October 13, 2012

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program...

Because of the lack of funds, today is the last day we have internet. So no blogs posts for a while. Or at least, not until my husband either gets the job we're trying for, or someone takes pity on us and pays the bills for us. Hopefully it'll be the former rather then the latter. Internet will be a lot more fun when I can quit my job and start writing again. I feel so darned guilty posting such a lack of progress. Even logging on to check stuff makes me cringe. Of course, that may have to do with the big New Beginnings file sitting smack dab on the middle of my desktop screen.....maybe >_>


Anyway, I'll try to get to the library every now and again, but as work is trying to kill me(or just making sure I sleep reeaally well every night...take your pick), that is a slim to nothing possibility. In the meantime, I'll be praying that job turns up for my husband. Any prayers or kind thoughts you can spare for us are very welcome and most definitely appreciated. I hope to be back soon with loads of good news.



~Sun and Moon                                

October 7, 2012

Can I get back to you on that?

Gee, I almost forgot I was supposed to post today. You see, we're right on the verge of finding out if my husband is getting the job we've been rooting for. If he does, everything is going to change.

Scary.

There is a lot a good coming with that scary change though. I'll be able to start writing again(yes, I still haven't gotten back to work on chapter 29...please don't smack me, lol), my stack of art projects will finally start shrinking again, and best of all....I will no longer be working at....my job thingie...>_>

Also, we may end up with a farm in the next two years. How awesome is that?

My husband and I are already discussing our plans, but most of them will have to be put on hold till after the baby. Besides, the fact that I may never have to work another Black Friday again is holding most of my attention these days. I'm refraining from counting down to November until the job is secured, but it's hard to contain my optimistic excitment.

I'll keep you guys posted on the situation as it happens(I might even post on a non-sunday *gasp*). Hopefully by this time next week I'll have nothing but good news to share. If I'm lucky, that good news will include progress on edits for New Beginnings. In the meantime, I'm off to fiddle around with Sims 3 Supernatural and clean my livingroom. The kitchen was tidied up a couple days ago and it would be nice to have a matched set for once. :)



~Sun and Moon 

 

September 16, 2012

Kit kat bar anyone?

Ok, I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but apparently I will. With all the craziness going on at the moment(pregnancy, husband's job search, etc.), I've been seriously neglecting not only my blog, but my writing. That scene I've been fighting with? About ninety percent of it has to go and the rest has to be moved to a different part of the chapter and rebuilt. No joke.

So with all that in mind, I'll be taking a break for the rest of September while I try to get stuff sorted out. In fact, I'll be taking a break from the internet period for the rest of september. Hopefully I'll have a better handle on things when I come back, but right now it's chaos.

And on that note, I better go. I have a pile of work to do and not much time to get it done. I'll miss you guys and I'll see you in october.


~Sun and Moon   

September 2, 2012

Dreck sucks

So I spent about two hours on edits for chapter 29, trying to set that new scene....and then got stuck.

I'm happy to say this doesn't happen too horribly. Usually it's because I wrote in something that doesn't fit the characters in the scene. This means I need to go back over the darned thing and pull some of that two hours worth of work and start over.

Ugh.

I'll do that later though. Right now it's time to take a short break and do something else. Anything else. Maybe once it's had a chance to stew in the back of my head i'll know how to fix it. That's how it usually goes. I get frustrated and stalk off to do something I'd been putting off so I could finish edits...and then end up rushing back to the computer when the solution hits in the middle of doing dishes, or reading that book I got from the library. Thankfully our keyboard doesn't mind getting splattered with soapy water.

And on that note, I think I'll take a nap. As soon as I find my notebook and spare pen. After all, ideas tend to strike when you least expect it. :)


~Sun and Moon 


August 19, 2012

Tiger, Tiger

As you've probably guessed, there won't be a blog post for today. Vacation is over, and I'm doing my best to adjust to works hours and such all over again. I'm still working on chapter twenty-nine edits, but there's not much to tell as I tweak the new scene bit by bit. It's slow, but I'm not stuck yet. :)

Anyway, here is a little something I did for my cousin Theresa. She loves tigers and I got to break in my new pastels, so it was a win-win. I hope you like it too. I'll try to have an actual blog post for you guys next week. Maybe even good chapter news? If all goes well I'll be taking a page from Amanda Olivieri's book(so to speak) and taking up the "Be Inspired" blog hop meme. 

Until then have a tiger. :)







~Sun and Moon

August 12, 2012

Nothing but blue skies

Gee, my blog has been getting kind of grim lately. I really must do something about that. 


Anywho, I've been on vacation since August 4th and I'm enjoying every minute of it. We've gone from having almost no job possibilities to having about five floating around, two of which pay well enough for me to become a stay at home mom-artist-writer thing(note: mom is the first thing on the list, lol). My sister is giving me a huge load of baby stuff(cutting out a LOT of costs for us), and there is still no sign of the dreaded morning sickness.

So yeah, a huge difference from the last couple of weeks. Its amazing how much good can be found when you stop staring at the clouds and turn to face the sun.

Just lovely :)


~Sun and Moon


P.S. Today's title is from one of my favorite songs as a kid. Just hearing it's familiar tune is enough to make me smile. Good memories and blue skies...I just can't get enough :D

August 4, 2012

In for a penny, in for a pound

I think I can safely say this has been the most interesting week ever. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but either way, at least it hasn't been boring.

