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I can't think of a blessed thing to post about today. I have been doing nothing but reading slush the last few days, but at least I did find a submission I wanted to see more of. One submission out of 20 or more, but hey, one is better than none. I kinda feel bad though, because I don't want people getting rejection letters on the holidays. Am I the only one that thinks of stuff like that? Sometimes I think I am a bit too paranoid for my own good. But I don't want to crush spirits on the holidays!
Oh man, I am watching Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Thanksgiving right now. That woman is a batshit-crazy lunatic. She just made mashed potatoes out of frozen bagged hashbrown chunks. Ones that were pre-seasoned. She dumped them into a bowl, covered them with a damp towel, and nuked them in the microwave. Then she mixed in butter, milk, and dried alfredo seasoning powder and mashed the hell out of them. It looks like freeze-dried vomit and likely tastes like it too.
I just don't get it -- Thanksgiving is all about going the extra mile and making a really nice, homemade meal -- why the hell would you dump frozen potatoes into a bowl and pretend they were homemade? How hard is it to boil a damn potato?? And have you seen Sandra's idea of a fancy dessert? A store bought angel food cake, a tub of cool whip and some rum extract? "They will think it is homemade!" Who is this "they" of which you speak, Sandra? People tragically born without tastebuds? Because cool whip is pretty damn recognizable.
In conclusion, face it Sandra Lee, everyone knows it isn't homemade. Just acknowledge it and move on. .
- Location:home
- Mood:
blah
I know you have been waiting with bated breath for the last Winter Roses recapalooza. When we last left our heroine her druggie, no good, lying and gossipy sister was found dead as a doornail in NYC. Seems homegirl had OD'd.
And now, for the last ten reasons you know (and love that) you are reading a Diana Palmer novel.
SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ BELOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!!!
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1. The heroine needs to fly to NYC in order to ID her sister's body. She uses "all the money in her savings account" to do so. See previous posts wondering where her money has gone to.
2. The heroine meets and chats with a lovely couple sitting next to her in the "tourist class" section. Tourist class? WTF? Does she mean economy? Coach? Business? First class?
3.The heroine is interviewed by the cops and IDs the body. Then she is told by the officer in charge that she can go to her sister's apartment and collect her things. Apparently the scene has been processed already. Then once she gets there she starts thinking that she shouldn't take much because her sister's drug dealing boyfriend was also living there, and he might claim that everything was his to begin with. In a case where property and ownership is in question, why would the officer in charge be all "go and take it all!"?
4. Then the hero (who has flown in on his private jet to support the heroine in her hour of need) find a ton of jewelry on site. The heroine actually thinks "oh, maybe the police have set up a surveillance in the apartment to see who comes to claim the jewelry". Um. I am not even going to bother explaining why that idea is all sorts of crazy. DP must have thought that was crazy too, because she dropped the idea the next page and it was never mentioned again.
5. The heroine and hero find a funeral home and arrange to have her sister cremated. The heroine insists on paying for it herself. Good for her, I say, except there is a small problem. She spent all of her savings on a plane ticket from Texas to NYC!! Apparently she only had 400 bucks in savings... Anyway, where did the magical cremation money come from?
6. While at her sister's apartment the heroine picks up her sister's diary. and when she returns to Texas she discovers that it is actually a logbook recording drug dealing activity. In a very smart move (which I quite admired, actually) the heroine takes it to the Sheriff immediately. In with her sister's mail, there is also a letter from some attorneys making reference to a safety deposit box the sister took out. The Sheriff makes a big deal about wishing they had the key to the box, etc, etc, etc. I am wondering why he just doesn't have the heroine -- the sister's only surviving kin and inheritor of all the sister's possessions -- bring proof of her sister's death to the bank and get access to it that way. Seems much easier than lamenting a lost key. This also makes the Sheriff look lame.
7. The heroine attempts to make a cutting remark to the hero. Her big insult? "I'd rather get together with a snake!" You tell him, sister.
8. The hero gives the heroine (who is in NYC without a nightie, oh noes!) his idea of gawchus sleepwear. What is it you ask? A gown and peignoir set. Now the heroine looks just like Alexis Carrington. Hot and SEXAYY.
9. This one is awesome, you guys. SERIOUSLY. At pretty much the end of the book, for no reason at all, the heroine who was formerly an opera buff-slash-bookkeeper suddenly starts decrying her love for meteorites. METEORITES. I cannot fully express the randomness of this. It is quite literally about a two page rumination of her love for meteorites, including her collection back home in the boardinghouse, and then it is never mentioned again.
