Happy New Year! This is my last blog this year. I’ll take a moment out of finishing up MARRYING MILLY to ask–do dogs catch deadline mania? My collie has a hot spot on his right foreleg that he’s licked, as my fingers have sped (and in some cases, plodded) over the keyboard, into a 3″ sore that necessitated a trip to the vet yesterday. We left there with antibiotics, fatty acid capsules, a prescription for doggie tranquilizers, and instructions to bathe the dog in flea soap, since she found a couple of fleas on his belly.
I’m not sure if it’s the itching from the fleas that caused McDougal to attack just one part of his body, or the waves of writerly stress coming off his mom as I struggle to bring this book in for an on-time landing. Since pets are sensitive to human stresses, I’m guiltily inclined to think it’s the latter. And it’s frustrating since you can’t just tell a dog to stop licking a sore, or get him to keep a bandage on.
I’ll be following orders and bathing the dog tonight. My dh isn’t too happy I’ll be doing that in our new (or new-ish) fiberglass tub, but sheesh, the wind chill makes it zero outside tonight. The dog won’t be too happy either, I suspect, since I have rarely inflicted baths on him, and never in the winter. Wish me luck. Anyone have any other suggestions for combatting hot spots and getting dogs to leave a bandage on out there? HELP!
It’s Christmas night, and I hope you have all had a blessed and wonderful Christmas, full of family, friends, and good food, as I did–and of course that you remembered to celebrate the One whom the day is all about.
The Christmas season is always a busy and packed-with-events one, packed with “must do” tasks. This time it’s been even more so for me, with my deadline looming on 1/15. To get everything done, I’ve had to divide my time–morning for shopping, afternoon for writing, nights for work if I’m scheduled, and to spend time with my husband if I’m off. My annual bronchitis slowed me down some, but now it’s starting to get better, thankyouGod!
All through December, I’d been having trouble with my current book-in-progress, MARRYING MISS MILLY. It just wouldn’t gel, somehow. And then I realized, probably because I read it on the ACFW loop, or the Faith, Hope and Love RWA chapter’s loop, or somewhere like that, that I could and should open my writing session with prayer and ask the Lord to help me write the story He wants me to write! Why didn’t I try it sooner? I don’t know, but things are sure going better now. I always pick up speed at the end, but I can sense a difference this time. I think it’s better. Hopefully my editor will agree!
Have you tried praying over the book you’re writing? I’m not saying it will guarantee a sale, if you’re as yet unpublished, but it sure will call down spiritual blessings on you as you write for Him!
I haven’t been reviewing books on my blog, but I’m delighted to make the very first one LinoreRoseBurkhard’s BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS, an inspirational Regency published by Harvest House.
BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS features a young, innocent heroine, ArianaForsythe, and a moody, irascible hero, PhillipMornay. This book will appeal to all who loved Mr.Darcy’s character in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, yet it goes on beyond that classic in that the book contains a faith journey as well. There’s the required ingredients that make a book a Regency—the clothing, the places—Carlton House, Vauxhall—Regency bucks and Prinny himself, but the ingredient of faith makes this book so much richer. Bravo, Linore!
I am beyond ecstatic to learn that there will be a sequel—THE HOUSE IN GROSVENOR SQUARE in April of 2009!
So how’s your Christmas shopping going? Are you about done, not even started? Don’t you hate that question, “Are you ready for Christmas” usually asked by the smug ones who are? (And were probably ready in July.)
This year I’m going especially crazy because my deadline for MARRYING MILLY is 1/15. I’ve done this before, shopping and deadlines at the same time, and each time I swear I’ll never let that happen again. But longer time to write the book means longer times between books, so that’s always what persuades me.
My days have assumed a rhythm (at least when I haven’t worked at the hospital the night before). Shop in the morning, write in the afternoon until supper time. I’m making steady progress on both fronts, but there’s still so much to do for both. And pretty soon I’m going to HAVE to start wrapping. I have two daughters, two sons-in-law, six grandkids, and a husband, and that’s a lot of wrapping. I guess I’ll do that in the evening….
How do you other savvy authors handle this?
Oh, by the way, I don’t want my blog always featuring my complaints about various businesses, but if you have to choose between ordering from Amazon online or Barnes and Noble, pick the latter. Their ordering procedures are much clearer, resulting in much less orders put through in spite of the fact you’ve decided to back out and not finalize the order. I’m just sayin’.
