SitRep Saturday: Best Laid Plans...

I have done something to anger the gods or the universe, The Powers That Be. It has been an exceptionally trying week or so. At first, I was just getting sick; being sick while caring for a toddler and working from home is difficult, but doable. Then some personally devastating news came my way (it's nothing too bad and no one is dead or injured, but for me, it was quite crushing) and there was some personal drama, and by the end of the week I just wanted to curl into a ball and cry myself to sleep for a year.

Needless to say, I didn't get much done. Oh, I still wrote my 750 words every day, and I gave the short story collection a title, but as far as drafting an editing go, well, that was a big old failure.

I did get some reading done. I finished Rogue Warrior and started on a romance novel. Next up, I'll finish Starheart. And then, I don't know. But reading is definitely back to being a major priority.

Today, I'm hoping to draft one of the short stories and plot next week's blog posts. We'll see how that goes...

Monday Miscellany: Cover Reveal, Fangirl Business, Half-Assed Book Review

That, dear readers, is the cover for the soon-to-be-completed Better with You, a romance novelette about making good things better. It took a lot of angst to come up with that cover and I'm finally happy with it and proud of it.

I ended up getting rid of what was an important subplot point, so the editing has been going much smoother. I'm still in the paranoid/anxious mindset, so it's still very slow going, but I just keep telling myself that the more meticulous I am, the better the story is. Good stories that are enjoyable for the readers are the goal.

Let's discuss some fannish things, too, shall we? Is anyone else watching this season of Supernatural? I really enjoyed last week's episode. Maybe it was how the story reminded me so much of season two, maybe it was Dean's rant at Sam, maybe it was the use of the word "virile" to describe Dean, maybe it was just everything about the episode... I'm not sure. I just know I really enjoyed it. Dean threatening to punch the waiter if he "affirmate[d]" him again reduced me to giggles. Dean Winchester is totally my TV boyfriend right now.

Greta van der Rol posted a sneak peek at Starheart and you should all go read it and get excited. Jess is going to be fun.

I feel obligated to mention that I read Wicked Games by Jill Myles. Eh. Meh. It was all right, I guess. The heroine was irritating and inconsistent, the hero wasn't much more than a cliche, it got really weirdly homophobic at one point, and the plot was utterly predictable. That said, it was a nice, brainless read that required no effort whatsoever. I don't think it deserves the four-and-a-half star rating it has, even for what it is. More like a three-star. Not bad, not great, not even for being an easy read.

This week, look for posts on making the transition from fanfiction to original work, characterization, and resources for new writers. All of these things are pet issues of mine and I've seen a great deal lately that makes me want to talk about them.