10. I really don't have a point ten, but I did want to mention for the record that I am absolutely shocked that there was not one mention of biscuits in the entire story. NOT ONE. I was seriously shocked.
In conclusion, isn't it obvious by now why I love Diana Palmer so? Her stuff is wonderfully nutty, and I seriously cannot get enough.
- Location:home
- Mood:
tired
So I finished Winter Roses. And lo, it was Diana Palmer-riffic. That is, it was crazy and insane and it made no sense and yet I still loved it. I took copious notes in order to recount the crazy for you, and I think I will split it into two posts (because that way I can have two posts! Am such a cheater.). But first! I have to tell you what I discovered reading this book! You guys!! Diana Palmer and her husband are hardcore gamers! Apparently they wondered what all the fuss was about when their son was into XBox and they bought themselves one and got totally hooked. That is so awesome. Too bad that progressive outlook is not seen in her books. Oh wells.
Okay, I think it goes without saying that this entire post is one big spoiler for Winter Roses, so please do not blame me if you read on and get spoiled.
SPOILER ALERT!
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Okay, now that that is out of the way, we can get down to business. When we left off in my last post, the almost 19 year old heroine has been crushed by the 30 year old hero being pictured in a tabloid with a young pretty heiress. So two years pass, and our almost 21 year old heroine has graduated from bookkeeping school and has taken over a CPA business from a heroine in a previous book who has babies now and therefore cannot possibly also work. She has several "big accounts" and is really busy, yet she is still on the edge of poverty and lives in the boardinghouse. No explanation given as to why, of course. (OMG, guys, this reminds me of the DP book about Tippy, a famous Hollywood actress -- I mean FAMOUS. In starring movies, compared to Julia Roberts, etc. Y'all, she was POOR in the book. Poor! Where the hell did all her money go, you ask? Her brother needed to be in a fancy boarding school. GAH. So so retarded. That is actually one of the few DP books I could not finish, it was so stupid.)
Anyway, I am not going to give you a blow by blow of Winter Roses, instead I thought I would list more things that make it clear you are reading a Diana Palmer book. So without further ado, ten more indications you are reading a Diana Palmer book, as found in Winter Roses:
1. The phrase "quite a dish" is used to describe the hero and heroine in equal measure. Said with a straight face by people my age and younger, no less.
2. Um, I am not quite sure if I should admit this, but I made a note that reads ""Flour" missing" and I have no clue what it is referring to. Um, Diana Palmer books all blend together, I guess? **AH HA! I remembered! The heroine's druggie sister (who lives in New York City) randomly tells her to give the local baker a message about a "missing" shipment of flour. She thinks that sounds a little odd, but is all whatever. Now everybody and their mother knows that Jacobsville is a hotbed of drug cartels and a pipeline straight from South America, I mean almost every other book in the Long, Tall Texan series has someone catching a new drug dealer, and yet the heroine is still all "maybe my sister who lives across the country helps out the local baker, teehee!**
3. Dude, this is one of the best things. In the middle of the book, the heroine who is out on a date with the Sheriff (NOT the hero, oh noes!) is at a town fundraising dance, and the Sheriff and another law enforcement guy challenge each other to a dance-off. The song of choice? The MACARENA. Since the Macarena craze happened in 1995 through 1997, one can only assume the heroine loved it when she was 8.
4. At one point in the book the hero sends the heroine a "look that could fry bread". Huh? I mean, I know there is such a thing as fry bread, but a look that could fry bread? WTF, yo?
5. Randomly in the middle of the book, we learn that the heroine always wanted to study opera. But she never wants to leave Jacobsville, so whatever, opera is not the kind of thing you study in a vocational college, and since you will be pregnant at 21, tough shit, heroine!. This opera obsession is a big theme in Diana Palmer books. In fact, in one of her earlier angsty books the heroine proves to the hero that she is not a dirty whore by singing Madame Butterfly. Yeah, you kinda have to read it to understand.
6. We casually learn at the start of the book that the heroine has a minor heart disorder, which precludes her from taking strong migraine medicine. This is mentioned once and only once, and has absolutely no bearing on the book. In fact, it is so not important that the hero and heroine never discuss it and the heroine will likely end up pregnant without ever mentioning it either. Heart conditions are also a running theme in DP books. At least 1 out of every 3 stories deal with them in one way or another.
7. The hero has pale, icy eyes. Occasionally they glitter cruelly. Or cuttingly.
8. Midway through the book (right before the Macarena danceoff) the heroine tells her best friend she hasn't talked to her druggie sister in 2 months, and then a few days later, at the party, she tells someone else she talked to her a week ago. Typical attention to details there.
