Wed. Sept. 21, 2016: The Shock of a Loss

Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Waning Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde
Sunny and pleasant

Feeling better, which is a good thing. Got some decent work done, both on the new projects, and on starting the next round of edits on DEATH OF A CHOLERIC. Still dithering about turning CONFIDENCE CONFIDANT into a full-length – I think I know what I want to do, so hopefully, this weekend, I’ll just sit down and o it.

Started re-reading some of my favorite books – the Bast series by Rosemary Edghill and the Diana Tregarde series by Mercedes Lackey. That got me thinking about how the Craft has changed since our idealistic, hopeful days in the 90’s (although we thought we were terribly cynical. In reality, we were naïve). That gave me the idea for another project, which I’m playing with.

That also got me thinking about some close friends at the time, with whom I’ve lost touch. I started hunting them down on the internet – and found out that one of the closest friends from that time period died of cancer over a year ago. It’s a shock and a loss. I was friendly with her husband, too – I want to send him a condolence card, but will that reopen the wounds? Yet I feel that I need to acknowledge that I just found out and that I hurt for us both. In fact, I planned to dedicate this new project to them, whether or not I’d manage to reconnect.

So I will.

I have to sit with the loss and mourn. But that what this time of year is about.

Decent writing session yesterday, and this morning. Yesterday afternoon, I did some prep for my next road trip. I’ll have to load up the car tonight. Details Friday.

I also have to prepare a proposal packet that will go out on Friday. I thought I had the pieces with me here and now, but I don’t. I was too shaken when I discovered my friend’s death and didn’t take with me what I needed. To say I can’t believe she’s gone is an understatement. She was one of the most vital, vibrant people I ever met.

I need to run some errands and get back to the page. The page is the best way to create a worthy tribute to my friend.

In sorrow,

Devon

Tues. Jan. 6, 2015: Twelfth Night, New Year!

Tuesday, January 6 2015
Waning Moon
Jupiter Retrograde
Twelfth Day of Christmas/Epiphany/Three Kings Day
Frosty and cold

Busy few days. Buried in the work of Robert Burns and Virginia Woolf for the tribute script. It’s coming along, but it’s not quite where I want it. I can either slap together something mediocre or actually take a few days and turn out something good. I’d prefer the latter.

Gorged myself on the rest of Joanne Dobson’s Karen Pelletier series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m going to have to track them down and buy them. They are books I will go back to and re-read over the years. This series and Rosemary Edghill’s Bast series make me miss the 1990s, where I did some of my best work, and was simultaneously optimistic and in despair all the time. Makes me wonder if I should recommit to the Nina Bell series, just to recapture some of that energy I had at that time.

Read MORIARTY, which is getting a lot of buzz. It’s well-crafted, but I got ahead of it and figured it out. Also read THE SECRET ROOMS by Catherine Bailey, which gave me some information that I can use in RED WIDOW.

Read a couple of other things on the Kindle, which were good, but not great. In other words, I enjoyed them, but would have been annoyed if I spent full price on the print version.

We had a little bit of snow on Sunday night, which quickly changed over to rain.

Re-watched Season 1 of NEWSROOM. I loved that show, in spite of its flaws. There was a lot of good writing and acting in it.

Reading SPEAKING OF JOURNALS by Paula Graham. There are some wonderful quotes in it: “Keeping a journal is living a wide-awake life.” (Graham)

“I have gone through life taking notes” (Sara Holbook).

“In my own, we don’t invade each other’s privacy” (Richard Ammon).

Today is Twelfth Night. No party this year — I’m just not up to it. But all the holiday decorations get packed away, the tree is taken down, etc. Tessa will miss the lights, and, especially, her Santas. Tessa adored the Santa collection under the tree this year. She will be a pouty, grumpy cat for a couple of days.

We’re leaving the red ribbons up around the windows again until Valentine’s Day, just to keep the place cheerful and from being too bare. I have to finish the “winter wreath” I’m making for the front door, because the holiday one comes down today.

And, of course, writing. Always writing.

Hope you’re having a great start to the first full week of the New Year!

Devon

Mon. Dec. 31, 2012: New Year’s Eve & Pens are Hopping!

Iris investigates the centerpiece, a gift from Lori! Thanks!

Monday, December 31, 2012
Waning Moon
New Year’s Eve

I can’t believe it’s already New Year’s!

Better hurry and download the free Jain Lazarus tale, “First Feet” — it’s only available until January 2!