It all started after I wrote my last blog post. It was late saturday night and I'd been feeling odd for about three weeks or so. I'd get home ravenous and a nap was always an option, even if I'd just woken up a few hours ago. There were other symptoms too, but I ignored them as I struggled to edit chapter twenty-nine and catch up on the mess of dishes in my kitchen sink. I simply chalked it all up to stress since my husband was still without a job and I was picking up extra shifts. I figured that once I got used to all the extra hours, my body would adjust and it would all go back to normal.

Silly me.

A few hours after writing my last blog post I found out my husband and I are expecting our first child in the spring.

Yeah.

My first thought after it all sank in and I had broken the news to my family was that it was going to take a little longer then I thought to write all those books floating in my head. My second thought was that I had about nine months to catch up on my art projects.

All told, I'm going to be really busy over the next two weeks as we get the ball rolling on a number of things(like planning a garage sale to help clean out all the junk in our apartment...geesh). I'll try to post on time, but don't be surprised if I forget.

Anywho, its past time I hunted up some breakfast. There's no sign of morning sickness yet, but an empty stomach still makes me queasy. I'd just as soon not spew on my keyboard, thanks all the same. I might need it later.


~Sun and Moon

July 29, 2012

Yeah, about that

This is a bit of a rant. You've been warned....>_>



(Enter rant)------------------

Dear Blogger,

I would really appreciate it if you'd get a few things in gear. The first thing that comes to mind is the reply system for comments. Would it kill you to set things up so one knows when a reply is made to a comment thread you're involved in? Preferably WITHOUT having to sign away your email account in payment? Not to mention that it would be nice if my scheduled blog posts actually posted when scheduled instead of five hours later.

Yeah, get on that if you please.

Also, it wouldn't hurt if you could quit trying to get me to try your dandy new "Blogger Interface". The old one suits me fine. Especially since the new one is about as clear as mud. After spending my day dealing with modern day retail woes and hammering out both art and edits for my book...simple is best. Because spending five minutes just trying to find the darned button for one thing or another is not my idea of a good way to wind down for the day. No joke. 

Of course, I understand that these features may already be available and I'm just missing the boat. In which case, a little direction would not go amiss.

Think about it.

---------------------(end rant)



It's been a long week. My husband lost his job last tuesday and I've been doing what I can to pick up hours to make up for the loss of income while he looks for a job. The toll on us both is making itself known and I have never been less inspired or motivated to write. I'm trying, I really am, but you guys are going to have to be patient with me. 

Between one thing and another, I'm still picking away at edits as I try to adjust to crazy hours and handle the stress of hearing yet another company tell my husband "don't call us...we'll call you if we're interested" when he tries to call and check up on his application.

To be honest, it's not as bleak as it seems, but we've never been in this situation before and it's hitting us a little hard. 

Well, on that note I have to get going. I sold my self into slave labor for an easel this past wednesday. It's time to go pay up for the day.


~Sun and Moon   

July 22, 2012

Not today, folks

It's been a killer week what with my husband losing his job and all(its a long story), so I hope you guys don't mind if I bow out of writting a blog post today. I do, however, have a picture for you guys.







I finished this back when I first decided to tackle all my unfinished projects. Can anyone tell me who the white bull represents? Bonus points if you can say who the peacock feather symbolizes. ;) 




~Sun and Moon

July 15, 2012

Squish, squish

Is it possible to have a really busy week, and yet nothing really happened?

Maybe it's just me.

This past week has been nuts, but very satisfying. I've finished one commission and start the colors for another tomorrow. I'm not getting paid for these two as they were prizes for an online contest, but the learning experience alone has been worth it. I also finally broke in my new pastels. It was very messy and very awesome, and the art turned out lovely(as my husband told me...twice ;D ).

The new scene in chapter twenty-nine has already been scrapped once and I haven't even written the whole blasted thing yet. It needed to be scrapped though, trust me on that one. The newer version is better and more in line with the world I've created. Which means I'm kind of back to square one, but not really.

It helps that I put some free time to good use yesterday and worked on edits instead of lazing about in the car with the sun warming my skin. I would've done more, but I was at work and my shift was about to start. So I said goodbye to the cushioned comfort of the car and headed in to earn some money for those pesky bills that keep popping up. I have small hopes for getting more edits in sometime today. Very small hope. Microscopic, maybe.

In the meantime I better get moving. Today is already looking to be a busy one and my brain seems to have run away. I doubt it's gone far, but better safe then sorry. There has been a lot of zombie talk going around these days and I might need it later. Pardon me while I track it down.


~Sun and Moon




P.S. I am in serious need of sleep. And the number for the steamroller that hit me last night. I feel squished.... x_x

July 8, 2012

Walking the line

Progress is a wonderful thing, but what to do when you're not sure if your solution walks the line between too much, or not enough? It can feel right, but sometimes you wonder. Normally when this happens I send the sticky bit to a beta reader, but I'm fresh out these days.

Oh well, at least it's progress, right?

 I've started in on the new scene for chapter twenty-nine, and while its not going as smooth as I'd hoped, it hasn't bogged down yet, either. Today I plan to sit down with it and hammer out the details. With it being so darned hot around here(100+ degrees, anyone?), it doesn't look like I'll be able to do much else without melting. Besides, it needs to be done and putting it off won't make it any easier.