9. I mentioned this above, but I will reiterate it here. The heroine had a successful CPA business dropped into her lap, I think it is even mentioned that she may be one of the only options in town, and yet she still lives in a boardinghouse and has no money. She has no relatives except druggie sister, and she isn't sending her money, so where the hell is her income going?
10. and oops, now she has no relatives, because, oh noes!, her sister is dead, y'all.
In conclusion, stay tuned for Winter Roses, part the last, coming tomorrow!
- Location:home
- Mood:
cheerful
I finished reading the Diana Palmer book, and I even took notes so that I could hit the highlights in a post. But I am so very sleepy right now that I think I will have to save it for tomorrow.
I know, I know, you are absolutely devastated that you have to wait. I will try to make it up to you.
In conclusion, time for bed.
- Location:hooome!
I don't know why that little ditty popped into my head. Seriously, the only thing Santino Rice added to Project Runway were his awesome songs about Tim.
Speaking of Tim, I just finished watching Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. The woman being made over tonight was one of Tor's Publicity Directors! Although I didn't see major issues with her style before she was "remade", I do have to say that she looked fan-frickin-tastic when they were done. So, so beautiful.
In other news, I went to the bookstore today (payday, woohoo!) and bought a few books I was dying to read. Have I told you guys about my sad and sick obsession with Diana Palmer? She was one of the first authors I can actually remember purposely buying in the late 80's. Back when I was 14 or 15 and just bought romances by the bulk, with no real discernment. But for some reason I loooooved me some Diana Palmer. And I sort of still do.
You guys, I am ashamed, and yet...I still buy all of her books. And I just bought Winter Roses, her very first Harlequin Romance (since Harlequin folded the Silhouette Romance line into the Harlequin one). Oh man. It is such a guilty pleasure read, I cannot even tell you.
How is it a Diana Palmer title? Let me count the ways. In the 30 or pages I have read we have already discovered:
1. The heroine is allllmost 19.
2. Her alcoholic, abusive father died a month ago, and yet when talking about her father's death, it is as if it happened months and months ago.
3. Her older, selfish, drug-addicted (uppers and downers and crystal meth, y'all!) sister is taking all of her rightful inheritance, having bamboozeled her father into thinking the heroine is a dirty slut.
4. She is living in a boarding house with another impoverished lady and a landlady (and yes, this is a contemporary).
5. She is in school to become a bookkeeper. Not an accountant, a bookkeeper. Party like it's 1967, everybody!
6. Her best friend evah is very wealthy and has a much older brother who disapproves of the heroine because he thinks her family is trashy and she is likely to take after her druggy sister. (As an added bonus, the hero is described as being "dishy" by our almost 19 year old, contemporary heroine.)
7. She agrees to go to her friends estate for the weekend because said hero is "out of town". Cue ominous music.
8. We learn heroine, who is not pretty, but not ugly either, with blond hair and green eyes, is prone to migraines. Cue ever more ominous music.
9. Heroine, oh noes!, has a migraine.
10. Stumbling out of bed in the middle of the night, blinded by pain and nausea, she runs into the hero. A douchebag.
11. Hero looks at her lacy nightgown, instantly decries her a harlot, and kisses her punishingly.
12. Have I mentioned said hero is 30 years old?
13. Hero finally responds to heroine's frantic cries of no by pulling back and noticing she is pale, white, and sweating. And not because he is so hot.
14. Hero gets some medication inside heroine, they banter playfully a bit, and then hero realizes that his magnificent charm has likely made the heroine fall in love with him. But oh noes! She is only 18! And she is not pretty! And she is not rich! And her daddy beat her! What is a hero to do?
15. Why, hook up with some floozy and get pictures taken by the tabloids of course. That will surely make our lovelorn heroine realize that he is not a marrying kind of man.
16. Lovelorn heroine sees the pictures and realizes the hero is not a marrying kind of man.
In conclusion, I cannot WAIT to see what happens next!
- Location:hooome!
Dear Livejournal,
Today was the perfect day. A great day at work with projects accomplished and e-mail finally working (for now), followed by a leisurely trip home, perfect cool fall weather, and a perfect lazy dinner. And best of all, the double delight of a new episode of America's Next Top Model (man, Tyra gets bitchier every season, doesn't she?) and the long awaited start of the new Project Runway.
You guys. I am so happy right now.
In conclusion, I love Tim Gunn and want to be his friend.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood:bouncy
I seriously keep forgetting to update until the last minute. Gah. I need to get better at this!
