Well. Rehearsal last night was...interesting. To say the least! :P By the end of one scene - Come With Me - I'm going to end up in a black bustier, boy brief underwear and a garter belt in the middle of a pile of people while we're supposedly having an orgy. Yeah. Onstage in front of all my friends (including my girlfriends from Bible study. Heh). I am sooooo glad my father lives across the country! But when I told my sister she threatened to find a cheap ticket and fly out here just so she could laugh at me - in a good way ;) It's not a turn-on, let me tell you, the only thing I'm thinking of is how much it's killing my back! Oh well. Pictures from this show will not be posted on my website (YA children's author).

Speaking of my book... I got the contract in the mail last night! I'm so glad I have an agent, none of it makes a shred of sense :) But it's a real, actual book contract. Hee hee hee. And it's all mine, baby!

I did a lot of critting today - I want to say four posts, but I'm not sure. And I read through more of eBear's Hammered (Mental vibe to Tor:publish this... Mental vibe to Tor: publish this....Mental vibe....) But my brain is fried in terms of my own writing, which is frustrating. I've done some editing, but no real "writing" in over a week! The show is just taking up too much of my time and energy, and I'm stuck research-wise on Magpie. But I'm usually more disciplined than this, so I'm feeling bad about myself right now :( I'm not sure what my next YA novel will be about, but maybe I should start trying to brainstorm it/let it come to me. I don't sit down to write books, I usually get grabbed by an idea, an opening line, a character, and told this is what I'm going to write next :) My subconscious has a mind of its own - and boy, isn't that a statement! :)

Woo hoo! Finished and posted revisions of Deep Enough. I'm not sure about the new section, we'll see what people think. Also critted three chapters (two of Trish's and one of Jon P.'s). So I'm feeling like a productive member of society today ;) Brought my print-outs of crits of Soul Stone in so that I can start working on revisions in the hour and a half I have to kill between work and rehearsals.

Actually managed to make it to work on time today. Wow. And had time to stop and pick up breakfast (OJ and a bagel). Huh. This might turn out to be a really good day! :P

So...
I went all the way out to Hyde Park only to find out I didn't have to be at rehearsals last night. Argh! That's ok, I got to watch CSI Miami instead :P Yup, total couch potato. I don't think I have a muscle in my body that isn't sore! But I'm excited because I just talked to my friend Scott and the theatre he works at really wants me to start teaching dance there. Woo hoo! Don't ask me how I'm going to fit it into my schedule...but I will! (sleep is overrated. really. and maybe if I say it enough time my body'll believe it :P)

I printed out Trish Cramer's three latest chapters and did my first read-through of them. I'm really enjoying her story (Keelie Queen, for those of you on the workshop), I just wish for her sake it wasn't so close to Robin Hobb's Assassin series in some ways. Because I think that will make it difficult for her to sell it, but it's definitely publishable (IMO).

And I also started revisions of Deep Enough (originally titled Sorrow of Earth). Most were small nitpicks from reviewers, but very helpful, but I'm struggling with the ending. I think I want to expand it, have a scene with her mother's reaction to finding the pot. Anyone out there have any thoughts on this? But I have to say I'm proud of the story, I think it's definitely the best short I've ever written, which is exciting. Improvement is a good thing :) But that means I want it *perfect* before I sub it. Because I think it may have a shot at a pro sale, and that would just be too cool for words :P

Talked to my sis on the phone, giggly girl-talk. We're both having guy issues, and parts of our conversation felt like weird flashbacks to high school! Is it that we never grow up, or that men never do? ;) Also made plans to meet a girlfriend for lunch this Thurs., and another friend on Sunday (which I have off from rehearsal) for a big 'ol Irish breakfast with Jen and a friend of hers who's in town from Dublin. (I don't care about the food. As long as there's plenty of coffee, it's a good breakfast to me!). Am listening to the soundtrack from the show and singing along (quietly) to practice. It's great music, but some of the harmonies are tough. Esp. when you're up on stage and no one standing near you is singing the same note! :P It means I really, really need to know the music.
That's it for today, going to go back to revising Deep Enough. Wish me luck!
- D

Wow! My first blog entry. This is kind of scary ::grin:: So, let me talk about writing...
Spent all day online - er - working, really, boss, I promise :P - trying to find a book called "The Jurchen in 12th Century China" by Professor Jing-shen Tao. It was published in 1975 and is out of print. I'm having the devil of a time finding the historical research I need for my next book (which I want to set in an alternate-Chinese world, but would like all the details to be as accurate as possible) and it's driving me batty! It's not on bookfinder.com, or any of the other sites I usually use. Argh!
Critted three posts on the workshop. (Pat on back). Taught a kick-boxing class on my lunch break, then a fifteen minute ab class. And this after rehearsals from 12-7 on Sat. and 12-6 on Sun. (flexes muscles) I'm superwoman! Well...not really...talk to me after rehearsal tonight and see how I'm doing then. Then again, I doubt I'll be able to talk! :P
Talked with the guy who's designing my website (which I will link this to when it's up) about cost, etc., and am really excited. The goal is to have it up by the 21st of March (opening night for the show - which, for those who're interested, is called The Wild Party, and I'm in the ensemble as a flapper. I hope I get a cool costume). Because my friend Scott twisted my arm (it's still sore, he's strong! Which might be why he's playing a pugilist in the show...does a great job of pretending to be a moron, too. And if he reads this he's gonna kill me! hee hee) and told me to put an ad in the program. They're cheap, so if the site isn't up in time, I'll have an ad for a website that doesn't exist. Only me! ;) So, yeah, thus ends my first blog post. Hope whoever reads this at least finds it entertaining! Cya later -
D