It's wonderful to be moving forward again and I'm starting to get hyper about maybe starting the first draft for book two in August. That, and a new character is poking at me. The kicker is I can't start working on her story now as it's something that needs to be set up first. That hasn't stopped me from taking notes though. And while she doesn't have a name yet, so does have a nickname(weird, I know).

Art is finally starting to move along too. The stack of finished pieces is growing slowly, but surely as I sort through my abundance of works-in-progress and tackle them one after another. The plan is to start taking commissions sometime soon so I can have a little extra money for our vacation coming up. I've start haunting the park near our apartment, getting practice sketching buildings and trees(a couple of my weak points) and people watching. It's been too hot to head out there the past couples times I've had a day free from work. The few times I have gone out, I've managed some decent sketches.

Like I said before: at least it's progress, right?

Anyway, I better get my behind off the computer and head back to the studio. I've had a commissioner waiting ever so patiently for their art, and it's past time I got it done for them. Then it's more work on edits and some cleaning so I can finally get some general craftiness done. If I can get my rear in gear, I'll be sorting out llama wool tonight and cutting leather while I hang out with my husband.

Wish me luck :)



~Sun and Moon

July 1, 2012

Fried mush, anyone?

 I had this incredibly nifty blog post in my head. I got settled at the computer, opened up Blogger....and promptly forgot every word.

This is why I like to write things down. I tend to forget. I did not, however, forget to work on chapter twenty-nine last sunday, but I haven't made the progress I had hoped to that night. In fact, my brain fizzled out shortly after the post went live, and I ended up going to bed after a measly forty-five minutes of edits.

Not cool, but I didn't have much of a choice. It's hard to dig anything solid out of fried mush. So I went back to picking at it, and I have yet to move past the stubborn snag tripping me up. Today I'm still feeling a little crispy(or is that squishy?), but I have hopes to change that. Between washing dishes and other chores I'll be at the computer, hammering it out until it either straightens up, or crumbles to pieces. At this point, any progress is good progress, right?

In other news, I've decided to stop trying to make a regular Wordless Wednesday post every week. It's fun, but it's becoming a little stressful. Art for me has been kind of sporadic these days. Which means when Wednesday rolls around, I don't always feel I like I have anything worth posting. Now, I still plan to share my art with you guys, but I may be creating a separate blog just for my artwork. If it happens, I'll let you guys know. The art blog(if it becomes a reality) won't have a schedule like my writing blog. It'll only be updated when I have something to share. If you decide to follow it, that's great. If not, then that's fine too.

In the meantime, I'm off to work on edits and hopefully finish a commission. I hope to have some real progress to report next Sunday, but you know how that is. Maybe this time will be different. Its always a possibility, right?
  



~Sun and Moon   

June 24, 2012

Pesky edits are pesky

I've been bad.

Now, I could blame my lack of progress with chapter twenty-nine on the craziness of the past couple weeks, the pesky snag I've been fighting with, or even on the new scene waiting to be written. It wouldn't be entirely true though. You see, the root of it all is me and my tendencey to procrastinate.

Like I said...I've been bad.

Instead of working on edits I've been working on art, or cleaning my apartment, or trying to catch up on books I've been itching to read. I haven't neglected edits completely, though. I've been doing them a bit at a time on my breaks at work, but those little snippets of time aren't enough. Which means tonight I'll be staying up late to get some real work done. I'm about halfway through the chapter(not including the new scene), so with a little elbow grease and a lot of tea, I should be able to get pretty far before I hit the sack tonight.

I really want to get this round of edits done. Then it's some minor tweaks and I can move on to book two. The outlines for the first ten chapters are burning a hole in the drawer where I keep my notes. On top of that, I've got yet another story idea bouncing around my head.

One day, I'll catch up with all the stories I want to write. For now, I better get to work. Wish me luck, guys. I might need it.


~Sun and Moon  





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June 20, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: A quick peek at my messy art studio

Alrighty...I had to put the artsy stuff on hold so I could dedicate some serious time to getting my apartment cleaned up once and for all. Thus far it's going well, but I'm not done yet. So instead of art, here is a peek at my art studio where I try to do most of my work. You know...instead of taking over the livingroom as is my tendency. Oops. :)p




Framed art and my art desk with piles of books everywhere.






Some more framed art and my bookshelf. Don't mind the skull :)




My furry companions, plus one. Nikki watching the guinea pigs.


More guinea pigs :D






Big easel and my other bookshelf. Can you tell I like model horses?





Aaannd that's all folks. :)

Well, I still have edits to do and a kitchen to finish cleaning, so I better go. The next Wordless Wednesday will be artsy, I promise. Today I was just...distracted? Oh well, back to dishes! :D




~Sun and Moon

June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day

You've probably guessed by now, but there is no post today on account of it being Father's day. Also, I'm a little worn out from running around and cooking in a hot kitchen. Air conditioning is fine and all, but it doesn't work very well when the window unit is an old one.

Anyway, I spent my day with my husband's dad and had a really good time. He's out of the hospital now and doing good. His helmet is banged up a bit and his jacket is in tatters, but they did their job. He'll be just fine.

On that note, I'd like to wish all the dad's out there a Happy Father's Day. I hope it was a good one. :)

I might be able to post a Wordless Wednesday this week. I have several new artsy things to share and a few more waiting to be finished. For now, however, I'm off to do some editing and play Sims 3 before bed.


~Sun and Moon

June 10, 2012

I'll take a rain check please

This week has been nuts.Well and truly crazy. Not much of it is good, and what is good is getting buried under the mess.