I want to direct you to a blog that I check each and every day. It has nothing to do with writing or publishing and everything to do with love, faith, family, tragedy, and attempting to overcome it. Looking back, I can't really remember how I exactly found this blog. I know I located it when I lived in Ohio and since the blog owners live in Ohio, I likely found it in some local way. The blog is called Support for Christi Thomas. Christi Thomas is a beautiful, smart, caring, loving 9-year-old who died of cancer on September 19th, 2006. Her mother has kept the blog going throughout that time and ever since, giving you a visceral look at the grieving process and of the unimaginable tragedy of losing a child.
I have laughed, cried, and learned in the year and a half I have been reading it. I have become a better person having learned about Christi's existence here on earth. Christi was a total bookworm, and was working her way through the Hank the Cowdog series at the time of her death. Last Christmas I donated a set of those books to a childhood literacy group in honor of Christi.
I urge you to check out the blog, starting with the oldest posts first. I never met Christi or her family, but through this blog, I know them and love them.
In conclusion, cancer SUCKS.
- Location:home
- Mood:
contemplative
Long day today. Spent the first half of the day getting my paperwork together for one-on-ones, which is basically a meeting where editors go in front of sales, marketing, and publicity and talk up books for a coming season. This is the second time I have done this (they happen three times a year) and this time they went much better -- I felt as though I had more to say, and I was more comfortable saying it.
Toward the end of the day I resumed editing, and in fact stayed late working on my current project. It is such a good book, y'all, you don't even know! Anyway, I didn't get home until 8 as a result -- just in time for Chuck. I am liking Chuck so far, although to be honest, Reaper runs circles around it. After Chuck came Heroes. Oh, Heroes. What a fantastic load of crap you have become. And yet I am desperately hanging in there hoping it will get good again.
After Heroes I switched over to TLC to enjoy the perfection of Little People, Big World, Jon and Kate Plus 8, and Kids by the Dozen. You know who needs a series? The Duggars. Man, I love that freakishly large family. For reals.
In conclusion, TLC is the only thing that makes Mondays worthwhile.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood: tired
In what I like to think of as a post chocolate show coma, I have done absolutely nothing today. I slept until noon, read until 2, watched TV until 7, made dinner (some delicious spaghetti, if I do say so myself), then watched The Amazing Race at 8, (OMG, you guys, Asian Dad is the biggest flipping asshole EVER. WHAT A JERK.) </rage>, then watched The Next Iron Chef at 9. I actually liked both of the finalists a lot, although I favored John Besh -- after all, he IS Mr. Fish America, y'all.
Anyway, that was my exciting day. I am also getting really excited about Project Runway -- this Wednesday, W00T!
In conclusion, laziness rocks!
- Location:hooome!
- Mood: lazy
I have just realized that I have eaten no fruit or vegetables at all today. Is that wrong? The chocolate show was awesome. I was so glad that I have no money right now (waiting impatiently for the 15th...) or else I might have come home with bags full of chocolate. I ate many a sample -- truffles to die for, chocolate infused peanut butter, a dark chocolate bar with dried cherries and chilies, brownie bites, etc etc etc.
So. Flippin. Good.
I have tons of brochures and some people on my Christmas list are going to be reeeeeeally happy this year.
To finish out the show, the friends I was with decided we should make a visit to the chocolate lounge, where we watched a demonstration on "The real chocolate chocolate martini". Oh man. We got to try to different versions of a chocolate martini, one made with Godiva liqueurs and one made with actual melted chocolate. Deelicious. I by far preferred the second one made with real chocolate. Mmmm. But. I seriously have the tolerance for alcohol of a 3 year old. Even though we had the equivalent of a shot glass of each type, I was buzzing when we left! That is shameful.
In conclusion, tomorrow I must eat lots of broccoli.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood:bouncy
I was so frickin busy today. Seems as though everything happens at once, isn't that always the way? I have an edit I desperately need to finish, and stayed until 8 pm tonight to attempt it. Unfortunately it didn't happen. I owe contest judgings to a RWA chapter, and by hook or by crook, I will have them to them before I go to sleep tonight.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but right now it is awfully faint and in the distance. Soon enough, though. By this time next week I will be golden.
In better news, tomorrow I am going to a chocolate show!!! www.chocolateshow.com. IT WILL BE AWESOME. And chocolaty. The only sad part of this scenario is that I have no money to spend at said show. I will be forced to be good. So sad.
In conclusion, I hope to have a sweet update for you tomorrow.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood: tired
Dear Livejournal,
Today was a great day in the history of my working at Tor. For lo, it was free book day at the Flatiron building. That is when all of the various departments of Holtzbrink Publishing put all of their extra books (ARCs, Galleys, extra copies of already pubbed titles) into giant bins and then they take them all and put them out onto big tables and then all of the employees can go down and take whatever they want. IT. IS. BOOK HEAVEN.
