I totally already run a circus. Good thing it’s an awesome circus, cause, baby, it’s exhausting! I won’t bore you with all the details, but here’s a funny anecdote from Friday.

With one child off playing softball and one working, and one—this is the not so funny part—being evaluated for a concussion, I run to pick up fourth child at his track meet invitational, where the following conversation takes place.

Gate Lady: It’s seven dollars admission.
Me: You’re kidding.
Gate Lady: No.
Me: I’m not here to watch the meet. I just need to pick up my son.
Gate Lady: Seven dollars.
Me: I don’t have seven dollars on me.
Gate Lady: There’s an ATM at the bottom of the hill.
Me: You mean down by the Target? That’s three miles away.
Gate Lady: What do you want me to do?
Me: Well, since you asked… I want you to let me in so I can get my kid and get back to my baby, who’s happens to be sitting in the ER one town over.
Gate Lady: I can’t let you in if you don’t pay. That’s against the rules.
Me: Whose rules?
Gate Lady: Listen, ma’am. I don’t think for myself, okay? I just do what I’m told.
Me: O.O
Gate Lady: …
Me: Please tell me you’re not an educator.
Gate Lady: I teach science. Are you interested in the school district?
Me: Only in the most horrified kind of way.

These slice of life posts always crack me up when I go back and read them years later. Oh, hey! My niece got into Notre Dame. Such an amazing girl. She totally deserves it. Also, today is my anniversary. Twenty years, baby. Feels like no time at all. Mostly because that guy I married is more awesome than ever.

And that’s the eleven o’clock news. Thanks for tuning in. ;)

Hey, my mind is mush. This book is going nowhere tonight. It feels like I can’t string two words together, so I’m not even going to try anymore. Instead I made an Irish coffee to accompany my Cadbury Cream Egg. Yum.

I have news! The collaboration I’ve been working on with diana_copland and gb_lindsey is finished.



So exciting! And so looonnnggg. 140,000 words. I can honestly say, without any doubt, working with these two ladies was the most fun I’ve ever had. Creating this shared universe took hours and hours of emails, chats, and conference calls, and I loved every minute of it.

diana_copland shipped the package to epubagent yesterday, and while it’s nice to be able to shift my energy to my next project, I will miss Neverwood so, so much.

Until we start the sequel. ;-p

I’ve posted a snippet of my contribution below. Titled The Lost Year, it’s the third and final story in the anthology.

The Lost Year: When Nicholas Hardy shows up on the front steps of Neverwood looking for his runaway son, Robbie, Devon is skeptical the boy is even still alive. A teenager on the streets doesn’t have many options, and Robbie has been missing for a full year. But Nicholas won’t be deterred, and moved by his desperation, Devon agrees to help. Nicholas stirs up long-buried passions in Devon—emotions he thought lost long ago—but is it lust he’s feeling, or something far more permanent?

Back at home, the battle for Neverwood rages on. Their foe makes a desperate move, forcing Audrey and her sons to end the war once and for all…

( Devon frowned as he padded barefoot back down the stairs, rolling up the cuffs of his shirt. Cal pointed as they reached the bottom. “I had him wait in the music room. It’s private and away from most of the noise.”Collapse )

Let me introduce you to the awesomeness that is Dragon speech recognition software: seven thousand words written on an average day.

Let me show you the ridiculousness that is Dragon when you're so hoarse from coughing it doesn't recognize you as its client.

Me: Mic on. Mic on! MIC ON!*coughcough* Jesus.
Dragon types: heehaw
Me: *facepalm* Select heehaw. Delete.
Dragon types: Celery yee haw. I'm late.
Me: *manually deletes text* Open quote. Let's call it a difference of opinion.
Dragon types: "Lettuce caws a different pine in.
Me: *snort* Close quote.
Dragon types: Chloe snows
Me: AHAHAHA CLOZE QUOTTTEH.
Dragon types: "
Me: Yay!
Dragon types: Eh?
Me: Exactly
Dragon types: I likes tea
Me: Me too. With whiskey.
Dragon types: He who with whiskers.
Me: My work here is done. Mic off.
Dragon types: My worry heats down fuck off


And now my fingers are sore from typing all day. I realize this is a trivial complaint in a world gone crazy. I'm just sharing.

