Resolve!

It's a good time to think about New Years resolutions, even though I rarely make them and indeed, in some ways they sound like good ways to disappoint oneself and beat oneself up when they fail, but whatever.

That's why I'm not coming up with anything like losing 10 pounds or quitting smoking, even though these should be on my list. Sure, I am going to be better about working out (even though it's quite clear it eats into my writing/blogging/reading time, dammit), and unfortunately, I have been stubborn about even the thought of quitting smoking (remember when every self-respecting writer ran around with a cigarette hanging out their mouth?) but anyway.

So here's my first thought of a resolution for 2005: get a piece published for money! Even if it's just $10.

Okay, so it's a flawed resolution in the sheer fact that I have no control over who publishes any of my pieces or under what terms. In fact, my publication record is still spotty; even though I did get 4 pieces published in 2003, with 3 of them being published almost simultaneously, 2004 proved to be a bit of a dry spell, with only one publication credit sneaking in at the last minute, accepted in December! So, my resolution could easily fail and I could most certainly not get anything accepted all year.

But anyway, it's as good as any and will be fun to revisit, say, on the brink of NYE a year from today. (If, of course, we're not wiped out by tsunamis. I'm sure that most of us are thinking about the fragility of life after this past week's events.)

Anyway, I'd be glad to hear of any other resolutions anybody has! And, like I said, totally understand if you're one of those people who's resolved to be non-resolute for the New Year.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

Still

The week between Christmas and New Years is so weird. You have this vague feeling the holidays are still going on; even though I was at work, we were operating with a bit of a skeleton crew although my "fan" email was pouring in. (Readers can write to me about the articles I write for my day job, so I'm fairly exposed; this is sometimes not so pleasant, it's not uncommon to get "flamed," although I got a lot of very kind emails today -- phew!) So, that said to me lots of people were just kinda sitting at their computers reading stuff on the Internet, since there was such a flood of email today. Limbo, I tell you!

What's my point? I have no point. I'm in a bit of a limbo too (although yesterday during a little spell of time all to myself, I did start a new short story, so that's good -- like 10 pages just flowed out). We have our houseguest here again, so we just got done watching some movies. Unless my roommate and my houseguest will acquiesce to me reading to them (haha, not gonna happen), I'm not getting any reading done tonight.

But I was wondering, does anybody have any tips for paying markets that are open to new writers? I have a bunch of stories submitted to markets that don't pay, but I always like to have a few submitted to paying markets as well. I know it's greedy of me, but man, I really want a new iBook and it's nice to have that little glimmer of hope that there could be some supplementary income. (Dream on, I know.)

I hope everybody's having a great week, and I hope most of you are still on holiday!

LLB

The Mysterious Guest

Another bit of Christmas booty was a hardback edition of Dracula, illustrated by Edward Gorey. Cool! I never met an Edward Gorey illustration I didn't like.

The edition also has some good aside information, including the short story, Dracula's Guest, which was intended to be a chapter in the book but was excised, as far as scholars can tell.

There was also a photograph of Bram Stoker's chapter outline for the book.

How cool is that. Part of me thinks that's something that we're kind of missing out on these days, what with computers and technology... the puzzle pieces that people put together after our demises, trying to piece together the artistic flow of creation, what with reams of handwritten scraps and such. Most of us, were we to excise a chapter, it would get "cut" so simply and just disappear into ether. I used to keep all drafts before word processing, and then, even when I graduated to computing, I'd still keep four or five drafts as the story took shape, so I would actually know what thoughts had gone into the piece from the very beginning of its birth.

However, I've gotten lazy about that lately -- like I said, cutting bits and letting them disappear, never to be remembered again. However, in the long run, I wouldn't trade all the things about technology that make writing a much easier task than before. And of course, it's not so likely that people, generations from now, would have any interest in what the stages of my creations were! But it's always fun to dream.

Write on,

LLB

Christmas Poison??

Amongst my most interesting presents this year was one from my cousin, The Little Book of Venom, which is a book of historical insults from historical figures. (I'm not exactly sure what she's trying to say, hahaha.)

Interestingly, while the book consists of chapters of topics (i.e., On Art, or On Music), the section entitled On Writers is the longest chapter in the book. By far!