Where to start?

Well tuesday afternoon I get a text from my husband that Ty, one of the family horses at the farm, had gone down. Ty was in bad shape and my husband was leaving work to help his mom keep Ty on his feet and moving till the vet could get there.

This one doesn't have a happy ending.

Late tuesday night, we found out that Ty had to be put down. He was twenty-nine years old, and he lived a good life with people who loved him. It was time. The autopsy later revealed that if he'd made it through that night, he would've been in a lot of pain very soon. I won't share the details here, but there is no doubt he was already running out of time. We never would have known and at least he didn't have to suffer long, but it still makes it bittersweet.

My husband called the next day off. The loss of a horse he'd known all his life hit him pretty hard. By thursday morning, things were looking up, and then it all hit the fan again. This time it was a phone call, not a text, and he wasn't the only one to leave his shift unfinished.

His dad had wrecked on his bike was in the hospital.

We rushed home just long enough to change clothes and switch cars. Food was grabbed on the way and we ate in the car, something we almost never do. It was an hour drive to the hospital he was at, and when we got there my husbands sister gave us the details.

His dad was hurt bad, but he would be ok. A lot of broken bones and some bad lacerations, but they didn't think he'd need surgery. After staying for about four hours, we head home exhausted and collapsed.

Yeah....it's been a rough week.

I haven't gotten far in edits or artwork lately, not with all the constant craziness, but hopefully that'll change and this next week will be calm and reletively quiet.

I can hope, right?

Prayers for our family is appreciated. I may do a wordless wednesday, but I'm not sure. Right now all I want to do is sleep.


~Sun and Moon

 

June 3, 2012

Just five more minutes...zzZZzz..

Today's lack of a blog post is due to the craziness of retail at the beginning of the month. Add in a holiday weekend before that, and all I want to do for a while is crawl into bed and not come out. Since that is considered unhealthy, I did the next best thing.

Spontaneous dinner-and-movie date with the husband. It was awesome, but had the almost expected result of me forgetting about any and all internet stuff until about now....oops?

Anyway, I'm still trying to track done someone who took photos of that llama we helped shear. It's slow going, so I expect I'll end up having to find a few unhappy-llamas-with-a-haircut photos thru google instead. Oh well, at least I got a huge bag of wool fiber out of the whole adventure.

Well, I'm off to get some sleep before I pass out(can you tell from all the aimless rambling?). Tomorrow I get to sort the bad wool from the good and figure out how I'm going to wash the stuff.

Ah yes...good times. :)p


~Sun and Moon 
 

May 27, 2012

Meh

No post today, guys. I was up till around 2am last night helping some folks to shear their new llama(I will try to find pictures...my phone kinda sucks for that kind of thing and I forgot my camera at home), and then went to a family cook out at noon today. There was also a trip to the thrift store, which was fun. However, I am wiped out. All I want to do is play some Sims 3, cuddle with my husband, work on some art, and do some book edits before I crash for the night.

And on that note, I'll catch you later. There may be a wordless wednesday post this week, but I make no promises as the art I'm working on right now is fighting me. 

Maybe I'll post llama photos instead. Hm....>_>


~Sun and Moon         .

May 23, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: The equine version

Because I haven't been able to find a moment to do some actual art, here are a few of my older pieces I haven't shared before. Except for the last one. He's new :D



















~Sun and Moon

May 20, 2012

Short and Sweet

I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm going to keep this one pretty brief. I'm actively editting chapter twenty-nine now, and scribbling notes for the new scenes I'm going to drop in to replace some old ones. You see, it's mentioned several times about how dangerous Underhill is....and then chapter twenty-nine is so TAME.

Ugh, must fix that one...>_>

I've been poking at it and now there are a group of unhappy naga to spice things up. Originally we don't see any of their kind till book two, but it fits very well, so why not?

It does mean I need to get that one naga prince drawing done. He still doesn't have a name, but he does play a part now. It would be incredibly nifty if I could add a few pictures to my finished work when it's published(which is a looong way off right now as I don't even have a query letter written, much less an agent waiting in the wings). I might as well start somewhere, right? :D

Alrighty then, I'm off to sort out those new scenes and play with my new art supplies. I already have one finished piece to show you guys on wednesday and I hope to have more. I guess we'll just have to see what happens. ;)


~Sun and Moon

May 17, 2012

Why I didn't post a wordless wednesday...

Yes, I know I forgot to post yesterday, but I have a reason for the lack of a wordless wednesday. 

My birthday package arrived.

I've been waiting to order these for a while, so without further ado, I'll leave you with these pictures while I go catch up on old art projects and play with my new toys.

Enjoy. :D


I got the smaller one :)





I got the 24 count, but they don't have a picture for it.
















I only got four colors. So expensive!



I just replaced colors I had almost used up. I already have this tin :D





For those of you who want to know...You can find all these things and more at www.dickblick.com, the best place to find good art supplies for an affordable price. Well...for the most part, anyway. :)

Anywho, I'm off to enjoy my birthday spoils. 


~Sun and Moon

May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

There is no other way to say it: I am beat. 

No, I don't mean I've given up on anything, just that I'm in serious need of some real sleep. Actually being able to eat breakfast might help too. The past couple days have been a mad scramble to get to work on time, followed by a complete and total system's crash at the day's end.

