-image-March 24

March 24, 2008 | home life

Hope those of you who celebrate had a wonderful Easter!

Anyone know a clinical neuroscientist, or someone else who studies the brain? I’m needing some questions answered for a book, so I thought I’d ask here.

As for the books, they are inching along. Plotting is great, although until I have the characters’ journeys nailed, it all feels like a jumble.

The fun thing I’m doing at the moment is planning my garden, although the last frost here isn’t until June, but some friends are building me a 4X4 veggie patch which I’m so looking forward to. I’m also planting some heirloom tomatoes and I’ve got my nose buried in the Burpee catalog because oh, my! Veggies! In the front part of the yard it’s going to be one giant container of herbs then a bunch of butterfly-attracting flowers. I love it last year when I watered the herbs – the scent was heavenly. I’d grow them for that even if I never used them in cooking, which I do. For the 4X4, I’m planning a picking garden – fresh salad plucked moments before they hit the table. ::sigh:: happiness.

In the anti-happiness department, I’m putting together my taxes. Eeek.

It also looks as if I’m going to New York for Passover this year. Four days with my sister (the Rabbi) and her brood. I haven’t seen my family in ages so it’s going to be wonderful. Except for the flying part. I hate flying and wish they’d hurry up and get those Star Trek transporters up and running. Sheesh. At the very least, we should have had flying cars by now.

Reading: Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
On deck: Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix

-image-Chocolat

March 17, 2008 | Inspiration, Plotting

I watched Chocolat last night. Again. And fell in love. Again. Not just with IrishJohnny! but with the wardrobe/hair combo of Juliet Binoche’s character. My God, I loved looking at her. Especially in the black dress/red shoes. If I could adopt any style at all, that would be it. Of course, I’d have to be much taller/skinnier/longer necked. I think I was drooling more over her clothes than the chocolat, although yes, I completely wanted to join Alfred Molina in the display case. I love it when I re-watch a movie and have that yummy anticipation of knowing exactly the kind of rush I’m going to have.

In writing news, I’m still plotting. Ah, the plotting. Where the ideas snake through my brain, building character lives, devising ways to reveal flaws and aha! moments. Seeing how putting those two people together is going to change everything for them. Not just love, but how the challenge of the other begets transformation and a new way of seeing themselves and the world. It all sounds so glorious in my head. Everything is possible at this point. When it’s all potential, it’s perfect. I just wish every book could turn out exactly like I imagine it at this stage. Alas, it rarely happens that way, but that’s the mechanism of the writer. Trying to convert the initial concept to words on a page. Without that ideal and the subsequent struggle, there would be no striving, no improvement, no experimentation. Perfection is always just out of reach, but the striving makes this job ever-challenging, ever new.

-image-Turning to a New Page

March 10, 2008 | home life

The book is done and sent and I’m a little worried because I actually liked it a lot. That never happens. But, we’ll wait and see what my editor thinks before worrying overmuch. I took an extravagant nap on Saturday, read, went to bed early. Yesterday, I finally saw Juno, which was good, but not fabulous, and again, went to bed early. It’s mostly like this after a book. The characters, however, are still swirling in my head. That will last for longer than one would think. Mostly until the next idea gels.

I’m also having a klutz day. Spilled coffee, then grabbing for cup spilled all the pills from my pill case and that was a royal pain in the ass. There’s a mouse who’s decided it likes our house, and chose the moment I was scrounging pills from the carpet to dash across the room. Can’t remember where we put the no-kill traps, so it looks as if I need to purchase more. Oh, and I really do have to have that root canal I’ve been putting off.

::sigh::

Not the best morning I’ve ever had.

I’m supposed to go plot new books with my writing buddy. I’m afraid I’ll somehow manage to blow up her house, though. I’m not usually this klutzy, but there are days when it hits like a ten-ton truck. I think I heard somewhere that there’s a hormonal thing going on that prompts this kind of nonsense. I hope it leaves before I take down the whole city.

Hope you’re all having a much better Monday!