This week I had to travel to Charlotte for work. I am generally fine with flying- the takeoffs and landings always sort of freak me out, but once we're in the air I'm content to just sit and read and try to ignore the inevitable screaming child directly behind me.
The flight home yesterday was rough, though. I'm not sure if I was just stressed out from the events of the day (big meeting, seeing my life flash before my eyes at least five times while my boss drove us around) or what, but I had a hard time relaxing on the plane. First of all, it was one of those tiny puddle jumper-types of planes, too small to even carry on luggage. I was uneasy about leaving my bag at the gate- I have an irrational fear of my luggage getting lost or someone taking mine by mistake. This has never happened to me, so I'm not sure what I'm always so nervous about it. Anyway, then we took off a little late into rainy and windy weather. It seemed like the plane had a difficult time climbing into the air- it kept dipping down and sounded like the engines were trying to hard to get us up. There were a few moments when I really thought the engines were going to give out and we were going to plummet to the earth. I was actually trying to calculate our chances of survival based on how high up we were.
Finally, we got to a good cruising altitude and I was able to try to ignore my nerves by getting absorbed in my book (The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta- so. good.). But then my ears were popping SO horribly that I became completely deaf a few times and I was certain my head was seconds away from exploding. That was new to me too- I think the fact that my allergies have my sinuses so jacked up now had something to do with it.
It was seriously the longest hour and thrity-seven minutes of my life. I'm not sure I've ever been happier to walk through my front door, even if I was greeted by a massive pile of cat vomit in the bedroom. Ah, home sweet home.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
bangs, day 56
Tonight I'm actually changing the hair up again, so why not post a before pic, right? It's been almost two months since I decided to start growing out the bangs, so here's where I'm at today:
Aren't they cute?? You can see more of her fantastic crafty creations at her Etsy shop- she's one part of The Lovely Wrecks along with her friend Brandi.
I have absolutely nothing else to report right now as far as writing goes. Things have literally been at a standstill because of all the crap going on- it was a rough week for us last week with two funerals in five days. The next month ahead is so busy that sometimes I feel like I want to throw up. And I shouldn't whine- most of it is fun, social stuff, after all. I just start to feel panicky when I don't have enough Josie time, I guess.
Oh yea, and by the way, I'm going blonde tonight. Yay.
They're growing, sure, but still at that awkward length- too short to really clip back, too long to leave down, oh and then there's that awesomely weird cowlick I now sport that makes it difficult to swoop them off to the side.
Sigh.
However, my good friend Holly provided me with some adorable bobby pins she made, so I will be sporting these soon enough:
Aren't they cute?? You can see more of her fantastic crafty creations at her Etsy shop- she's one part of The Lovely Wrecks along with her friend Brandi.
I have absolutely nothing else to report right now as far as writing goes. Things have literally been at a standstill because of all the crap going on- it was a rough week for us last week with two funerals in five days. The next month ahead is so busy that sometimes I feel like I want to throw up. And I shouldn't whine- most of it is fun, social stuff, after all. I just start to feel panicky when I don't have enough Josie time, I guess.
Oh yea, and by the way, I'm going blonde tonight. Yay.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
life gets in the way...
Life is getting in the way of my revisions. Like, for reals. Lately, by the time I sit down at night all I want to do is turn my brain OFF. Cranking up the lap top and being creative for an hour or two just hasn't been at the top of my list. And that, my friends, sucks big time. And it needs to change. I am truly excited to get it done, get it to my readers, and await their revisions and comments. So why the procrastination?
My theory is that I'm way more proud of this novel than my first one- and I was hella proud of that one. Just being able to say I FINISHED IT was amazing. I mean, I wrote a book. One of my lifelong goals was complete. Well, minus the whole getting-it-published thing. But with this one...this one I feel personally attached to. I've spend the past year and a half reading virtually nothing by YA novels and learning, learning, learning from them. I've absorbed so much from my favorite authors and want more than anything to be a part of their community. So this time, I'm afraid the rejections that will inevitably come pouring in will sting a lot more.
So, perhaps somewhat unconsciously, I'm putting off finishing it? Totally possible, I guess.
Anyway, I'm just under 100 pages into revisions, which means I'm halfway done. I'm hoping the second half goes a bit faster than the first, but I also know there's a lot to be cleaned up and added in that second half.