It seems that historically speaking, anyway, what (or who) is "good" and what is intolerable has been a major bone of contention in literature. And I guess that's not surprising. Needless to say, the romantics took a lot of flak in this book (most particularly, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley), and even Shakespeare is reviled by some of the notables quoted in the book. (In this day and age, would any of us dare to take on Shakespeare? I think not.)

None of the quotes are regarding or from our own contemporaries. I suppose one day there will be a 22nd Century version of a Little Book of Venom and I'm betting it will contain quotes on some of our current notables, like King, Oates, Updike, and even Dan Brown -- if Brown doesn't simply sink into oblivion. See, there's some venom now!

Maybe someday I'll post some of the zingers.

I hope you all found inspiration under the mistletoe, or under the tree, or wrapped up in a stocking, or even just chillin' in the cold air outside.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

Ugh

I know I've said in the past that Novel & Short Story Writer's Market is a great resource but man, I feel like they issue it every year without being very careful about updating their entries. I have definitely run across a few magazines that have stopped publishing that are listed in there (of course, that's not exactly uncommon in the industry) but I feel like I've run across enough fallacious entries to wonder just how careful they are.

Today I thought I'd send a story to a magazine that looked promising, but when I visited the magazine's web site it turns out that instead of reading from Sept 1 through Jan. 31, they only read from Sept. 1 until December 1, so I missed that short window. (I guess short submission windows at magazines is another rant for another day.)

Anyway, I guess this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This is the latest issue and I have found enough wrong entries that I felt like blogging about it. I guess the paranoid thought (what a nice thought for the season) is, wow, it would be sooooo easy to just publish that thing each year with minimum research. (Truth is, if they were well staffed enough they could do a boatload of the research on the Internet, like I just did, for God's sake.) Publishing it every year and then get poor suckers like me to pay for it every year. Or, you could also spin it as a dinosaur, where your own electronic research ends up being better than the book. (Ten years ago, it was a lot harder to find markets -- thus the then-usefulness of this particular resource.)

So maybe I should have an addendum to this, that it's a good resource to start with but by no means, the end-all, be-all. God knows I've found plenty of markets just from talking to you guys through blogs -- that aren't in N&SSWM.

Have great holidays, everyone!

LLB

Last Minute!

It's the day before Christmas Eve and I've still got last-minute stuff to do. I took today off to do this last-minute stuff, but right now I can hear the sound of cars driving through the rain... great. That'll make my mall excursion even more enjoyable, ha. Our houseguest has been back again, so I haven't really been doing all the things I like to do, like writing, reading, and blogging, but it's good to catch up with old friends.

So anyway, the upshot is, I haven't been doing much writing or reading lately. And this blog is likely going to be on somewhat of a hiatus for the next couple days since I'll be going to my family's place later tonight, till Christmas evening.

Hope everybody's getting more literary stuff done than I am! Anyway, I hope you're all having joyous holidays.

Write on,

LLB

Harry Christmas

So, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is set to arrive in stores on July 16, 2005. Pre-orders started today. What do you guys think? Will it be as much of a success as it was in the past?

I have to admit, I've read all the books and I'm marginally hooked on them, although the ever-growing size of the tomes has been sort of getting to me. The fifth book had entire passages that I thought a good editor could have knocked off (given the idea that reading that book was sort of like dealing with 10-pound weights). There were some passages that seemed extraneous. At times it dragged. And of course, I was none too happy with who that major character was who died.

But, no matter. I'm still hooked and I do expect to read the sixth book. I'm just wondering if anyone thinks the fervor might die down. Aftr all, this book doesn't have the hook of "a major character" kicking the bucket to buoy it quite so much. There's also Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell to contend with.

Thought I'd throw it out there. Do we think the rather insane frenzy (kids up past bedtimes, launch parties, costume events) will continue? Will it ever die down? Maybe not.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

It's in the Cards

You know, you'd think that the holiday season would be a great one for writers, what with all this card writing nonsense (one of the few realms left where snail mail rules), but man. I get more and more tired of doing Christmas cards every year.

My hand gets in a cramp from old-fashioned pen-and-ink handwriting, and I get utterly frustrated by the people who I realize have moved within the last year or two, who I need to hunt down addresses for. Then there are the people who are procreating and I (shamefully) have forgotten the names of their new offspring. Meanwhile, it gets harder and harder to think of something creative and interesting to say so each card becomes in effect a form letter.

