and celebrations. Never satisfied with your tool. Bigger better tool Never satisfied. You will be glad. Universal decision for men who want to stay men It's easy. For you. We have not received your reply Trouble Viewing this email? Can you say timely I miss you 3. We have not received your reply We are awaiting your reply wistful

hey! I forgot to load up this nice review! Look. They like the book!

For a moment I thought, OmG, I haven't read a book this week? Really? AND I've never gone so long without reading a book..... .... except yeah, I did read one. It was a PG Wodehouse first published in 1921. Not nearly as sappy as some of those early wodehouses. It did feature the brave young heroine. It was missing a lot of the comic bits and the voice isn't there yet. On the other hand, it had schticks he might have cut in a later novel-- or maybe skipped over lightly. He tended to abbreviate scenes once he got more polished. There's a longish bit where the heroine shows up as a penniless wretch at her dreary penny-pinching uncle's dreary house on Long Island. She starts out an honored guest and once the family figures out she has no money, she's gradually given jobs to do. The scenes where she and her dreary little cousin exchange looks as they're dragooned into jobs is pretty great. Oh, and the theater language is fantastic. Silly, of course, and sa...

yikes, I don't think I've gone so long without blogging before. Maybe because I've been digging up excerpts and posting them on a loop and I've had more than enough of me. I'd say I haven't written because I have nothing to say but that hasn't stopped me for how freaking long? I've been blogging for years and years and years. I passed ancient and am a fossil in the blogosphere. I've stopped reading a lot of blogs too. The quicky check in with facebook and twitter means I can tell if anything BIG is going on. BIG as in a book sale, an illness, a birth, an argument, a divorce. I'm such a girl. (Mike just read Gene Weingarten to me and....... yeah, so?) There's a sea change coming. I love that phrase even if I don't know WT exact F it means***. I'm just waiting to find out what it is exactly. No one's told me, but I can feel it in the air. For all I know, it could be the inspiration to finally clean the basement hits. ______ *** now...

Dammit, all right. YES. The cover does illustrate the story. It does. Okay? Great, got that settled. ON the other hand, it also beautifully illustrates Genie of the Butt Hole.

I just finished listening to Neverwhere and I do like Gaiman's voice, but I'm not sure I loved the story. I think it would be better as a comic book--it would fit that format. And of course I mean a good comic book, although that's an unnecessary amendment. These days no one thinks that saying that writer's work should be in the comix is an insult.** I thought that even before I (consciously, anyway) remembered that's what Gaiman's famous for. The story had a kind of "and then" feel to it, the down-the-rabbit hole-and-what-comes-next adventure feel. Not really a character driven thing, but that's the way that particular world worked. Is that SBD enough to be considered an SBD? I want to stick to tradition. Dammit. * * * Mostly what I'm doing today is putting up excerpts in a yahoo group, sexydelights (sound like a kind of candy--something with nougat). I'll try to put up a link , but I'm having miserable luck with those. Just go to ...

I've actually grown fond of that cover. If you go over to my new Summer page , part of it is featured prominently. I had to fill some space and it didn't blur out when I made it big...So very big.

I still like the ones you guys sent but some of these snarkola comments are excellent. I'd say whomever wins gets a copy of my book, whether she wants it or not.

my boys are freaking awesome.....even when they're not.

I should also show the happy side, right? 1. I finished writing a story I like. A short one, but any length is good. 2. A pleasant person at godaddy** told me how to use my guest book at the site I made. 2a. The fact that the site is working is amazing--I also found this nice note there. 3. I do like critiquing with people. Nothing in the world is more fun than brainstorming. NOTHING. . . . . Thanks, Toni and Corey. _____ ** I have always gotten fabu help from godaddy. The people who answer the phone are unfailingly polite and helpful. Funky.

I'm doing research for a book, reading fun articles about life in NYC including this one about the Tombs I can't help but notice how many of the murdered wives were named Margaret.

Time to hear from someone who really, truly knows the process and the industry. One hundred and twenty five books. New York Times, USA Today best-selling, award-winning novelist, Ruth Glick (aka Rebecca York) is the author of 125 books. She writes paranormal romantic thrillers for Berkley and romantic thrillers for Harlequin Intri gue. Her many awards include a PRISM Award for "Second Chance" in MIDNIGHT MAGIC (Tor, May 2006). She has received two Career Achievement Awards from RT BOOK REVIEW magazine. One thing I know about myself--the least favorite part of writing for me is the first draft and the galleys. I hate facing a blank page. So I write my first draft as fast as I can. Once I get that draft, I can edit it within an inch of its life. Every book I write goes through four or five edits. One on the screen and then th ree or four on p aper. Or more, if you count the editing I do of the previous text when I start work for the day. That’s just the way ...

Huh. This all seems familiar. I'd search for other times she's slapped me cross the face on this, but eh, living and learning is reserved for characters in books. We real types live, learn, forget, learn again, ignore, learn, learn, forget. What I really want is a good television show to watch and someone else to make dinner. Published Friend: Why on earth do you want to advertise the fact that you're not getting sales? me: Why not? PF: It's a bad business decision. No one wants to be associated with a loser. No one wants to know what a loser has to say. me: I didn't say I was a loser, I said I wasn't getting fabu sales. That's not the same thing. I didn't say anything about my writing. I like my writing. PF: Your writing is fine. I'd buy it. But you know that sales of books is the one way the rest of the world can mark how well or how badly you're doing. It's a super-big-ass mistake to put out the fact that you're not selling books becau...

I'm about to go to a writing event, a day long seminar, and I was just forcibly struck with the feeling of why the bother? I'm not going to keep trying to make money at this, why bother with the time and effort of becoming better? Don't I have other things I could do? I wonder if this feeling will dissipate--BTDT with this discouraging business--or if it will sink in at last. People say that for most life-changing events there's a moment you feel like you hit the wall and you shout to the world enough! For me, these events are non-events. Usually when I stop, it's much more of a whimper than a BAM! thing. I drift away rather than run. So this is probably not significant. I'm probably still going to write/submit/etc but more and more halfassedly. Until I don't. I'm Prufrock and always have been. There's another thing: a nice guy called me to talk about a letter I wrote for a refugee and basically told me that if I wanted to get some work, I should ...