Sorry about the lack of blogging lately, too...I'm going to try to be better, I promise!
My theory is that I'm way more proud of this novel than my first one- and I was hella proud of that one. Just being able to say I FINISHED IT was amazing. I mean, I wrote a book. One of my lifelong goals was complete. Well, minus the whole getting-it-published thing. But with this one...this one I feel personally attached to. I've spend the past year and a half reading virtually nothing by YA novels and learning, learning, learning from them. I've absorbed so much from my favorite authors and want more than anything to be a part of their community. So this time, I'm afraid the rejections that will inevitably come pouring in will sting a lot more.
So, perhaps somewhat unconsciously, I'm putting off finishing it? Totally possible, I guess.
Anyway, I'm just under 100 pages into revisions, which means I'm halfway done. I'm hoping the second half goes a bit faster than the first, but I also know there's a lot to be cleaned up and added in that second half.
Sorry about the lack of blogging lately, too...I'm going to try to be better, I promise!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Just a tease...
I once read somewhere that you shouldn't post snippets of your work on your blog. I don't really remember what the reasoning behind it was, to be honest, but it freaked me out and I immediately deleted any posts I had with snippets from In My Mind's Eye.
However, this is MY blog. And shouldn't I feel free to post what I want to post? I mean, I'm not really worried about one of my readers stealing my ideas- and hey, if a snippet actually inspires someone else to write, isn't that a GOOD thing??
So, that being said, I'm going to say screw the rules and post a little teaser from After the Dream (still tentatively titled, as I mentioned before- I have another title in my mind that I think actually works better). This is one of my favorite parts of the story, where Ella and Riley really start to work together to learn about Anna's ghost's mystery. This chapter is about a third of the way into the book, from Ella's perspective.
I would love to know your thoughts! Questions, comments, concerns- although of course I won't be giving away any major spoilers. ;o)
Riley led me through the woods, holding back branches and stomping down brush for me as maneuvered his way expertly through them. Leaves danced frantically on the ground, trying to escape the relentless pull of the wind. I could taste snow in the air and buttoned my jacket all the way to my neck, shivering slightly. My hair whipped painfully around my face and kept getting stuck to my lips and eyelashes.
“It’s not much farther,” he assured me.
When Riley had called me this morning asking if I would come over, saying he wanted to show me some things to better explain his dreams, there was no way I could resist, especially after I’d committed myself to helping him on Friday night at Shelley’s. So that is why, on a very chilly Sunday afternoon, I was tromping through the woods with him, a little nervous and extremely cold.
I stumbled into him when he stopped suddenly at a small clearing. He appeared to be having some difficulty breathing as he looked around slowly, raising his face up to the sky.
“Riley?” I whispered, not sure what was going on. Or why I was whispering.
He turned to face me, only a few inches away. “This is it,” he said simply.
I took a step back and tried to see around him. “Um, what?” I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, besides the fact that the trees weren’t quite as dense in this particular area. A crow cawed loudly above us, disrupting the quiet. I jumped. I was completely on edge out here for some reason, buzzing with nervous energy.
Riley turned back around and focused on the ground a few feet in front of him. I followed his gaze and found a small, longish stone that looked out of place here, even though it was half-buried into the earth. I moved towards it and knelt down, scraping dirt and debris from it.
Anna Tomlinson
Beloved
I stared at it, willing the name to mean something to me. There were no dates on the headstone, no information other than “beloved”. I looked curiously up at Riley.
“Whose grave is this?” I asked. “Who’s Anna?”
Riley remained silent as he stared down at me, kneeling by the grave.
I stood up. “Okay, now you’re officially freaking me out again.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hugging myself.
Riley’s eyes were still on the grave. He shook his head as though shaking off a bad memory and finally looked up at me. “No. I mean, I’m sorry-“
“Just explain why you brought me into the middle of the woods to show me some random old grave, please?”
Riley seemed to be having a difficult time figuring out how to explain. It almost looked like he was about to lose consciousness; his eyelids kept fluttering as he struggled to form words.
“Anna…is…the girl…help…I have to help her,” he sputtered.
I glanced back down at the grave. “Um, I think you’re a little late to help her,” I said gently.
Riley plopped down on a fallen tree and held his head in his hands. “She’s the girl in my dreams. The one who’s trying to tell me something.”