*coughcough*

Yeah, baby! Much Ado About Nothing trailer is out, featuring Agent Coulson Clark Gregg. Can't wait!

I can't believe I've gone weeks without a blog post, and now I'm sharing this. BUT... it's the Supernatural Shake!



They're doing the Shake with the Impala. And there's a bear. My love for this is slightly unhealthy.

Loads of thanks to frost for the link!

Okay, I'm exhausted and stretched to the limit scheduling-wise, but it was still an amazing week. There was positive news for my father, who'd been facing some scary health issues. Things aren't as dire as feared, thank goodness. My daughter's essay won first place in her middle school. (So proud!) My kitty's off his anxiety meds, and I've managed to lose 6 lbs despite the arrival of this year's Girl Scout cookies. My treadmill is my best friend.

On the writing front, I received an offer from Carina Press this week to purchase Paradox Lost. Woot! Now I just have to finish writing it. Eek! Scary deadline is scary. But the edits have been completed for Bending the Iron, due to be released in August, so I'll be able to throw all my energy into this new project.

Crazy busy, yes. But so far, 2013 is shaping up nicely.



Hope you all are well. Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

This article pins down one of the major problems facing the GOP. There’s supposedly some soul-searching going on in Republican circles these days, or so we’re led to believe, specifically in regards to abortion rights and marriage equality. Since the GOP's agenda reminds me more of a tired soap opera than a relevant social platform, I'm skeptical anything positive will come of it.



From Gay Marriage Hate Handicaps GOP's Tech Growth:

We already know that the Republican Party's dogged commitment to fighting abortion rights and marriage equality are hurting them with the American voters. But, as the New York Times reports this weekend, the GOP's politics are also hindering their already slow technological growth. Turns out a bunch of techies are repulsed by their politics, too.

Several G.O.P. digital specialists told me that ... they found it difficult to recruit talent because of the values espoused by the party. "I know a lot of people who do technology for a living," [Republican digital guru Michael] Turk said. "And almost universally, there's a libertarian streak that runs through them — information should be free, do your own thing and leave me alone, that sort of mind-set. That's very much what the Internet is. And almost to a person that I've talked to, they say, 'Yeah, I would probably vote for Republicans, but I can't get past the gay-marriage ban, the abortion stance, all of these social causes.'

[Full Article Here]

‘It Gets Better’ movement pulls 49ers video after two players deny participation in anti-bullying ad

Movement co-founder Dan Savage made the decision to pull the video after linebacker Ahmad Brooks and tackle Isaac Sopoaga strangely denied their involvement with "It Gets Better" when asked about it by Kevin Manahan of USA Today on Thursday afternoon. After being shown the video, the players then claimed ignorance of the ad's intentions and refused comment.

Really? REALLY? No need to 'claim' ignorance, guys. You own it in spades.

Listening to 49ers player Chris Culliver was bad enough: "I don't do the gay guys man. No, we don't got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do." Now there's the "I had no idea what the 'It Gets Better' campaign was about, EVEN THOUGH I FILMED A WHOLE VIDEO FOR IT" excuse.

Ugh. I was going into the game leaning towards San Francisco. Now the thought of rooting for them is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. What a bunch of cowards.

Go Ravens!

Sorry for the last minute notice. I've been in bed most of the day trying to kick this cold.

Starting at 2 p.m. EST, join the Carina Press editors for a TweetChat. Subject: Submissions.

Chat with the Carina Press Editors

Really, if you've given publication even a passing thought, tune in. The advice/information should be golden.

♥

How much do you think they paid this guy to drape a lion over his genitals? I'm genuinely curious.




