December 29, 2013

Another holiday season come and gone....FINALLY!

That's right, I survived. 

Not sure how....

Anyway, I'd like to apologize for the complete silence...I tried, I really did, but family time and sleep came first. I did manage to get finished with the last bits of editing for chapter fifteen, though.

Book three has been blessedly silent, but I now have yet another scene for book two on paper. It needs lots of work, but it's nice to write something fresh. It's also nice to be reminded that you won't get things right the first go around...that's what edits are for. Something I've apparently forgotten as I struggle to finish wrapping up my edits and trim excess word count.

On a happier, but strange note....my number one key and "v" key are working again....and I have no idea why.

Figures.

Well, now that I'm not being squished on a regular basis, I hope to get back into the swing of things. Hope being the key word here, but I should be back to regular posts by the end of this month. If I manage to stay on top of things, I may have edits finished as well and be getting ready to work on book two....which still doesn't have a name.

Okay, in all honesty it does, but I'm not sure if it still fits seeing as things have changed so much in my world building and plot lines.

Anywho...I promised my husband I'd keep this one brief, so I better wrap this one up. I'll be back with very good news in the coming weeks if all goes well. Until then, I'll be picking away at edits and trying to keep the cat from smothering us both in fur(it's a long story, lol). 


Later guys,



~Sun and Moon

 

November 13, 2013

Um, so about that....

Yes, I know....I missed another sunday. Normally if I post on wednesdays, there's a picture involved, but not today.

Well, maybe one picture....




 
More pastels...can you tell I'm addicted? :3





Anyway, I just want to let you guys know that the holiday season is hitting me like a brick and posts are going to be sporadic at best until New Years day. There are several reasons for this, and I'll explain them all....eventually. Until then, know that I'm really trying and I'm still writing. I'm just doing it between really long naps(also known as passing out on the couch while trying to do edits). 

With a little luck, I'll have this round of edits finished by the new year and I'll be able to share bits. No promises yet though. I was jotting down notes at work a couple days ago and realized a certain element needs to be woven through the plot a little deeper then it is now.

It never ends, does it? Oh well, at least it never gets boring either.

And on that note, I'm off to grab a mug of hot cocoa. Our downstairs neighbors did something strange that stunk up our apartment and I've had windows open most of the day. The windows are closed now and the heat is back on, but my feet are still blocks of ice inside my boots. 


Brrr...now where's the milk?



~Sun and Moon  





P.S. Apparently blogger wants to be mean. Go here to my gallery to see this art without the funky thing blogger did to the eyes. Geesh, got to love technology....>_>

November 3, 2013

Where's my jam?

I'm finding it difficult to type when the toasty hot pad propped up on my lap beckons to my cold hands. Suddenly a nap sounds like a wonderful idea, and I'm wondering if I have any jam to go on my buttermilk biscuits.

Yup, colder weather is here and all the temptations it brings with it. I've run chapter thirteen past a beta reader and received the green light, so I'm back to picking away at chapter fourteen. Replacing a phrase here and a bit of dialog there is time consuming work, but it's worth it when I step back and read the result. The action and dialog flow better, and the writting itself is tighter. Not incredible, but definitely better.

I have two and a half pages worth of notes for this chapter and they are pretty straight forward, but I'm also finding I missed a lot during my time of note taking. It has me paying closer attention to the page as I work through each one. To be honest, I feel like I'm out weeding a spring garden. All the little green bits are a bit small at this point and I find myself studying each one closely, trying to determine if its a weed or not.

It can be pretty frustrating and confusing. Thank goodness for beta readers, right? Mine have saved my sanity more then once....what's left of my sanity, anyway.

*twitch*

Anyway, I'm aiming to finish up fourteen by tonight and chapter fifteen by tomorrow night. How I'm going to accomplish that, I don't know. It won't be by sitting around with my hands tucked into my hot pad, or while munching on those yummy biscuits though. 

Darn it.

Wouldn't it be nice if it worked out that way? Indulging in winters luxuries while your book writes and edits itself? Mmm...sounds wonderful, but since folks haven't figured out a way to pull that off quite yet, I'm off to get some work done the usual way. By hand.

But first, I need a snack. Now where did I put that jam....



~Sun and Moon   
 

October 27, 2013

The bed is calling my name....

This very late blog post is brought to you be a very sheepish writer. 

Um, that would be me, by the way.

I thought I'd finished chapter thirteen last week, but ended up having to go back and rewrite part of it. In my first few drafts of this book I had several betas tell me Kris struck them as pretty immature for her age. Once wouldn't have bothered me, but five different people telling me the same thing? Not something to ignore. 

Thus when I started writing edit notes for this round of edits, I tweaked things a little to give her a little more maturity. What I didn't expect was the domino effect of having to change her reactions and dialog in each successive chapter.

