kate rothwell

NaNoWriMo! Yup. It's coming along any minute. You doing it? I'm trying, again. No more twitter, no more facebook. Just me and this story. Failing that, me and these Lois McMaster Bujolds I got from the library. Glomming when the words don't come is acceptable. I have that on good authority. Here's what doesn't work for me: looking around to see what other writers are doing -- even though that's what NaNo seems to be about.

We were arguing about the difference between psychopath and sociopath last night at dinner. (Alex argued no difference at all, Tom and I thought that a sociopath was someone who hadn't acted in an antisocial manner and psychopath was a sociopath who'd gone of the rails. Mike thought it was time to talk about something else.) and I started thinking about the socio-psychopaths I've known. (insert standard " you can't get to be ___ years old without running into and dealing with these people ") There are the dumb ones--or the not well disguised ones, I mean. They're the type who get into trouble and it's never their fault. They're easy to spot--well, easier than the other sort--because they play victim every time anything goes wrong. I met quite a few among the refugees and wonder if they were turned into that sort of person because of the horrors they'd seen or if they were the type of person who'd be likely to survive the horrors.** But the...

Okay, I did the sharing knife series most of the weekend -- as in listened to a book on tape and then uploaded the kindle book. If I were less lazy and in more of an SBD mood, I'd lure more publishers over here to offer me books. Attention publishers: if you have writers like Bjold, I'll read their books and give good reviews. But I will mention that the number of times Dag called himself "old patroller" got on my last nerve. For all that it's a new world and fantasy, the series is familiar, warm stuff. Like Marion Zimmer Bradley. Perfect for retreating. Also I wrote. The workshops were also familiar stuff but I didn't get the usual "oh, yeah! I've been forgetting about that lately!" aha moments. I miss learning, getting excited about writing, thinking about stories using new tools...yes, yes, I know. It's me, not them. That "yes, yes it's me, not them" thing rose a lot. I had to shut myself up occasionally when the talk rolled...

What do you do in the car? I have rituals and I need books for travel. Regular books, not books about traveling. When I drive any distance greater than 50, 10 5 miles, I require either light and fluffy (and I mean Wodehouse light) or, even better, something new but familiar -- and fluffy-ish. The best answer is always a series book, with characters I've met before. I went off looking for a new book in series I follow, and no one is coming through for me here. Michael Connelly? Robin Hobbs? Terry Pratchett? Patricia Briggs? Suzanne Brockman? SEP? Hello? I need a new audio book NOW. This minute. I'll even listen to the gruesome Kindle audio reader, if I have to. Sigh. Spenser would be perfect (I can interact with those audio books, occasionally shouting "Shut UP, Susan!" And I'm finally used to the way Joe Mantegna reads) but, alas.......At least Parker has a good excuse. So. No one's coming through for me this second. I need to learn to store some books as ...

and I think I've got to take this smart bitches day Book Reviewing thing SERIOUSLY because 2, count them TWO mainstream publisher promo-types have written to me, asking, "hey, honey, how's about we give you some free books if you review 'em?" ** I suspect that anyone who has the word "book" on their website/blog gets that same treatment, but listen: Mainstream publishers. Attention. I will put out for you. I will review. I will read your books and give you something in return. The trouble is I'm more of a wife than a professional Lady of Negotiable Affection. You can't buy my love. I don't do fake orgasms for you, babe. But if I love you? I will pile it on to an embarrassing degree. So no more reviews like "god, I hated this book, but I couldn't begin to tell you why." I'll strive for pull-quotability just for you, babe. _________ **those poor bastards must be desperate. Also, speaking of stupid ideas, I told one of them ...

look! a big book give-away at Dear Author. It's in celebration of National Coming Out Day. Sarah Frantz organized it and she's got about A MILLION TITLES there. I went looking for it because our books are there (you have to go way down the list because Summer is listed first) but stopped to look over that list twice because there are some great titles on there. And related to NCOD, how about that NY governor race? I was delighted by a throwaway remark Andrew Cuomo made about his opponent's rabid anti-homosexual viewpoint. Here's why I was happy ---> because it was not the part of the story that everyone jumped on. Cuomo said Paladino's opinion that gays are dysfunctional "goes against the mainstream" and that Cuomo remark didn't get any kind of "oh yeah?" response from the reporters** ....That is very cool. Because the mainstream has shifted and for once, it's drifting closer to sanity. Of course the fact that Paladino believes saying...

And aw, damn. No more from her, ever again. Let's have another moment mourning the death of Judith Merkle Riley.

How far in advance does one bother to hype an ebook? And how should one do that? Yes, we've both been doing this for years but I'm always looking for tips, especially since the online world changes every few months days hours or so. Less than a month away and we're just hanging around. Actually I'm doing edits on my next book, but that's fine. We don't even have a cover yet. I'm not worried about that because 1. so far, our Loose-Id covers have been gorgeous 2. I care more about the content 3. I'm convinced there really isn't a need in the world to push ebooks hard until the book is out and about. The rules of print publishing don't apply because the whole print run thing is based on pre-orders. Nope, not an issue. We don't need to gather momentum months beforehand for basic survival. I have to admit that my lack of pre-publication hoopla is based on personal experience -- most of my ebook purchases have been impulse buys and it's impos...

I can't help it, I like Christine O'Donnell. As Maher said, she's crazy as a loon but she's a nice person. You don't get that with a lot of ideological politicians. They're ambitious and hungry and know how to look sane in public but they have their Beliefs, things they Know to be True and, by God (often), they're gonna push those beliefs down our throats. O'Donnell is filled with the same passionate bull and is determined that it's her way that'll save us all....but she's so likeable and so sweetly flawed in her tiny lies that you forgive her. No way in hell or heaven I'd vote for her, but I wish her well. If something truly nasty surfaces about her (not all the silly and entertaining junk currently winging around) I won't feel schadenfreude. And I'm in the camp of people who cackle with glee when the anti-homosexual ranter -- especially those with the power to make people miserable -- gets outted. I imagine that in forty years ...

I can only hope Kimberly doesn't read this. It'll make her cranky. Anyway, a year or so ago I went on about why I freaking appreciate government and why I think the corporate world can't do it all for us. (If you want a fine extreme example of capitalism running the world, read the first couple of chapters of The Supernaturalists. The sponsorship of orphans and using them as lab rats to make them pay their way. Chilling. Too easy to imagine) And then, from the world of nonfiction, I read about the fire company that watched the house burn down and thought , yeah, see? Dammmit. I'm growling around the house wishing conservatives and others would latch onto something else other than the issue of that dangerous, nasty public teat called government. Sure, sure, there's waste. Yes. Okay. Good idea to deal with it. But don't throw the baby, the bathwater, the tub and the whole freaking second floor out, ya goofballs. This isn't an emergency. If you're in the...

The crap car, before and after. The cost of the repairs, even without any kind of paint job = ~5.2 times the blue book value of the vehicle. The repair $$ was graciously forked over by Marci, the lady with the mammoth SUV. (She didn't even notice the crap car as she backed out of the parking space. It's just that kind of car---or rather, they are just those kinds of cars.)