So between my complete lack of energy, and the fact it is Mother's Day today, I think I'll spend the day working on my gift for my mom. That, and scribbling notes and such as I continue to review chapter twenty-nine and figure out what it needs done. It's been a crazy week, and I think I've earned some time with pencils and paints.

In the meantime, I want to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Today is your day and I hope it's a good one. :)

~Sun and Moon

May 9, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

It's been crazy lately, I won't lie. However, this means I haven't had time to do much more then doodle. I have one finished piece to share with you guys and hope to have many more next wednesday. This was done on pastel board with pastel pencils. It's not my usual medium or subject matter, but it didn't turn out half bad. I like it anyway, and so does the person who let me use one of her photographs as a reference. I hope you like it too, and I'll try to have more to share next time.:)





~Sun and Moon


.

May 6, 2012

Break time!

Chapter twenty-eight is finally done! I'll be sending it out to a couple beta readers within the next few days for final tweaking, but for now, it's done.

FINALLY.

Out of morbid curiosity I went back through my old blog posts to see just how long I'd been working on this darned thing. The answer? Longer then I've ever spent on one chapter by about several months. As my birthday is right around the corner, I won't have this book done by then(darn it), but this summer is looking pretty promising for beginning book two(which is still without a title...ugh). I now have just two chapters left to tweak(and a new scene to write for one of them), and then I'm done with "New Beginnings" for a while. 

Of course, I'll still need to do another round or two of edits to trim out extra words and such. But for now it is done.

On that note, I'm off to work on a few art projects and catch up on some much neglected reading. My three day break officially starts today, so work on chapter twenty-nine will begin wednesday. I hope to have another art post that day, so I better get cracking.


~Sun and Moon

May 2, 2012

Wordless Wednesday sketch dump

For those of you who wonder, here's a taste of what I've been doing this past week between edits. From sketches, to Works-In-Progress, to finished product. I hope you like them. :)




























~Sun and Moon

 

April 29, 2012

Anyone have a flashlight?

Well, I have a new phone to replace the one I lost last sunday(which I still plan to continue to look for as you can't buy the darn thing at all anymore). I don't like it, but it works and that's really all that matters. Plus it was only about fifty dollars and people who are broke shouldn't complain, right?

Right.

Anyway, it took me a while to calm down(about two days...ugh), so I didn't finish chapter twenty-eight like I thought I would. I am, however, on the last three pages. I have two small snags to fix and I'm good to take a break before plunging into chapter twenty-nine. They aren't really all that major, but I still want to fix them. It's like they say: life is stranger then fiction. It doesn't have to make sense cause it actually happened. In a book it must make sense though, or your reader is going to be having words with you.

One of those snags I need to fix is exactly that. Something small that doesn't make sense. It might get over looked on the first read thru, but not the second. I don't know about anyone else, but I want to write books people will put on their bookshelf and read until the binding is about broken and the pages are tattered. That means smoothing out the parts that make people wonder where you left your common sense. 

Today I'll be doing just that(working on the snags, not looking for my common sense). If all goes well, I'll be taking a break soon and then starting twenty-nine sometime this week. Also, keep your eyes peeled this wednesday for another art post. I have a handful of sketches, a Work In Progress, and a piece I finished up just this morning. It should be fun. And very colorful, but mostly fun cause only the newly finished piece has color right now. That might change, but for now we'll have to wait and see. :)

I've gotten to the point where I can see a light at the end of this tunnel. Which is good seeing as my batteries are about drained. Anyone have a flashlight I could borrow? Mine is starting to flicker. 


~Sun and Moon

April 22, 2012

Ways a ruin a good day

Misplace your phone the day before, not worried because you can just have your husband call it later.

Wake up the next morning to realize you really don't have a clue where it could possibly be and ask husband to call it.

Husband gets your voicemail. 

Start looking for dead phone in a house that really ought to be cleaned. After searching all the usual places, including the art mess you left in the living room last night after working on art that was to be finished TODAY, you come up empty.

Proceed to use some choice words and check the car.

Nothing.

Eat lunch and try to remember when you had you phone yesterday. The good news is both you and your husband remember you having it at home after work. Bad news is you still have no idea where you left it.

The book sale you wanted to go to today is half over at this point. You can't even go visit the friend you were planning to see today, because the address to his new place is on your missing phone. 

Throw a book at a wall and stalk down the hall. Slam the door behind you and have a small break down because you STILL can't find your damned phone.

Realize you haven't written your blog post for the day and since there's no way you'll be able to finish chapter twenty-eight while you're feeling the need to strangle something, there's really no point in waiting.

Stare at empty screen for all of two minutes and start typing.

Post.


And that, my friends, is how good days go bad. Pardon me while I go clean my apartment and resist the urge to cause serious bodily harm. Regular, more cheerful posts will resume next sunday.


~Sun and Moon   

April 15, 2012

Hey is that--ooh, shiny!

I know I say this a lot, but I didn't forget about today's blog post. I actually put it off in the hope that I'd be able to tell you guys I had finished chapter twenty-eight at last.

Alas, it was not meant to be. While I am making loads more progress(the end is in sight for sure), I'm not quite done yet. I pulled some stuff out and rewrote other things, and it all feels kind of raw still, but it seems to be moving in the right direction. If I keep things going at this rate, I'll probably be done within a week, if not less. In the meantime, I will continue to chip away at it on my spare moments.

