Faith's Enclave News

As I plan for my trip across the midwest, all the way to the lower Rockies, I've had a few thoughts. So, randomly....

1. The price of gas in an RV will totally suck. Don't ask the MPG. I won't tell. Except to say it'll cost us 5 bucks to get out of town.

2. I have lots of cute summer clothes to wear. But that means I have to lug them to the RV. And -- drumroll -- I've lost 5 of the 15 pounds I gained and I look better in the clothes.

3. Dinkums is become much more demanding. Whining for attention -- which he is getting BTW. Barking when he is ready to eat or when I run up stairs for a sceond. (He now thinks he should come with me everywhere.) I wonder how he will handle the trip as a solo dog.

4. Delta will not be with us on this trip. She used to lay on the dash, watching the world go by, barking at cows. She knew we didn't like her to bark. So, she taught herself to *silent bark*. She would make the barking motions, but no sound would come out. And... Delta will not be with us. No dash-dog...

5. Mom is better, finally. Whoowhoo! I feel I can leave safely, with her getting well.

6. All the deadlines (including the 2 I didn't remember I'd have. Oiy) will be finished today. I can really relax and write if I get in the mood, laptop propped on my lap in the passenger seat, watching the world go by.

7. Still need to go to the bookstore and WalMart for trip supplies.

8. Need money. Here's hoping a writing check will come this week. I have three due, but they usually take forever, you know?

9. Painted the livingroom. It is so pretty I want to sit in there and enjoy. Instead I'm taking off. The house sitter will like it, I suppose.

10. Hummm. This is why I didn't make this the top ten of anything. I don't have a number 10.

Random thoughts done.  Back to deadlines

Faith

Lunch today with Tamar Myers was so much fun. We chatted for 90 minutes, and compared notes on the pub industry from a mystery genre standpoint (which is very different from the fantasy genre). It is changing all the time and the shifts in the market make writing mystery like walking on quicksand.

Tamar had just returned from Isreal, and she brought me a 2000 year old Roman shirt (toga?) clasp. I am going to make a killer necklace out of it!

More later,
Faith

wooowhoowhoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I finished my short story for the anthology STRANGE BREW (with Jim Butcher as headliner).

I am celebrating!

One deadline to go, the rewrite of Skinwalker.

Vacation looms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Faith

I blogged at 
magicalwords.net
today.
This is a group blog by David B Coe, Misty Massey, C.E. Murphy, and me.
All about writing.
Visit us today!
Faith

The rest did wonders for me. Hubby and I took theLower Green in the two-man inflatable ducky. The water was running at 100% according to the dam that feeds it, which means that one sluice was open. Last time we ran it, there were two sluices open, and the river was running at 200%.  The wording and the percentages seem wrong, but then I am not an engineer. To me, 100% would mean that all sluies are open. Anyway, the run was much less challenging this time and I liked it better. Next time I run it? It won't be challenging enough! I'll be ready for the 200%, which means I'll need to go up after a hard rain.

After the full Lower run, we still had plenty of time until the dam shut off, so hubby and I ran the last mile, or mile and a half, in our hard boats -- kayaks. I *loved* it! It was so freaking much fun! Not that there are anything but Class II rapids on the Lower Green, but it was just challenging enough for this noob.  And I am ready to do it again!

We had a wonderful time!

On the way home we stopped at an outlet and I bought two new rugs, black and brown, in the same style as the black and brown and burgundy rug in the dining room. Now, the living room and the foyer look so fresh and new! I love it!

So -- today I wrote 11 pages (so far) and am ready to put this baby to bed!

Later, Ya'll!
Faith

This morning I went to the doctor, and there was was a mix up in their apt. system and I didn't get in. I was totally ticked off. That is today's kvetch session, which seems relatively painless for you guys. At the time I was fuming. Good thing I didn't blog then...

After that debacle, I had lunch with Tamar Myers, my bestest pal / mystery writer. If you haven't read her cosy mysteries you are missing a laugh a minute. She and I eat at the Cracker Barrell once a month, except in December, and talk about all things publishing and books. And we laugh. And I relax, which is why you guys got off so easy on the kvetching portion of today's blog.

Later today...I'm going to take off more time to relax. You, know. Because of the deadlines. Counter-intuitive? Yes. It is. But it is fact too. If I don't relax I'l never meet the deadlines. So, tonight, hubby and I are heading to the Green River to run the Lower section in our two-man ducky and our kayaks all day tomorrow.  Whoowhoo!

Later guys!

Faith

Just a few thoughts on the perfect agent, from my perspective.  I know writers who need a hand-holding agent, one who calls every couple of weeks to chat, to pass along news about the publishing world.  This is what I call a warm-and-fuzzy agent.  Not for me.

I have two agents and both understand I don't need hand-holding, but one agent is decidedly *not* a warm-and-fuzzy kinda a guy.  He's... different.  The other is warmer and fuzzier, but still knows I don't need much attention.  So, what do I want in the perfect agent?

1.  Agent who reads everything I write and *gets* it.

2.  Works like a dog to get it published.

3.  If he/she doesn't get it, then sends me to an agent friend who might.

4.  Gives me ideas for PR.  (Not my best thing, PR.)

5.  Knows people in New York.  Important publishing industry people.  And they like him/her.

6.  Knows important people on the west coast.  Important movie industry people.  And they like him/her.

7.  Has no people he/she hates in the industry (neither east or west coast) and no feuds ongoing.

8.  Has good manners and no drinking/gambling/drug problem.

9.  Has a good rep in the industry.  Has important clients and makes a living on selling writing.

10.  Okay, a little hand holding is nice...

Do I have this?  Oh yeah!  Especially between the two of them.  Even better?  One agent is also a published writer and knows the business from two fronts.
I am blessed.
Faith

Anyway, being in the cold water makes me really focus in on thoughts about a water mage who keeps a pool in her back yard, and from which she borrows heat or cold to power incantations. Lots of room in the water mage category for good short stories. Maybe I'll write one over the holidays!

And -- about books to read over the holidays, if you want to laugh till you cry, take a gander at Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe. The first 60 pages are a little slow, but the last 200 are a laugh-till-you-cry delight.

Happy Turkey Day All!

Faith Hunter

Misty posted recently about writing about 8 personal random things. It's been preying on my mind.
...8 personal, random things?

1.  My new book is out -- new age fantasy, or dark urban fantasy, take your pick. Seraphs, book two in the Rogue Mage series. It makes my stomach hurt to think about it.

2. I just lost my editor. She went to another house and I'm orphaned.  Again. Sigh... 

3. I own orchids. Two of mine are in bloom and are stunning. And thanks to the gift of a friend, I have flowers all over the house this week. It is wonderful!

4. I want a pair of shiny gold boots and a new necklace to go with them. I'll make the necklace, natch, but not the boots.

5. The love of my life, Ren, remakes himself every 5 to 7 years and I follow along to see who he will be next. Right now he's a publisher. Not publishign me, but doing great work for other writers.

6. I read urban fantasy, dark fantasy, and paranormal fiction, along with hard sifi -- battle scenes all welcome.  Waiting for the new Vorkosigan novel by Lois McMaster Bujold. <rubs hands in anticipation>  And the new Honor Harrington book.  Yummy.

7.  I love doggerel -- campy-ier the better. I just posted one on MySpace and on my Yahoo! site that invaded my head and demanded to be put down for posterity.

8.  I love being a writer more than almost anything. It is one of the three the greatest gifts God ever gave me, to fill my head with stories and characters, to let me write them down on paper and have them make sense...and actually get sold to an NY house!  
Faith Hunter
www.faithhunter.net