It's too bad. Maybe I should start thinking about starting the whole process in say, October. (Like when I should start my Christmas shopping, but never do!) Maybe then each card could have some heartfelt message written with the utmost hand-written care. (We all know this is not going to happen.)

Do you guys send out holiday cards? I know that a lot of people have given up on it in this day and age. However, I have to admit, I always enjoy finding cards that I like to send. (This year, I was very excited to have found Edward Gorey Christmas cards, to put in my lineup. Of course, that was the box I ran out of quickly.)

In the end, there are always the people whose cards still remain unaddressed who I am trying to find out their addresses (I have a few of those now). And of course there are the tons of people who aren't in my address book to begin with, so I just have to hope they know I am wishing them happy holidays. Why do I torment myself with this year after year? Okay, I sort of enjoy it and like getting cards. It's the spirit of Christmas.

Write on,

LLB

Irrational Fear of the Day

Carpal tunnel syndrome.

Actually, it's not just today that I fear it. Every once in a while the idea will freak me out. Judging by the fact that my entire career -- day job writing, and part-time fiction writing, careers -- rely on me being able to type and type fast. Yes, it scares me.

I know it's of grave concern to non-writers too. Given the ubiquity of computers these days, the keyboard's king. I'm thinking it's a disability of utmost concern to programmers, too.

I know that there will probably be ways to speak words into electronic files (I mean, we can do it now, I think, though I think voice recognition is still pretty rudimentary technology), but I've always done better with the written word than the spoken word. My writing relies on me being able to flow it onto the screen, and then play with it there too. Things that come out of my mouth are rarely very literary.

Anyway. Any other irrational fears that have to do with writing? I just thought I'd share mine, seeing how whenever I get a twinge in my wrist I get a little freaked out ("It has begun!").

Write on,

LLB

Scary!

Well, actually, not so scary. Or maybe it is. Dunno. I have had my one horror story (the one that's currently being marketed) accepted by TheHarrow, and it will be published in the January issue. Yay!

The downside (not that it's a downside) is that the reviewer and the editor have suggested some changes for it, although the final decision was to accept it as is.

Needless to say I'm excited about this development. However, I do have to put my thinking cap on over the weekend as I mull over their feedback and try to decide whether to change it or to leave it as is. I think I can address at least one of their concerns with some changes.

So, now that I've returned pretty early from my evening's activities, I think I will retire to read some more Dhalgren. I must say, I'm as addicted to it as some people are addicted to Friday night happy hours. And I'd rather tackle any revisions when I have a fresher mind than on a Friday night after a full day of work and several activities afterwards... quite a whirlwind.

Write on,

LLB

Whew!

Sorry to have taken a little break here, a friend of mine has been in town after a 3-year absence, due to the downward spiral of substance abuse. (His, not mine. I've already said in the past I've ditched my chemical demons long ago, though maybe not the psychological ones.) He's now in recovery, so it's definitely a happy homecoming. He brought a huge pile of books for the perusing (he works in a bookstore now) and we've been doing a lot of catching up.

For all that it's a difficult way to go -- the whole substance abuse cycle followed by a complete revamping of one's life, which is irreversibly changed of course, but to my way of thinking, for the better, a way to purge and rebuild -- my big load of advice has been: WRITE A NOVEL.

Hell, it could be an epic. Everything that led up to the substance abuse, the crazy stories, and the road to recovery.

After all, novels are built of adversity. Conflict is a strong creative force. Even if it's just to take a painful incident -- something you know from experience -- and create something with beauty or resolution.

The latest issue of Poets & Wriers had a feature about John Gardner. An interesting quote: "Gardner asserts in On Moral Fiction that every artist works from a psychic 'wound.' Though woundedness, Gardner writes, is part of the human condition -- perhaps a first cousin to original sin -- the artist's sense of woundedness is usually magnified by life events or circumstances." (Article by David M. Stanton.)

Okay, regardless of whether you agree (and honestly, I've never read Gardner), it's an interesting thought. It continues to be the advice I have -- take those negative experences and turn them into a work of art.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

Names

I'm getting deeper into Dhalgren, but thought I'd broach the subject of names for characters in short stories (for those of you who write them). How do you choose them? I have to admit, I sometimes use a baby name book -- I have a few of these floating around (the one I had in college, one of my sick, twisted boyfriends cut the ear off the baby on the cover, for some strange reason), and then I can look up cool stuff, like what a character's name means, symbolically (like "he who scampers barefoot over the moors at night"). (Although I have to admit, I have been winging it with character names lately.)