In other news, I'm in the process of clearing my art desk of old projects. So far it's going well. I spent most of today with a piece that's been lounging about for the better part of a year. It was a nice change from wrestling with my chapter tangles, and I can't wait to see it finished. Expect to see another art post sometime soon.

Which reminds me of something. I've been thinking of doing a Wordless Wednesday as well as my usual blog post on Sunday. I'm not sure how often it would post, but it would likely be a mix of my art and pictures of whatever interesting things I stumble across during the week.

It's a thought anyway.

And on that note, I'm off to bed. Its been a long day of editting and art, and my brain is just about fried.



~Sun and Moon
 

April 8, 2012

What is this sleep you speak of?

If you work retail like I do, you know the past week has been a bit of a mess, what with the first of the month and Easter Sunday coming all in the same week. Needless to say, I'm wiped out. Edits are still coming along slowly, and I'm going to do my best to round up the loose ends over the next few days and get it sent to beta readers. Also, I'd really like to move on to chapter twenty-nine. This requires more energy then I have at the moment, but breakfast is yummy french toast made with a teaspoon of real vanilla extract and a pinch of nutmeg stirred into the usual egg, milk, and cinnamon. Served with real maple syrup, it's addictively delicious(yes, that's not a real word, but who cares? Its french toast, lol). Maybe the sugar rush will do me good.

I was just going to post something cute and easter-ish today, but I don't have any pictures of my mom's new angora rabbits, and the eggs I blew out and cleaned are still waiting to be painted. So instead I decided to babble about breakfast foods and hope you don't notice that I'm still in desperate need of sleep.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys their Easter Sunday. Don't eat too much candy, and remember: when it comes to chocolate bunnies, you're supposed to eat the ears first. ;)


~Sun and Moon

April 1, 2012

My keys are evil

Be nice to your keys...they bite.
 
Yesterday while getting my keys into my pocket, they wrapped around my hand and wacked my knuckle. Instant bruise. Also, some painful swelling. Most of my work shift was running the self checkouts, so this wasn't too much of a problem. Except I couldn't write or draw.

Ouch. :p

By the time I got home I could bend it, but it still ached, so I goofed off and went to bed instead of doing edits like I was supposed too. So seeing as I promised you guys some of my artwork if I figured out my watermark issues(I did), I thought I'd go head and post some(they're posted them from oldest to newest, by the way). I'd feel guilty about not writing a whole blog post, but this way I can get back to work on those edits I put off yesterday. We'll be back to regular blogging next sunday. I hope you don't mind the interruption. :) 






















~Sun and Moon

March 25, 2012

Instert crafty title here

Things are looking up. I'm back to work on chapter twenty-eight and making some progress as I untangle the mess. The going is incredibly slow, but I've run through the important bits of my problem scene with a few people who know a thing or two about wounds and trauma. I've taken what they've told me and started applying it to the sticky bit. It's helping to clear out the bits that were seriously bothering me(no wonder, they didn't belong anyway), and now I just need to finish deciding how to rework another bit before I can call this thing done.

So, upside and downside, but more on the upside. I mean, progress trumps sticky bits, right?

In the meantime, I better head off to get some of those sticky bits cleaned up. I intend to make a serious dent in my art project list today, and I can't do that sitting at the computer. If I can get my digital art program figured out and create a watermark for my work, I'll share some artsy stuff with you guys.

But first I'm going to go raid the fridge. My latest batch of goat yogurt won't be ready for pick-up till tomorrow, but there's some leftover steak and plenty of salad fixings. I don't know about you guys, but I work better on a full stomach.


~Sun and Moon 

March 18, 2012

Luck 7 Meme and a little something extra

I meant to write this post last night, honest I did. However, seeing as I crashed right after I got off work, maybe it's better I didn't. You probably wouldn't have been able to understand a single word.

Anyway, when I got up this morning I discovered I'd been tagged twice for the same meme directly, and then yet again in a more indirect fashion. So I decided to not only do the meme, but share some of my favorite snippets from my MS as well. I'll try to keep each one to the seven lines as per the meme, but I make no promises. :)p

Let's get this party started, shall we?



 Here are the rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy down the next 7 lines/sentences, and post them as they're written. No cheating.
4. Tag 7 other writers.






This is the bit I found via the meme rules. It's a bit of dialog from one of the chapters in Kristal's point of view:


    I shrugged. “Not really.” He chuckled and I stuck my tongue out at him. “Be nice, ok? I just figured we’d follow the bike trail to the park and decide from there.”

    Ricardo grinned and turned in the direction of the wide, asphalt path. “Sounds good to me. Let‘s go.”

    It didn’t take long to reach the park, but it was late by the time we got there. The evening breeze was a little brisk and I found myself wishing I had grabbed a jacket before we left. The basketball courts were empty, and there didn’t seem to be anybody in the park but us.

    “Is that…police tape?”



The next one is one of my favorite scenes from a chapter in Shadow's point of view:



As Kristal began to explain how to draw on his person magic to weave a defense, I went to sit in the dappled shade of a nearby tree. The grass was still damp from the morning’s dew, the moisture making my tail glisten in the bright sunlight shining through the leaves overhead. Idly I flipped the tip back and forth behind me as I spread my wings to catch the sun. A rustle to my right had me looking away from my sister giving Paul a lecture on shields that lacked adequate power, to see Ricardo taking a seat beside me. He was very cam, and not even the wet grass soaking his clothes seemed to disrupt his tranquil mood. Smiling to myself, I turned my attention back to the lesson before me.
     “I couldn’t help but notice you always seem to know how I’m feeling. Sometime before I even know myself.” I blinked and turned my head to see him watching me with those golden eyes of his. “Are you reading my thoughts?”