However, this is MY blog. And shouldn't I feel free to post what I want to post? I mean, I'm not really worried about one of my readers stealing my ideas- and hey, if a snippet actually inspires someone else to write, isn't that a GOOD thing??
So, that being said, I'm going to say screw the rules and post a little teaser from After the Dream (still tentatively titled, as I mentioned before- I have another title in my mind that I think actually works better). This is one of my favorite parts of the story, where Ella and Riley really start to work together to learn about Anna's ghost's mystery. This chapter is about a third of the way into the book, from Ella's perspective.
I would love to know your thoughts! Questions, comments, concerns- although of course I won't be giving away any major spoilers. ;o)
* * * * * *
Riley led me through the woods, holding back branches and stomping down brush for me as maneuvered his way expertly through them. Leaves danced frantically on the ground, trying to escape the relentless pull of the wind. I could taste snow in the air and buttoned my jacket all the way to my neck, shivering slightly. My hair whipped painfully around my face and kept getting stuck to my lips and eyelashes.
“It’s not much farther,” he assured me.
When Riley had called me this morning asking if I would come over, saying he wanted to show me some things to better explain his dreams, there was no way I could resist, especially after I’d committed myself to helping him on Friday night at Shelley’s. So that is why, on a very chilly Sunday afternoon, I was tromping through the woods with him, a little nervous and extremely cold.
I stumbled into him when he stopped suddenly at a small clearing. He appeared to be having some difficulty breathing as he looked around slowly, raising his face up to the sky.
“Riley?” I whispered, not sure what was going on. Or why I was whispering.
He turned to face me, only a few inches away. “This is it,” he said simply.
I took a step back and tried to see around him. “Um, what?” I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, besides the fact that the trees weren’t quite as dense in this particular area. A crow cawed loudly above us, disrupting the quiet. I jumped. I was completely on edge out here for some reason, buzzing with nervous energy.
Riley turned back around and focused on the ground a few feet in front of him. I followed his gaze and found a small, longish stone that looked out of place here, even though it was half-buried into the earth. I moved towards it and knelt down, scraping dirt and debris from it.
Anna Tomlinson
Beloved
I stared at it, willing the name to mean something to me. There were no dates on the headstone, no information other than “beloved”. I looked curiously up at Riley.
“Whose grave is this?” I asked. “Who’s Anna?”
Riley remained silent as he stared down at me, kneeling by the grave.
I stood up. “Okay, now you’re officially freaking me out again.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hugging myself.
Riley’s eyes were still on the grave. He shook his head as though shaking off a bad memory and finally looked up at me. “No. I mean, I’m sorry-“
“Just explain why you brought me into the middle of the woods to show me some random old grave, please?”
Riley seemed to be having a difficult time figuring out how to explain. It almost looked like he was about to lose consciousness; his eyelids kept fluttering as he struggled to form words.
“Anna…is…the girl…help…I have to help her,” he sputtered.
I glanced back down at the grave. “Um, I think you’re a little late to help her,” I said gently.
Riley plopped down on a fallen tree and held his head in his hands. “She’s the girl in my dreams. The one who’s trying to tell me something.”
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Running Envy
I'm not going to lie: I'm totally jealous of people who can easily run a few miles. If you're one of those people I see effortlessly jogging along down the street, barely sweating or breathing heavily, I sort of hate you.
I don't know why I decided to put myself through the torture of attempting to run again. While I've, ahem, "let myself go" a bit these past few months, I still consider myself in fairly decent physical shape. However, nothing makes me doubt that more than when I hit the treadmill or the neighborhood streets for my walking/running intervals. I keep up a brisk walking pace without an issue, but when the voice in my ears prompts "RUN NOW" (I'm using the Couch to 5K program as a guide for now, but I'm stuck on week 2), I want to pass out and die after roughly 30 seconds. Seriously, why?? What is it about running that kills me??
Granted, I'm only getting out there about twice a week at best right now, but still, after about a month of this I would've thought I'd be getting better at it. Not. So. Much. Maybe I should just stick to spinning or pilates. Sigh.
Anyway, in writing news, I did manage to pound out a few revisions this past weekend, so I'm on my way. Revisions are the worst though, truly. I never feel completely DONE. Like, there's always a way to go back and make it even better.
