The Bad Kind of Excitement

So this has been a mostly uneventful week for me. I'm fond of saying I'd rather have boring than the bad kind of excitement, which is very true.

Although last night was kind of fun, in a voyeuristic sort of way. My sister, her SO (significant other), and their 3 kids were at the Outer Banks this weekend, and they came back last night to return SO's sons to their mother (school and all), and to turn their daughter (Lovely Niece) and house (cats and dog) over to me until Saturday. The plan was to go back to the OB last night and finish up the vacation.

I was expecting them back around dinner time; arrival ended up being 8pm. Not terrible. The boys got picked up, Niece was in bed, things were unpacked...and then SO realized the water pump wasn't working. Uh oh.

So he spends the next hour and a half trying to fix the thing, with Sister and me in the kitchen flipping switches and faucets. Eventually, he gets it working around ten. He still wants to drive back (it's about 4 hours from their house). So they pack up and plan to go. I'm exhausted, so I go to bed. A bit later, I hear something creak, open my eyes and there's a person in the doorway.

Yes, I kind of screamed.

They came back because the engine was leaking anti-freeze. SO plans to try and fix it. Plans go awry. They decide to take the other car. I think they eventually hit the road around 11:30 pm, arriving back in the Outer Banks around 3:30 am.

*facepalm*

Yeah, bad excitement.

Anywho, Dreg City 4 is finished and now in my agent's capable hands. Lots of twists and turns in this book, so I'm curious to get some fresh eyes on it.

Also, just a reminder that I'll be signing copies of THREE DAYS TO DEAD and AS LIE THE DEAD at the Christiana Mall Barnes & Noble (Newark, DE), this Saturday at 4pm. So if you're in the area, stop by and say hi!

Number Two

This post is brought to you by the number 2.

All sorts of interesting things are coming together today, and they all have to do with the number 2.

For instance, two years ago today I received an email about a manuscript that had been referred from an agent I queried to an agent she thought might be interested. Turns out he was, and within that email was an offer of representation. Okay, so it was like a week later that I officially said yes and mailed back the agency agreement, but it was my first ever offer and turns out it was the only one I needed. I couldn't be happier, so Happy Two-Year Anniversary to my amazing agent Jonathan Lyons.

Going along with the theme of two's, said amazing agent has also brokered two new deals for me in the last month. I can't talk about them quite yet, but soon all shall be revealed! Yay for good news!

Today also marks two months before the release of AS LIE THE DEAD, book two in the Dreg City series.


Eep! In a couple of days I'll be able to say my book comes out next month, and that's when panic set in last time. I haven't seen any reviews yet, but I sincerely hope it lives up to THREE DAYS TO DEAD. I think it does. But I'm slightly biased. *grin*

And if I really want to stretch this out, two relatives who live in Nashville (and whose house was spared flood damage) came out to visit last weekend, so I got to see them. One is a cousin who spent five months in Los Angeles learning to do makeup and styling and effects. Check out her awesome website!

So what's happening folks? Good news? Great news? Any news at all?

Jacob in the Box

My nephew playing with packing peanuts, courtesy of my brother and Youtube.

Writer's Humor

So tonight my family gathered for my grandmother's 75th birthday, and my Uncle Scott was in attendance. He has an amazing streak of dry humor and can make you laugh at just about anything (watching the news with him is fun!). I can probably attribute about half of my sarcastic streak just to him.

He made a joke tonight that I think other writers will enjoy.

My book's in its third printing......Yeah, the first two were blurry.

Hey, it made me laugh. *g*

This is the Post....

....in which I tease you incessantly. Drop hints. Dangle carrots. Play with your mind. Hahaha!

First thing's first, though. I got to see Baby Jade on her one-week birthday, which coincided with baby-daddy's own birthday. She was awake the entire time I was there, making faces, wiggling uncontrollably, and just being utterly adorable. I didn't have my camera with me (dang it!), but I'll have new pictures soon. Baby pictures. *happy sigh*

Several cool things have been developing on the Writing Home Front. One of my awesome pieces of news has to wait a bit longer until it's official, but anyone who subscribes to Publishers Marketplace (and remembers me, hehe) probably saw it.

There are some exciting changes in store at one of my favorite blog communities. Tune in Monday, February 2nd, to find out which blog and how it affects me.

I'm also preparing to potentially dabble into a kind of writing I've not tried before (and no, dirty minds, I don't mean erotica). More on that as/if it develops.

And in closing, I'd like to do my duty and remind everyone that BATTLESTAR GALACTICA IS ON TONIGHT AT 10PM EASTERN. The last episodes are upon us. *weeps*

Blurbs and Babies

Another fantastic blurb has come down the pipe, and from yet another of my favorite authors.

"Action-packed, edgy, and thrilling, THREE DAYS TO DEAD is a fabulous debut! Kelly Meding's world and characters will grab you from the first page. You won't want to miss this one." -- Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series

*bounces*

And on the home front, my sister's due date has come and gone with nary a sign of labor. We were shopping in Hartstrings on Saturday (adorable baby/kid's clothes), and since Sister is obviously pregnant, the lady at the counter asks, "So when are you due?"

In stereo, Sister and I reply, "Today."