The funny part of this is, the friends who don't know me extremely well (or don't think too hard about what it is I do with much of my spare time when I'm being a shut in) are probably really, really curious as to why on earth a single woman who is currently not even remotely dating would have a baby name book just lying around. In fact, it would probably scare the hell out of prospective male companions (and hmm, perhaps scared the hell out of the most recent ones, come to think of it, if they were even paying enough attention to notice one in my pile of books near my bookshelf).

And while we're speaking of fictional characters' names, I have a weird glitch. I have this propensity for wanting to name female characters "Jade." It's happened repeatedly, and then I think, "nah, this chick isn't Jade," and then I do a find/replace and change the name before final draft. Because the real Jade is going to have to be the last Jade. Dunno -- it's kind of weird.

So anyway, I'd love to hear others' methods for choosing names or if it's just random luck of the draw. (When you start to have a body of work, it gets a little daunting, and I try to steer clear of the most common names.) Also, if anybody has a particular fixation on a particular name, like I happen to have.

Write on,

LLB

Not So Astonishing, But Solid

I have finished McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories, and while I think it was good (and sure, worth the $13.95 it cost), it wasn't all that astonishing in the long run.

When I read Stephen King's Lisey and the Madman, I got this whole eerie feeling, like, whoa boy, I'm in for it now, but then after that, it never quite delivered, even though Poppy Z. Brite was still to come.

Her story, The Devil of Delery Street, was good, and had a split second of scariness, but then kind of faded out for me. (Maybe I couldn't have handled it if it had gotten any more scary, but anyway.) The Miniaturist, by Heidi Julavits, was very well written and a good read, with some chills, but I sort of felt like I knew where it was going which gave me an inward groan.

Delmonico, by Daniel Handler, was solid, I thought, although perhaps most interesting was the fact that he is allegedly Lemony Snicket.

One of my favorite stories was Vivian Relf, by Jonathan Lethem. It was only a little bit odd, but made one think of the synchronicities of life. Maybe everybody's in your life for a reason -- but what if you don't realize how important until too late?

Creepy and disturbing was Jason Roberts' 7C and Roddy Doyle's The Child. Another creepy one: Minnow by Ayelet Waldman. I enjoyed The Scheme of Things, by Charles D'Ambrosio, very much.

So okay, perhaps it wasn't as unrelentingly creepy, mind-blowing, or "astonishing" as I thought it would be. There is a tinge of disappointment for some reason, I guess I was sort of expecting stuff that would keep me up all night. But, if you're looking for a nice stocking stuffer or some good reading for long winter nights, it's a pretty solid choice.

I've started in on Dhalgren by Samuel Delany, which Hebdomeros recommended, and it's a long book but so far, very impressive and I feel like through it, I will somehow transcend a lot of the usual tenents of fiction, which is very exciting. So, it might be a while before I comment on new reading!

Hope you've all had great weekends!

LLB

Not Retreating

Okay, my mountain trip was canceled due to inclement weather. So, here I am on the computer.

So I was wondering, do you guys fold the corners down on your books to save your place? I would never do that on a book that's a loan or from the library, but I've been known to do it to my own books. I had a professor in college, who, despite being a mentor, which she really was, made me feel like an evil person for doing that, though I'm not sure what the big deal is when it's your own book.

When I borrow a book from someone else, I'm careful not to even bend the spine, though.

But anyway, I thought it was a funny question for a rainy day. To fold or not to fold? That is the question.

More later.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

Retreating

So it seems no one read The Fig Eater. Or perhaps, everybody's disgusted with me for my admission that I just didn't get the end of that damn book. ;)

It is definitely time to crash and burn tonight, I refuse to be up till 1am which is the usual situation. I'm almost out of cigarettes and it's a cold, rainy, dreary night, and perfect for that warm place I call a bed. I will be traveling over the weekend to my family's mountain retreat where hopefully, I'll get some good reading done and so I will be duly unplugged. (No, it's not a cabin that we go to, even though it sounds like it. I am not a cabin type of chick, screw that. However, the house is very remote and I generally get a little bit spooked. It would be the perfect setting for an alien landing. And a good place to read, and sleep.) Here's to unplugging.