I also wanted to say thanks to those of you who take a few minutes to read my ramblings. It's always the best feeling in the world when someone tells me they've read something I wrote and enjoyed it. The BEST feeling. So, thanks!!
I don't know why I decided to put myself through the torture of attempting to run again. While I've, ahem, "let myself go" a bit these past few months, I still consider myself in fairly decent physical shape. However, nothing makes me doubt that more than when I hit the treadmill or the neighborhood streets for my walking/running intervals. I keep up a brisk walking pace without an issue, but when the voice in my ears prompts "RUN NOW" (I'm using the Couch to 5K program as a guide for now, but I'm stuck on week 2), I want to pass out and die after roughly 30 seconds. Seriously, why?? What is it about running that kills me??
Granted, I'm only getting out there about twice a week at best right now, but still, after about a month of this I would've thought I'd be getting better at it. Not. So. Much. Maybe I should just stick to spinning or pilates. Sigh.
Anyway, in writing news, I did manage to pound out a few revisions this past weekend, so I'm on my way. Revisions are the worst though, truly. I never feel completely DONE. Like, there's always a way to go back and make it even better.
I also wanted to say thanks to those of you who take a few minutes to read my ramblings. It's always the best feeling in the world when someone tells me they've read something I wrote and enjoyed it. The BEST feeling. So, thanks!!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Bangs, Day 23
I feel like it's taking way longer than I ever remember it taking for my bangs to grow out this time. I've developed this weird cowlick thing on the right side of my forehead, making it almost impossible to swoop my bangs off to the left. This has never happened before. So yea. The growing-out process is very, very painful this time around. It's been over two weeks since my last hair post, and um, yea. They still seem pretty much the same length to me.
Also? For some reason, I'm so tired today I feel like my face is melting off. Our coffeemaker, our beloved Keurig, is broken at work so I had to stop for a giant coffee on my way in this morning.
Yes, the coffee is bigger than my head. Is necessary.
Happy Friday though!
Also? For some reason, I'm so tired today I feel like my face is melting off. Our coffeemaker, our beloved Keurig, is broken at work so I had to stop for a giant coffee on my way in this morning.
Yes, the coffee is bigger than my head. Is necessary.
Happy Friday though!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
It's Oh So Quiet...
Hmm. Perhaps I'll just starting using song titles for all my blog posts...now I totally have that Bjork song in my head...
Anyway, I feel like I've been on the quiet side lately, social media-wise and all. Hardly any blogs, tweets or status updates...I don't know. I'm just not feeling it right now. Sometimes the world doesn't need to know your every thought and move, right?
Well, plus I also just haven't done anything worth posting about. So there's that. Borrrrrr-ring.
I did manage to get through a few pages of revisions last week. I hated the beginning of the story- way too much background info right up front- so I cut a ton of stuff out and now need to figure out where to move it to within the bulk of the story. I know I also need to develop a couple characters a lot further- one of them being Anna, the ghost, who I added in my first revision. The other is Max, a secondary character who needs to play more of a role due to how I decided to end the story. So that'll take some work. And when I start, I know I'm going to want a few good solid hours to devote to it. I have a mini-spring break coming up next week, so hopefully I'll pound out several chapters' worth of revisions then.
For now, back to the quiet. Sometimes, I think you can hear a lot more when you just sit and listen to the silence.
Anyway, I feel like I've been on the quiet side lately, social media-wise and all. Hardly any blogs, tweets or status updates...I don't know. I'm just not feeling it right now. Sometimes the world doesn't need to know your every thought and move, right?
Well, plus I also just haven't done anything worth posting about. So there's that. Borrrrrr-ring.
I did manage to get through a few pages of revisions last week. I hated the beginning of the story- way too much background info right up front- so I cut a ton of stuff out and now need to figure out where to move it to within the bulk of the story. I know I also need to develop a couple characters a lot further- one of them being Anna, the ghost, who I added in my first revision. The other is Max, a secondary character who needs to play more of a role due to how I decided to end the story. So that'll take some work. And when I start, I know I'm going to want a few good solid hours to devote to it. I have a mini-spring break coming up next week, so hopefully I'll pound out several chapters' worth of revisions then.
For now, back to the quiet. Sometimes, I think you can hear a lot more when you just sit and listen to the silence.
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