I with I had a camera for the look on that woman's face. I suppose baby Jade knows it's just too dang cold right now to come out, so she's staying in where it's warm. *g*

Awards (Not Mine) and News (Mine)

If you haven't already heard about it, check out the Urban Fantasy Land's Readers' Choice Awards and vote for your favorites! Even better, support your authors by selecting a title you haven't read yet and buying it.

A polished draft of AS LIE THE DEAD (a title I'm still not happy with, grrr...) has been sent to my agent. I'm pretty darn pleased with the story as a whole, and when one of my betas peppers the chapter breaks with "/popcorn /popcorn /popcorn" I know I've done something right.

I've also gotten the final cover copy for THREE DAYS TO DEAD. Squeeee! I don't know what the cover will look like yet, but at least I know what it'll say. Hehe.

By this time next week I'll be an auntie! Sister's due date is Saturday, but as of today she isn't even dilated yet, so..... if it comes to it, they'll induce Tuesday morning. The little bundle is already pushing past eight pounds, so she's coming out fully baked.

Why Do Today -- Follow Up

Several follow-ups, actually.

Well, Dad was supposed to come home from the hospital today. Unfortunately, his heart went into a-fib. They got it back to normal and have him on a new drip. The doctors assured us it happens with heart patients. *sigh* We've got our fingers crossed for no more problems and getting him released tomorrow. His dog is just beside herself missing him.

I've also been thinking more about "The Dark Knight." Even before the phone call last week, watching it again on DVD just didn't feel as...awesome. The more I thought about it, the more I came to this conclusion: TDK is a movie theater experience. It translates well to the small screen, but watching it at home doesn't have the power of widescreen, surround sound. The explosions and car chases and the musical score....I didn't get the same power from those things last week, not like I did after seeing it twice in the theater. It was almost disappointing.

I wonder if anyone else felt that way after seeing it at home.

And on a HAPPY personal note, yesterday's Big Sister Baby Shower went off smoothly. I had a lot of fun and, apparently, so did my guests. Lots of compliments on the decorations and the food (YAY!). Big Sister got lots of cool gifts. I got to see some family I hadn't in a long time. I was completely exhausted after I finally cleaned up and was able to sit down. I was in bed at 10 pm, which is hugely early for me. I'd been planning this for two months; now that it's over, I still feel like there's something I should be doing for it.

Weird.

Why Do Today....?

...what you can put off until tomorrow?

So yesterday (Tuesday), my dad had another morning in the cath lab, getting a balloon inserted into a clogged artery. He's had these before. No biggie, right? Until my mom calls me last night at 9:15 pm (yes, that late at night). We're watching The Dark Knight and, ironically, it's the hospital scene with Joker and Harvey Dent. I pause the movie and answer the phone. Mom asks if I have a few minutes to talk about the day. I say sure, figuring it's just a quick update, Dad's fine, blah blah.

Nope. Apparently, they found more blockages that they couldn't get with a cath, so guess what that means? Yep. Coronary bypass surgery. You know that feeling where the world just goes very still for moment? That happened. She said the surgery would be early this morning, and that she'd call when she had details.

I made it through the rest of the movie, but for all the love I have for TDK, I just couldn't pay attention. Worried all night. Worried all morning. And then I get the new message--they're postponing the surgery until Thursday. M'kay. In a way, I suppose it's good news, right? It means he's not critical, but it also means more waiting. And I hate waiting.

My awesome boss gave me the day off tomorrow, so I can take my mom out to lunch and distract her for a while. She has to do so much of this by herself, but I'm so grateful to be closer to home now and able to be there.

But you want to know the ironic part of my day? For all of the stress and worry over this surgery, I was bouncing around my bedroom tonight--got my very first cover blurb! It's an awesome blurb from a super-awesome author. I promise to share as soon as I'm able.

All in all, it's been a very mixed-up twenty-four hours.

Two Years Later

I woke up this morning, and I knew I'd forgotten something. Not literally, as in left behind or not done. Just something important about today. Couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until the middle of the afternoon, while I was eating a slice of pepperoni pizza (Joe's, yum....) for lunch, that it occurred to me.

Today is the anniversary of my grandmother's passing.

I sat in the break room for a minute, unable to believe it had been two years. Her voice is still so clear in my head. The scent of her apartment, the color of her sofa, the way her house used to look before she moved. So many memories, still sharp and focused. I can't think of any better way to honor her than to think of her often today, and link to last year's tribute.

One Year Later

One year ago today, Anna Eva Meding passed away at the wonderful age of 88 years old. I spent the day thinking of her, trying to come up with a post that showed how much she meant to me. To describe what a wonderful, complex, loving woman she was. The funny thing is, I couldn't think of a thing to write, because what she meant to me is so ingrained in who I am that it's impossible to put it into a few hundred words.

Instead of an essay, I've decided on a word collage. Things that, while they may seem random to you, mean something to me.

TINKER TOYS

MAPLE TREE

SCREENED PORCH

CRACKER DRESSING

WHITE JEWELRY BOX

ANGELS

FIREBIRD

LEMON DROPS

Every story she ever told ended with the same phrase, so it seemed appropriate to sign off with it: That's the way it goes.

I love you, Grandma. I miss you.