Which means instead of starting chapter fourteen last week, I'm starting it this week. I should only have a couple more instances of tweaking Kristal's dialog and actions before they dovetail into the later chapters. In the meantime it makes for some slow work. 

In the meantime, I'm almost halfway through, but I still have a lot of work to do. I'm editing chapter fourteen as I type this, so I probably ought to get back to it. After all, its almost bedtime and I'm only on page two.
 
Later guys,



~Sun and Moon

October 20, 2013

Pass the tissues please...

First, I'm sorry about last weeks missing blog. I managed to get a cold and it laid me out pretty good. The new colder weather is definitely not helping. Brrrr...

The good news is that after sleeping for about twelve hours, I managed to finish applying edits to both chapters twelve and thirteen. Fourteen will be tackled tonight after I get back from my first driving lesson in almost ten years.

It ought to be interesting.

In other news, I still haven't had a chance to pick apart my keyboard and now the #1 key is out as well. I've lost my exclamation point, but the small number pad on the end of my keyboard still works, so at least I still have all my numbers...

I have to admit, all these changes are still making me twitchy. More often then not I find myself wondering if I didn't just ruin my story. Its pretty nerve-wracking. Hopefully when I'm finished, it'll all settle in and feel less trampled.

Anyway, I'm off to grab some food and some time with my laptop before my driving lesson. With a little determination, I might be able to squeeze out edits on another two chapters. I'm fast coming up on one of my favorite scenes, and its providing some pretty good incentive to push forward. 


Later guys,



~Sun and Moon

October 6, 2013

Duck and cover

Holiday season has started to rear its ugly head at my place of employment and I find myself getting home totally exhausted almost every day. Or anti-social. Or--well, you get the idea.

I hate the mess that is the holiday season in retail. Bad moods abound and people practically kill each other in pursuit of things they never really needed in the first place.

Ugh.


Right now my husband, my art, and my writing are the factors keeping me sane as black friday and christmas begin to loom on the horizon(okay, so maybe that's a little melodramatic, but darn it, I really don't like the holidays...seriously). 

Anyway....I'm still making progress on my edit notes. I've had to do a few more drastic changes(at least they felt pretty drastic...ouch), and I'm once again wondering if I just messed up my story. I started chapter twelve this week and find while downtime is needed in chapters to balance out the story, I'm itching to get on to one of my favorite parts....two chapters on.

I really need to learn some patience...but at least this chapters notes aren't as vague as they were in earlier chapters. Thank goodness. I still can't believe I was that obtuse. How embarrassing.

And on that note, I better get back to work.


~Sun and Moon

September 29, 2013

Pretty colors....

Er, so its almost 9pm at night and I just realized I didn't put up a blog post at all. I have  loads of good reasons, but since most of them sound horribly like excuses....we'll leave them unspoken.

Also, on a random note...the letter "v" on my keyboard has died. I'm using the wonderful world of spell-check and cut-and-paste to cover that, but I'm either going to be doing some tinkering in the near future, or keyboard shopping. Thank goodness I have my netbook. I'm still picking away at my edit notes and it would really suck if I stymied because of a faulty key on my keyboard.

Funny thing is....I'm pretty sure I don't use my "v" key that much....


Tomorrow is going to be a day of cleaning, artwork, and edits, so I better go enjoy my last couple of lazy hours till bedtime. And in lieu of a proper blog post, here is a bit of artwork I finished some months ago. Pastels on pastel board, she is one of my favorite pieces right now and one of the first ones I finished after my son passed. I hope you like her. :)














~Sun and Moon    


 

September 22, 2013

Stepping back into those shoes...

I miss my little boy, but I love my life right now. He gave me and my husband so much during his short time here....we are blessed to know him as our son.

Its hard stepping back into life though, back into the shoes left behind when we had to say goodbye so soon. I find myself trying to fit back into the old routines like I never left, but I can't. Not quite, anyway. Instead, I find myself making a new pair of shoes to wear through my new life, and while they sometimes pinch my toes when reality rears up to snarl at us, they are slowly becoming a part of me.

When I first got back to my blogging, I thought I'd be able to step right back into the rhymth I had before. I pushed myself to try and fit those old shoes, but I only made a mess of things. I'm different now, and while I hope to get back to the goofy, flaky artist-author person I was....it may take me a bit.

I'm still writting, though. Still sketching new art and finishing old peices. Book Three is starting to poke at me and I already have several scenes and a handful of snippets for it. Nevermind that I'm supposed to be working on edits for Book One. Instead I'm back to sneaking a minute at work while I jot down an idea or scrap of dialog. I should probably do something about that....