Last of all, here is a bit from the beginning of chapter twenty-eight, the current pain-in-the-butt I'm trying to edit these days. This one is in Kristal's point of view:

For a long moment, I felt horribly stretched as the orb sucked me in--and then we were standing on a dusty plain.
     We were in.
     Sudden nausea hit me like a kick in the gut, and I swallowed hard as my stomach rolled. Dropping to my knees as my legs gave out, I braced myself against the gritty soil under my hands. A cold, wet nose nudged my cheek and I looked over to see Bretta watching me, her golden eyes worried.
    “I’m ok,” I said, swallowing hard again as my stomach twisted and then settled. “I’m just feeling a little sick, that’s all.”
    “It should pass soon, sister,” Shadow murmured, kneeling beside me as I looked around to see Paul stumbling to his feet. “Here, let me help you.”



And that's it for me. This post is late enough as it is and the fair weather outside my window is calling my name. As are several art projects and the pile of dishes in the sink. So I'm going to cheat a little. What does that mean? Well, if you're a writer and you're reading this...consider yourself tagged. ;D



~Sun and Moon

March 11, 2012

Do you smell something burning?

This week has been hell and I have the scorch marks on my backside to prove it.

Seriously though, it has been one headache after another and I'm feeling more like a piece of burnt toast, then a human being. None of the issues I've face have to do with chapter twenty-eight, though. Mostly because I decided to go back and read from chapter one onward to help me find my feet. This means I get to reread all my favorite scenes and remember what I got right. It also means I'm realizing just how much work I need to put into those beginning chapters. Trust me when I say it's not pretty.

That will have to wait a while yet, however, as I don't plan to tackle those bits until I've managed to finish my current round of edits. Hopefully I'll be done with my reread and be putting twenty-eight to bed this wensday.

In the meantime, I managed to blow off some steam yesterday without damaging anything other then a hay bale or two. My husband and I grabbed our bows and headed to the farm to see just how bad we were. To be fair, my husband is a pretty good shot with his compound bow. I shoot a long bow, and let me tell you...I can hit what I'm aiming at about half the time. The other half is me chasing down the arrows that managed to miss the target. One of these days I'll get some lessons and shoot for real, but until then, it's a good way to burn off your frustrations.

It's also a way to get some serious exercise, because when we weren't drawing our bows or chasing down stray arrows, we were shooing the farm cats away from or hay bale target. Also, the goats kept getting in the way. After the millionth time of shooing them away, I told my husband that maybe we should get a foam hunting target for this kind of thing. He just smiled and pointed out the fact of how our place of employment hasn't had any in stock for a while. The hay bale would have to do for now. I just sighed and went back to chasing cats and goats.

So there you have it. A week of hell followed by a sunny day filled with bow, arrows, nosy cats, and hungry goats. It's been a while since I've posted late, but considering the circumstances, I'm just happy to be posting at all.

And on that note, I'm off to relax with my husband before I head to work.

Later, guys.



~Sun and Moon
  

March 4, 2012

When procrastination is a good thing

Yesterday I was cringing at the idea of posting yet another blog of how I'm stuck in chapter twenty-eight with little or no progress to report. So instead of writing my post last night and posting it this morning, I put it off in favor of Sims 2 and a good night's sleep. After sleeping in for the first time in about a week, I decided to do edits while I ate breakfast. I'm glad I did.

Every now and again, I have these moments when the part giving me trouble resolves itself and everything falls into place. Today it didn't go quite that cleanly, but the fight scene that was giving me trouble? Yeah, it's taken care of thanks to a little perspective from my husband based on his own experiences as a teenager. So now I just have one chunk of drama to resolve and the ending to polish up, and then I'll be done.

That will have to wait, however as today is the first day I've had off with my hubby in two weeks. I might still do more edits today, but the hardcore stuff will have to wait. Besides, I have two sculptures to paint and some merfolk to finish up, not to mention a bit of birthday fanart for one of my online pals to get done. I'll be back to work on edits tomorrow, but until then I'm off to play with paints and pencils while I watch Mythbusters episodes with my hubby and try to keep the cat's nose out of my brush tub.

Later guys,


~Sun and Moon

February 26, 2012

Pricey isn't always best

Lately I've been looking at lot of crafting sites. Now, I don't sew a whole lot(heck, I don't even own a sewing machine), but recently I came across this girl on Deviant Art who works with leather. Most of them are super simple and made from patterns she created herself. What really caught my attention, however, was the manikin she drafts her stuff on.

I want one.

So I started researching the cost of getting one suitable for what I wanted to do and came away scorched by the cost of quality. When I mentioned the fact I could almost buy a car for what most of the dress forms cost(my hubby and I have only ever had used cars ranging from $400-800), a friend mention that I could always make one out of duct tape and stuffing. I declined, saying I wanted one that adjusts. She just shrugged and we starting talking about something else.


That was a month or so ago. Today I found myself back on Google looking yet again. Not much has changed, so when I stumbled across a make-it-youself site for dress forms, I gave a look. Now I have to be honest, being wrapped in duck tape doesn't look like much fun, but that's really not the point of it all. The point is to have a dress form fitted to you for a mere $15 at most.