Busy weekend. Worked a lot on Friday, wrote a lot on Friday. Worked up the rough of my wacky proposal for the agent. I love it. I let it rest over the weekend, and will tweak it over the next few days to send to her later this week. Ran errands on Saturday, and did a little raking, since the storm was coming. Worked on getting out party invites all weekend.

We got about 4 inches of snow on Saturday night — not bad, considering. Did some party planning, did some cleaning up and re-arranging. Was highly irritated at the snow plow guy. As usual, he shoved snow INTO everyone’s driveways. To a point, that’s understandable, but he left a boulder-sized snowball in the elderly neighbor’s driveway. There’s no reason he couldn’t have pushed it another foot out of the way, except this guy was either inexperienced, incompetent, a dickhead, or a combination. I went over to help the neighbor.

Got my own driveway and walkway shovelled — it wasn’t too bad, except for the stuff shoved into the driveway by the plow. AND the fact that the plow destroyed the whole bottom of the front yard — again, it’s marked, there’s no reason he couldn’t have paid attention and stayed in the road. If the boulders hadn’t been there protecting the rest of the yard, he would have torn it up halfway to the house. Unacceptable. Yes, I took photos, and yes, I will be making noise to the town!

It looks really pretty, though, except for the damaged area.

Found Rosemary Edghill’s SPEAK DAGGERS TO HER, the first Bast mystery, and re-read it. Now I have the whole set to lend to Costume Imp when he comes up in spring. I have the materials prepped for tonight’s ritual, for tomorrow morning’s ritual, have to pick up a few things for the NYDay breakfast. I’m doing laundry (because I have this thing about going into the New Year with clean clothes), and will vaccuum and mop this afternoon. Changed all the beds this morning.

We lit a fire in the fireplace last night, the first successful attempt since we moved it. It was wonderful! So much fun, worked so well. We’ll be doing that a lot more all winter.

I’m still having fun with the Twelfth Night stories, although I’m a bit behind. The story on the Five Gold Rings was more complicated than I expected. Not longer – just more complicated.

I realized the idea I’ve been playing with for a few days is actually an Ivy de le Livre piece (she’s my horse-playng tarot reader character) that is BEFORE the pieces I’ve been working on. That opens all kinds of exciting possibilities.

Bill Moyers interviewed a fascinating writer named Junot Diaz — now I’m eager to read his books. What a thoughtful, articulate, intelligent man.

The president of the Writers’ Center shot me a few ideas, and I shot back a response this morning. This year will be exciting!

I’m very excited that ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT is circulating in the CLAMS library network! So, if you’re on Cape Cod — you can check it out of the library. What fun!

Lots to do to prep for the New Year. Have a safe and joyful holiday!

Stop by Biblio Paradise tomorrow — we’re starting the year with Shirley Wells’s latest! AND, stop by Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions tomorrow, where we start working on our New Year’s goals!

Devon

Wed. Dec. 12, 2012: Magic Day Starts with Frustration

Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Dark Moon
Sunny and cool

12-12-12. Once in a lifetime, good day. Since the numbers add up to 9, the number of fulfillment, even better! 😉

But wordpress is working my LAST nerve today — hard to get into.

Yesterday was just a lost day. Total chaos. Not bad at all — I actually was in a pretty good mood for the day. Just couldn’t get much done. Got a little bit done with my students, got out a resume, some work done on MURDER’S INTOLERANCE. Interacted with people who responded to the guest blog post, and did some marketing. Got some more decorating done. Worked on short stories.

When it was clear that I hit the point where I was a waste of food, I stopped. Rather than get frustrated, I figured I’d just roll with it.

I re-read two of Rosemary Edghill’s Bast mysteries, BOOK OF MOONS and THE BOWL OF NIGHT. I have SPEAK DAGGERS TO HER somewhere and have to find it and re-read that one, too. Loved these books now even more than when I originally read them. They speak so much to my life in New York City during those years (the years when the Nina Bell mysteries are set, actually). Yet, because I understand more and have more life experience, I enjoy both the memories and get a lot of the deeper references. I wish there were more books in the series, although I completely respect any writer’s decision to “be done” with a series or characters.

Today, the noise from the roofers is bothering me more than usual — probably because it’s right outside my office. I think I will take today to run errands. I have to get my overseas holiday cards written – they have to go out the door tomorrow. I got my online ordering done yesterday — not bad at all.

I’m going to spend some time with my students, and then get out of the house, while I still have at least one nerve intact! 😉

Devon Ellington

Check out the Delectable Digital Delights for the holidays, featuring Nina Bell and, under the Ava Dunne name, Samantha Wright, in a romantic comedy/fantasy twist on familiar Yuletide myths.