In the meantime, those edits are kicking my butt. Right now I have the whole book broken into one chapter per document for ease in editing, but once the notes are done I'll be tossing it back together for the final trim. As it stands now, I need to trim about 30k in words. Its a little daunting to be sure, but I'm doing my best. Book Two will probably be shorter then this one as the storyline is more concise, but who knows. It might turn out just as long. Hopefully Cara won't backtalk me as bad as Shadow does.... 

Aaaand on that note I better get back to work. I'll catch you guys later, okay? I've missed this and I think I can definetly say I'm back now. Its been a rough road and I'll have blisters for years to come....but I'm finally home.


Until next week, guys.


~Sun and Moon  

September 15, 2013

The happy, the sad, and the strange

For the first time ever, I had a customer walk up and apologize for giving me attitude over something I had no control over. She said I probably didn't remember, but she did and she wanted to apologize.

She was right....I didn't remember.

As I accepted her apology and thanked her, I realized I don't really remember most of my negative encounters with customers. After all, why bother? Its so much easier to do the job if you don't dwell too long on the crap. Vague recollections wander through my head, but I don't fight to keep them there for the same reason I prefer my books and movies to have happy endings.

There is enough misery and pain in life, and I want to remember the good, the joyful, the peaceful, and the just. I want to be uplifted, not morose and angry.

I don't always avoid the sad endings, though. There are a few I read and reread because they are just that well written. After all, no matter what your preference, its about telling the story in your head. Its about getting your words on paper in a way others can understand and enjoy. 

And on that note, I better get to work on my edit notes. This post is already late and I've got my own happy ending to write.

Later guys, 


~Sun and Moon  



September 9, 2013

What is this internet you speak of?

It's kinda weird to have internet again after doing without it for almost a year. So weird, in fact, that I keep forgetting we have it. Even stranger is that a part of me misses NOT having internet.

No, I'm not crazy....

It was really liberating even when it was so darned frustrating. It was like a forced detox that showed me what was really important in life....and how to appreciate it instead of letting it slip by. I've gotten so much accomplished since we lost the internet and a little more patient to boot.

Not too patient though. I'm working with the chapter three edit notes right now and I have this urge to smack myself. Why the heck didn't I be more detailed on the changes? Why did I assume I'd remember what I meant to write and magically put it in? I can only hope that chapter three is the only bunch of notes this obtuse....ugh.


 Anyway, I have a mountain of cleaning to do, so I better get cracking. The sooner I'm done, the sooner I can take a little more time to beat chapter three notes into submission.

I can hope, darn it.


Later, guys :)




~Sun and Moon

August 21, 2013

Um, did I say that?

Ok, so for once we didn't end up at the farm on a sunday. Figures. I had a nifty post all written up and everything. Instead we goofed off and had fun....and now I'm using my new phone to post this blog. I didn't know it could do that.... o_O

Anyway, I've been picking away at the mess that is chapter 29, writting out edit notes and reworking some scenes entirely. The good news is I'm on the last half of the chapter at this point. The not-so-good-news is I'm definetly going to have to rewrite most of it.

Ugh.

This is supposed to be my last round of edits before starting book two, so I'm trying to thurough, but darnit if I don't just keep getting stuck instead. 

Well, at least theres more good news. By this coming sunday I should have internet back up and running. Which will be awesome. My new phone is nifty, but not that nifty.

And on that note, I'm off to tackle chapter 29 and its horrible messiness(sp?). I'll ctach you guys this coming sunday. 

Later,


 ~Sun and Moon

August 11, 2013

Somebody get me a mop...

Life is such a mess right now....but in a good way. 

Sort of.

Since my last post the moving thing has fallen apart(rather messily too) and my husband has bounced from an okay job, to a horrible one, to an even worse job, and finally into one he loves. It doesn't pay a whole lot, but seeing him come home smiling instead of fuming is worth the smaller paycheck. 

I'm back to working again. It was horrible and extremely rough going back to the place I'd spent so much time pregnant with my little boy. The memories, the questions and the pitying looks were like salted glass shards being rubbed into the wounds on my heart. Over time the glass became rough sandpaper, and now its just the deep ache of an old wound. I still break down and cry at random moments, but those moments are becoming fewer and every day I find myself with more reasons to smile.

My book is in its last stage of edits for the time being(I hope), and starting book two is starting to get a little closer to reality. I've been working on editing notes like a crazy person(no surprise there....aren't we all a little nuts for doing this?). So many "essential" bits of dialog and story have hit the floor and one chapter has an entirely new opening page(painful but true...ugh). 

I'm working on edit notes for chapter 28 this week along with two art commissions. The fat packet of already written notes at my elbow is very satisfying, but not enough to call it quits and take a break. I'm itching to write new material and the only way to satisfy that need to is to get cracking on these edits.