People tell each other all the time that you get what you pay for. Usually the idea is that the more you pay for something, the higher the quality and the better the investment. However, when you're broke half the time and can't afford to shell out the dough, cheap and easy works too.


Well, I'll catch you guys later. If I'm going to get wrapped with duct tape in the near future, I'd prefer not to look like I'm trying out for the tin man in the wizard of Oz. Besides, researching what color duct tape I want is much less painful then looking at anymore pricey dress forms.  

In the meantime, I found this lovely rose here through Google, but if you really want to see some duct tape wonders, stop by DeviantArt.com and take a look the gallery of the official Duck Tape artist, the DuckTapeBandit .









~Sun and Moon




P.S. Nothing to report on chapter twenty-eight(for those of you who are wondering). My hubby noticed me beating my head against the computer desk again and has banned me from my laptop for a few days. I'd be irritated, but I really did need the break. Edits start up again tomorrow. Wish me luck :)

February 19, 2012

Pass the popcorn, please

I'm sure most of you know the movie "Pirates of the Carribean; on stranger tides", am I right? Well I just got around to watching it this week and I was pleasently surprised. I'll be honest, I was never a fan of the franchise. The first movie was funny, but after that the storyine seemed to lose track of itself. In fact, I probably would've passed this one by as well if it weren't for the mermaids.

To be honest, I'm really glad I didn't miss out because I think I can safely say this movie is my favorite out of all the others. It was goofy and fun, and the mermaid mythology was right on the money. So many times I see mermaids portrayed as lovely, helpful creatures who are basically harmless and I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes. I mean, are you kidding me? Anyone who has ever googled mermaids and sirens knows they aren't all happiness and sunshine. In fact, most of the time they're quite deadly.

In the movie they use men to beget more mermaids and then drown their partners. They also eat them. In turn, men hunt them for their tears and fear them like nothing else. The mermaids also have the ability to shed their tail and grow legs, but walking is difficult. Last but not least, they are all stunning beauties until they lunge for your throat.

This keeping to the older, darker side of the merfolk one of the reasons I've watched the movie several times now and still love it. Not only is it a refreshing change of pace, but since I have a siren appearing in the second book of my trilogy, it's research as well. Of course, her character and the world building for her species is going a lot smoother then my current predicament. Chapter twenty-eight is still fussing.

Yeah, I know. Big surprise, right?

I am making progress though, and I have today and tomorrow to finish beating it into submission. One way or another, I'll be getting the darned thing done by April. Right now my hope is to have edits for this book wrapped up by May so I can start Book Two right after my birthday. If nothing else, it would be a nice birthday present. Plus, you know, I'd be first-drafting again and that's always good.

Well, I better quit yapping and get back to work. I still need to clean and it would be nice if I could get something artsy done for once. And by done, I mean finished. I have so many partially done projects floating around my art studio, it's not funny. The fact that two of them are late Christmas gifts only makes it worse.

And on that note, I think I'll get to work. The sooner I'm done, the sooner I can watch that movie again. After all, it is research.


~Sun and Moon

February 12, 2012

Is this thing on?

First I'd like to thank Shell flower over at Tangent Shell for the Versatile Blogger and Kreativ Blogger awards she sent my way last week. It was a very pleasant surprise to say the least. Thanks again!

Also, to those of you who left me little "get well soon" comments, thanks. I'm feeling much better. Today I'll be putting my bucket to better use as I work to get my apartment looking a little less ragged.

In other news, I've been kind of a ghost when it comes to the internet as I continue to chip away at chapter twenty-eight. I've hit several new snags, but after fighting with them off and on over the past few days, it looks like I should have this chapter in the bag sooner rather then later. I would've tried to wrap it up last night, but I'd already spent about three hours worth of time hammering it out while I was at work. I don't know about anyone else, but my brain can only take so much abuse before it runs up the white flag. So instead of doing more work on chapter twenty-eight, I spent the evening with my husband and we watched the Dresden Files dvds I got from the library.

And on that note, I'm off to get started. My husband gets off fairly early today and I still need to clean. Plus I promised homemade pasta and fudgy brownies for dinner tonight. If I want to get it all done in time to wrap up chapter twenty-eight I better get a move on.



~Sun and Moon


P.S. Sorry this post is so short! I will try to write a longer one for next week when my brain is a little less scattered. :3

February 5, 2012

Pass the bucket, please

I hate being sick.

It's not the needing to sleep all the time, or the fuzzy head that bothers me, though. No, the part that has me looking to never be so sick again is the time it takes to recover from the worst of it. So when I got the stomach bug earlier this week I was not a happy camper. For two days I lived on the couch and couldn't handle much more then gatorade, sprite, crackers, and buttered bread. Water tasted nasty and I slept whenever I was remotely comfortable.

I still don't feel the greatest, but I'll live. At least I don't have to carry a bucket around with me any more.

Today is the first time all week I've been remotely interested in doing anything other then sleep. I have edits I started at work last night still waiting to put into chapter twenty-eight and there's artwork waiting for me in my studio. On top of that, I have a pile of buttery soft, golden buckskin and a pattern I sketched up for a bodice.

Hopefully I'll be able to touch on all those projects at some point today, but for now I'm off to work in those new edits.

Also, I need to find some real food. If I have to drink any more fierce grape gatorade I swear I'm going to turned purple.



~Sun and Moon