I thought this article had a lot of good advice to offer. Getting Things Done: The Art of Workflow Management

We live in an age where more timesaving devices are available than ever before, yet many of us still feel overwhelmed by the mountain of tasks we face daily. We have too much to do and too little time to accomplish it all. It’s a challenge to remain focused amid all the distractions of our daily lives, and real productivity always seems to be just out of reach.

Many authors are forced to juggle a full-time job, families, friends, and domestic responsibilities with their dream of getting a book self-published and selling it once it’s launched.

In short, we often forfeit balance as a trade-off for reaching our goals. Yet the harder we work the more stressed we feel, and our productivity often decreases further as a result. If you’re like me, you’re wondering what to do to bring this monster of an issue under control without sacrificing sanity

.

The idea that time management is really all about action management appeals to me.

In other news, 65F today, 17F tomorrow. Very funny, Mother Nature. Flowers blooming in the dead of winter is wrong, wrong, wrong.

Okay, first, because I’m always up for sharing the LOLs, tripperfunster’s post about duck circumcision just might be the funniest thing I’ve read all week. Or month. Maybe even all year.

Next, this post by Melinda Henneberger: Boy Scouts may reverse national ban against gays as members, leaders. I can relate. This woman has sons who have dedicated years to scouting, during which time they learned responsibility, accountability, and valuable life skills. Her boys, like mine, have spent hours, days, and weeks of their time on community service projects. They volunteer at local charities. They run food drives, blood drives, and toy drives. They shovel snow and rake leaves for elderly neighbors. They provide companionship to disabled Veterans who have no other friends and family.

My boys’ leaders are open-minded, tolerant, dedicated individuals who give freely of their time (and often their money) to broaden tolerance and educate the scouts who belong to their troop.

So the BSA’s policy is something of a painful thorn in my paw. I can’t ignore it, but I can’t disregard what the organization and its leaders have done for my sons.

I agonize over this often. :/

But my personal demons aside, here’s the quote in the article that makes me burn with anger. Just as reaction nationally is mixed, not every parent liked the idea of a change in policy, however. “I lost my ability to advance in scouting as a young man because of a scoutmaster who was a pedophile,” one dad wrote me in an email. “I am dead set against gays in scouting.”

You ignorant bigot. Go educate yourself, if you’re able, on the relationship between homosexuality and pedophilia, which is nonexistent.

This sort of stupidity makes me want to cry. I might have to go read the duck circumcision post again.

MOSCOW (AP) — ...The bill is part of an effort to promote traditional Russian values as opposed to Western liberalism, which the Kremlin and church see as corrupting Russian youth....

The move has been met mostly with either indifference or open enthusiasm by average Russians. Levada polls conducted last year show that almost two thirds of Russians find homosexuality "morally unacceptable and worth condemning." About half are against gay rallies and same-sex marriage; almost a third think homosexuality is the result of "a sickness or a psychological trauma."

Russia's widespread hostility to homosexuality is shared by the political and religious elite. Those behind the bill say minors need to be protected from "homosexual propaganda" because they are unable to evaluate the information critically. "This propaganda goes through the mass media and public events that propagate homosexuality as normal behavior," the bill reads...

Full Article HERE.

Earlier today, I saw someone reference an article from a fictional tabloid in their LJ post. While I originally thought the entry was a nice bit of dry humor, I realized after reading the comments that people believed the article to be true. If only this story were nothing but a bit of satirical fun. Sadly, it's very real.

• I rewrote 50% of a novel’s outline because there was one detail—just one—that I couldn’t work in without stretching suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. This might have made me cry.
• 40 Souls to Keep made Carina Press's Best of 2012 List. :D
• Bra shopping with my daughter is ridiculous. I want support that’s pretty. She wants dancing penguins.
• My cat, a two-year-old Maine Coon, is losing all his fur from the belly down. Apparently he is anxious and must now take Prozac. Nope. Not making that up.
• I paid $3.99 for this dress on clearance. I will never look this good in it, and I don’t care cause, hello! $3.99!