I've been able to get some fairly reliable access to the internet on sundays, so barring more messy life stuff, I should be back to regular updates over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I have a fresh page in my notebook and a chapter to edit. I'll be back next sunday(I hope).

Later, guys :)





~Sun and Moon

May 23, 2013

Mii-aah! >_>

It's been almost two months since my last journal and I finally have some answers.

My son had a fatal birth defect called Trisomy 18. That's the bad news. The good news is that he as he passed away in my womb, he didn't suffer from it like he would have had he been born alive. Also, it was not a hereditary Trisomy, and we only have a 1% chance of this happening again. We're going to wait a year and then try again. Lord willing, I'll have good news to share come this time next year...well, maybe later then that. I hear being pregnant in the summer sucks and I was fortunate enough to escape that last time....

Anyway, I've slowly been getting back to art and writing. At first, all I did was wander around my studio and look at finished pieces, maybe flip through my book notes. The day I finally found the peace to start working on my book and those bits of artwork waiting on my art desk....that was a good day. It still comes and goes, but I'm finding myself slowly making more time for both art and writing in one form or another. 


Right now I'm in the process of getting all my story notes for all my different books into my laptop. I took a small break last week while I went to my first art show(it was a small, local carving and wood-burning show, but I wasn't the only one with drawings and paintings on my table). For the moment edits are a little slow as I'm a bit distracted with getting ready to move soon as well as building inventory for a bigger art show in November(my new landlord and I will be buying a table to sell my drawings and her wood-burning, along with a few collaborations from the two of us). 

And yes, you read that one bit correctly....My husband and I will most likely be moving into a new place with a friend of ours. She's getting a house and needs help with the bills, so she invited us to live with her. It means my husband has a garage to play in and I have a new studio and a new artist friend to scheme with. She has also agreed to be a beta reader for me and help me with my writing. The move will happen in late July, so hopefully I'll be finished with this round of edits by then. It also means I won't have to work for much longer(I go back to work next week...ugh). She and I have some serious plans for the house once she works out the details with its current owner(who is very eager to sell...yay!).

I still don't have
internet access, but Mia has been letting me use her awesome laptop. Even so, I'm not sure if I'll be back to posting regularly about my writing sooner or later. Either way I should be back to posting by the end of August. I'll keep you posted. :)

Later guys.


~Sun and Moon

March 28, 2013

Hush little baby...


Life can hurt, can knock you off your feet and have you hit the ground so hard you can't breath. Pain of the body, pain of the heart...they build and break like waves on the beach. 

I'm still avoiding the internet and my phone for the most part. Comments and messages are fine, but please understand that I may not respond. Some days are better then others. Anyway, for those of you who are wondering what happened....


Michael William Hounshell was born March 25th, 2013 at 3:25am weighing 2lbs 5oz and was 14in long. Our beautiful son waits for us both and the day when the Lord calls us home at last. What a day that will be. What joy we’ll know that day we finally get to see him again. We will never forget the day he was born, his tiny perfect features, or the weight of him in our arms. We miss you horribly, Michael William Hounshell, and we will love you always. Be at peace in the arms of Christ.



I don't know when I'll start writing again, but I will. There is a time for everything, and right now it is time to be with my husband and morn my little baby boy. Healing will come, but slowly. In time, I'll be back. Until then, thank you for everything. For listening, for the encouragement, for the advice on both writing, and on handling the messiness of life. 

Thank you.



~Sun and Moon 

February 7, 2013

I'm still alive, just buried

Wow, it's been a while since I was last on here. I almost forgot how to navigate this darned page. 

Unfortunately I'm not back for good. Our internet is still down and while my husband has been able to find a job, it's only a part time one. This means things are still really tight as we stretch things to cover bills, rent, and baby related costs. 

On a lighter note, the whole pregnancy thing is going very smoothly(except for always being hungry...geesh).

I haven't had a chance to sit down and do any writing either. I'm either falling asleep at the computer(or on the couch), or scrambling to some appointment somewhere, or just heading to work. Hopefully this will change soon(as in hopefully I won't have to work anymore soon...). My laptop is getting dusty...>_>


Anyway, I better head out. I'm supposed to be putting together a sale to help pay for my baby expenses. If you're interested in some jewelry or artwork(or know someone who might be), then swing by my DeviantArt page and take a look at this journal. All the profits go towards my baby and my birth costs(I'm birthing at home with a midwife...I'm very happy about that ^_^). 


Well, my husband is ever so patiently waiting for me to finish up things over here, so I'll catch you guys later. Hopefully my next post will have lots of good news and a chapter to share. ;)

Thanks a bunch!



~Sun and Moon