Anyway, I'll catch you guys on Sunday and here's hoping you all have great weekends!

Write on,

LLB

Figs

Okay, so I'm rehashing something I read quite some time ago. Because I was in my roommate's room bitching about something earlier tonight and I happened to see her copy on her bookshelf, and it jogged my memory over one of my more frustrating reads of the last year or so, since it was highly recommended.

Did anyone read The Fig Eater? I liked it just okay, and remember thinking I felt like the author (Jody Shields, I believe?) tried a wee bit too hard.

And if anyone would like to enlighten me on what the ending actually meant, I'd so appreciate it. I remember feeling like I'd marched all the way through the book only to reach an abstract ending that I didn't quite "get," and since there are so many well-read people here, I thought somebody could help me out with this one.

LLB

Ouch

Here's a good link for us writers.

Story? What Corporate America Can't Build: A Sentence.

I'm sure some of us have encountered this sort of thing in the workforce, and I've even encountered some writers and editors who couldn't write and edit, over the long(ish) course of my career. I had one executive editor who had a bad habit of inserting typos into copy that was just about ready for blue lines. Scary stuff, really.

Perhaps those of us who can clearly communicate and even do so without typos or grievous grammatical errors will one day be given the respect we deserve!

LLB

Rock and Roll!

I went to see the Pixies last night, and I guess I jinxed it with my last blog post, because they did not play "Into the White," which I had hoped for. Oh well... It was a great show, although I must say there were certain surreal elements, like the fact that the venue I was at was selling cotton candy, lemondade and sno-cones.

However, Pixies rocked -- there were a few times when they weren't so tight, though whatever. It's the Pixies, dammit. The tee-shirts say "Pixies Sellout Tour," which cracks me up. I had a great time, even though I feel decadent, having taken off work in the beginning of the week so that I could travel to see the show and see my friends, which was nice too -- hanging with friends, and like I said, the open road. Oh well, December's a slow time at work, anyway, and I can say I've gone out and done something fun. Although I do have to say, I am really beginning to feel my age, seeing how I was totally exhausted today and the ride back to my friends' house (100 miles or so?) was brutal after the show... however, despite my advanced age, I still don't use ear plugs. ;) I'm probably just a little more deaf today.

I read a little further in McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber... hopefully soon I will finish with it, in order to review it here.

Hope everyone's having a great week!

LLB

Into The White

I am going down south to Richmond today, to see some friends and go with them to see the Pixies (as well as see their lovely little girl -- who is 3 and not going to the concert, although they did take her to see Fugazi once, with earplugs). I feel a bit rebellious, taking 2 days off work to go to a concert. Oh well, you're only "young" once. (Haha, actually, this is maybe, you're only young "twice," since the Pixies are a band I loved in my youth and only this year ever embarked on a reunion tour.) I'm looking forward to having a bunch of CDs, the open road (after all, it won't be rush hour) and the promise of a good show and good times before me.

Catch you all tomorrow,

LLB

Tarot Trends

So, one of my rejected stories was rejected, in part, because of the presence of a fortune teller in the opening pages.

I was told that several other submissions to the magazine featured fortune tellers, and the editor was leery about having fortune teller overload in the magazine. Or maybe he was burnt out on fortune tellers or was trying to think of a polite out, ha.

But anyway, when I checked out Oyster Boy Review, lo and behold, there was a tarot card passage in The Power of the Universe is in the Mind, by Jeff Moss. (Different magazine than the one that rejected me, just to clarify.)

Wow. I wonder what the deal is with all the fictional fortune telling? It makes you wonder what's up with the collective unconscious that so many writers are apparently creating characters that are seeking out psychics, tarot cards, and the like to untangle the tangled webs they've woven.

Anyway, I don't know what this trend might be saying, if anything at all, but I thought it was interesting.

Write on, peeps,

LLB

Oyster Time

Hebdomeros had mentioned Oyster Boy Review so I went and checked it out yesterday.

I enjoyed it very much right off the bat, having read The Everything-Goes Garage Sale of My Love, by A.C. Koch, and The Power of the Universe is in the Mind, by Jeff Moss.