That is all. :)

A belated Happy New Year to all! December kicked my ass. Mostly in a good way, although some developments were inconvenient. Like all the kids getting the flu the week before Christmas. (So glad we got those flu shots.) Despite that, and a looming editorial deadline, it was a great holiday. We were together, happy, and healthy (by then), and that’s all that matters. I went days without so much as checking my email. I find stretches of time like that to be extremely liberating and grounding. I’m forced to peel back the layers of virtual anonymity and deal with life face-to-face. It reminds me that I’m human.

The first thing my husband and I always say to each other after our champagne toast at midnight on December 31st is “This is going to be the best year of our lives.” Not that I’m superstitious or anything, but our little tradition has worked so far. ;) It’s impossible to control some things, and I’ve learned to appreciate the unexpected. But it still feels like 2013 is going to be a good year. Plans and goals put in motion at the beginning of 2012 have borne fruit. I feel ready to tackle the challenges I know are coming down the pike.

In a similar vein, I’ll be accepting some beta work this year. While a part of my heart will always belong to fandom, it simply isn’t where my interest lies anymore. But the people of the community have always, always been supportive of me, and I would like to pay it forward. So, if anyone would be interested in having me beta read their original fiction, feel free to contact me via email (libbydrew (at) yahoo (dot) com). I can take a limited amount of work considering my standing obligations, but I will try to help whoever asks, if at all possible.

Good luck with all your endeavors, my friends! Hope the holidays were merry and bright. May the New Year bring you all that you desire.

♥ Libby

Loved this article!

[link removed]

A friendship between two great creative minds can sometimes yield a bounty of great work, inspiration and mutual admiration for one other. Of course, it can just as easily spur on jealousy and hurt feelings. Both have been the case in real-life friendships between some of the biggest, most notable giants of the literary world. While we might hope these connections would always work out for the best, there are lessons to be learned from even the most tumultuous of relationships. Whether you’re a writer yourself, a college student or just love learning about literature, take a look at these great bookish bromances for some lessons on how to be a good friend to your nearest and dearest in life.

I've read much about the relationship between Lewis and Tolkien. Their quarrel doesn't fit the image I've always held of them. I don't know why. They're human too, just as easily affected by their emotions. I suppose it means I placed them higher on the pedestal than the rest of us mere mortals. (And that reveals a bit more about myself than I probably should have shared.)

There are a few pairs I expected to see named and didn't. Anais Nin and Henry Miller, for one. But I still enjoyed the piece. Hope you do too!

It's been awhile since I've shared a funny family story. If you want to hear one about wine, bingo, and gay sex, pop on over to Cup o' Porn. You can hear about how my daughter charmed the Bingo ladies with her sales pitch for M/M books.

Speaking of books, the latest has been sent to epubagent! This is the collaboration with diana_copland and gb_lindsey, Neverwood, posted HERE. I completely failed at NaNoWriMo this year, but at least, with this, I can feel semi-accomplished.

And lastly, kitten vs. apples:



Happy Hump Day!

You know you've been in fandom too long when... you see a "TW" post and get all excited because you think it's Torchwood fic, then end up blinking at the screen thinking, "What the hell is Teen Wolf?"

I am between gatherings (done with brunch, dinner to come) and wanted to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my LJ friends! Today, I am thankful for today, because there's no telling what tomorrow will bring. ♥

Thank you, everyone, for playing. The winners of the free copies of 40 Souls to Keep are

choccy_grl
mandytkm

Congratulations!

If you didn't win tonight, don't despair! Mosey on over to Lasha's Paranormal M/M Reviews blog, where you'll find an interview I did with Lasha. I'm offering up a free copy of 40 Souls to Keep over there as well. Just comment to be added to the drawing! (There are two different books up for grabs, and it's possible you already own the other one. If that's the case, please let Lasha know you'd like to be entered for 40 Souls to Keep only.)

Thanks again!