So yeah, check it out, although submitting there isn't an option at the moment. I checked out the guidelines and fiction submissions are closed until January 2005 (they've been closed since September). It's not the first time in the last six months or so that I've run across lit mags that have said "enough already" -- that they're so inundated with submissions -- can you say "backlog" -- that they need to call a time out. (Although, when I read further down, it looks like this magazine only reads nine months of the year anyway.) At any rate, at least January is less than a month away, for those who are so inclined.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

Check It Out

Speaking of online zines, if you get a chance, check out JMWW, Jen's quarterly journal -- the winter issue is live!!! There's some great stuff there!

Hope you're all having great weekends,

LLB

Astonishing?

I've started in on McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories. I'm about 125+ pages in and it's starting to scare me. So, I'm not sure "astonishing" is the right adjective for the title.

For the most part, the stories have been good so far. However, I guess the first 80 or so pages were stories that were just weird, thought provoking, strange, creepy. (Some of them were kind of slow, though, the types of stories that don't really have a punch till the end.) However, and will wonders never cease, Stephen King's short story, "Lisey and the Madman," actually scared me. Not in a "BOO" kinda way but in a slow, creepy kind of way, like if you think about it too much you might not sleep too well. (And for someone who keeps a drinking glass by the bed at night, it didn't go over so well for me.)

I had kind of thought that I was too old to get that creeped out by Mr. King, but I guess not. I have a feeling it's gonna get scarier too. (Is it "scarier" or "more scary"? Anyway, you guys know what I mean.) We'll see.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

More Vampy Stuff

Okay, so back to Vamped, by David Sosnowski. I do really recommend it, for being a fun read and a quick read, too. Sosnowski did such a great job of creating a world where vampires are the majority, unlike the usual fare, where vampires are edge dwellers, creatures of the night, a deadly minority.

So, indeed, humans are rare, and most vampires in this alterior universe are "bottle fed," but Sosnowski's Marty the vampire encounters a human little girl. (As one quote on the back of the book reads, he's merged two of the most terrifying characters in literature, a vampire and a little girl.)

Whether this ends up one long cookbook, well, I'll let you read it and find out if you're so inclined. It's a vastly entertaining book, just for a few laughs, even though I felt a teensy bit like it ran out of steam in the second half and the author had to call out for reinforcements, so to speak. But in the long run, it's rewarding; it's about consumerism, but moreover, family and love in a new realm where family and love have been obliterated, and morality. Interesting stuff, even if you're not usually a fan of "vampire books."

Thanks again to Brian of Bibliotechno for the recommendation.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

A Magazine? What's That?

I ran across an interesting factoid yesterday while I was surfing for research at work. According to a survey conducted by the Online Publishers Association, in September, persons 18 to 34 years old were more likely to log onto the Internet (46%) than watch TV (35%), read a book (7%), listen to the radio (3%), read a newspaper (also 3%) or peruse a magazine (less than 1%).

Okay, so that tells us where our priorities lie. Ha. It might also answer that occasional question about the future of literary magazines, whether there's room for both print and electronic, etc.

Regardless, though, as with any survey, one must wonder who exactly answered the questions and how they were picked (it is, after all, the Online Publishers Association).

At any rate, those of us who are aggressively pursuing the Internet markets for our work are obviously on the right track, although some things remain to be ironed out, such as the ezines coming up with ways to market themselves, prove quality, pay us poor starving writer suckers, and reach more people (always a difficulty with print pubs, which I think for so many years had a tendency to stay local or to have severely limited distribution sheerly from lack of exposure, funds, etc.).

Lots of food for thought there, but of course, plenty of ways to blow some holes in the premise, too. I just thought it was worth a post.

Thanks for reading,

LLB

Get Vamped

Okay, I have finished Vamped and my thought for the evening is, get vamped. It's such a fun read, really clever, even for those of you who might not generally be too excited about a vampire novel. (And we all have heard of those supposed editors who would rather cut off their right pinky than look at a vampire manuscript. Screw them!)

I'll probably post more later, like as in, tomorrow or the next day, but I've gotta get off this damn computer. As always, it's ridiculously late for a work night, it's past my bedtime. (Not really, that's a total figure of speech. I seem to always go to bed between 12:30 and 1am, but hell, this is something I'm desperately trying to change, dammit.)

Good night! (Or good morning, or good day, whatever the case may be!)

LLB