I got many a free book and am excited to start reading my loot.
Let's see, other than free books, I also scored free makeup too! A new beauty website launched, shockingly enough at www.beauty.com, and as a promotional event, they opened an actual store front for one day only, directly in front of the Flatiron building on 5th Ave. Word spread quickly and a big group of us went down and got our hands stamped in order to receive a big bad of beauty samples. Besides the usual under eye creams and lotion samples, there was actually some decent stuff in there. 30 days of lip gloss from Cargo, some Urban Decay eyeshadow, shampoos, body washes, mascara and brow gel, and lipglosses. SCORE!
After all that bounty of freeness we were waiting for our free lunch to show up, but it unfortunately never did. Sigh.
In conclusion, I would like more free things, please.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood:bouncy
I am going to do my best not to give you a lame junky post today. I don't know how long this one will be, but I will try to at least make it somewhat informative, if not coherent.
First off, before I forget -- I finished reading Lady of Light and Shadow.
Oh mah gah, you guys, what a fan-flippin-tastic read. I am a huuuge fan of fantasy romances, especially meaty ones with tons of plot and world building. CL Wilson's books definitely fit the bill. I am already pouting at the thought of having to wait a year for the next two installments!
I also read All Through the Night by Suzanne Brockmann. I am a huge fan of the Troubleshooter's series, and have loved Jules from the very beginning, so it was beyond wonderful to see him and Robin take center stage in their own romance. Although it was short, it was very satisfying.
After two great reads, I am almost scared to move onto anything else, for fear that I won't be fair to it. I want to get the new JD Robb, but unfortunately have to wait for the next paycheck, as I am PO-OOR. You know, people always tell me that as an editor, I should work my connections to get free books, but seriously, you guys, I HAVE NO CONNECTIONS. I also still have a reader/bookseller mindset. When new books come out, I go to the bookstore to buy them. I am sure I will eventually get to know more people in the industry and score the occasional ARC, but honestly, I would rather spend money on books than almost anything else, and it is no hardship to go to the bookstore and fill my basket with great new reads.
I am also a big dork when it comes to tracking what I want to read. I actually carry a notebook with me at all times that lists what I want to buy for the coming months. That way, when I get to a bookstore I hardly ever forget what I wanted to buy. Of course, the system only works if I remember the notebook!
In the interest of full disclosure, I will now post my book list for November. Be warned, it is hella big.
NOVEMBER:
General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn (LOVE Shinn. SO MUCH.)
Reserved For the Cat by Mercedes Lackey (I love Lackey's Elemental Magic series.)
Winter Roses by Diana Palmer (I know, I know. But seriously, y'all, I just can't quit her.)
Halfway to the Grave by Janieine Frost (I think I just mangled her name horribly.)
Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
Saint City Sinners by Lilith Saintcrow
Long Tall Texan Legacy by Diana Palmer (See note above.)
Heart of Stone by CE Murphy
Creation in Death by JD Robb (Is it the 15th yet? I want to buy this now!)
Elemental Magic -- Anthology
Bond of Fire by Diane Whiteside (I enjoyed the first "Bond" book although aspects of the worldbuilding were a bit odd to me.)
Atlantis Awakening by Alyssa Day
The Black Dragon by Allyson James (Of course I love Allyson's books! Have you read her Shareem books?) ;)
Dead of Night -- Anthology
Phantom in the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole
Howl at the Moon by Christine Warren
A Gentle Rain by Deborah Smith
Reader and Raelynx by Sharon Shinn (Cannot WAIT to read this!)
The Cipher by Diana Pharaoh Francis
Told you it was big!
In conclusion, no wonder I never have any money.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood:
awake
In conclusion, is it Friday yet?
- Location:hooome!
- Mood:
cranky
So, the more I think of it, the more I realize I am seriously addicted to the dorkiest shows. I don't even care, yo. I am gansta that way, I guess. Tonight is the trifecta of dork. Little People, Big World, Jon and Kate Plus Eight, and Kids By the Dozen. Good lawd, I love those shows.
The D-Triple-A olympics? A trip to chocolate world with sextuplets? A woman pregnant with her 14th child? Love them. LOVE. THEM.
I wonder if the fact that I am addicted to shows with tons of kids has anything to do with the fact that I am devoid of any sort of maternal yearning/biological clock? After a half hour of screaming sextuplets I can seriously feel my ovaries shriveling.
In conclusion, Roloffs-for-life!
- Location:hooome!
- Mood:
nerdy
Day Four and I almost forgot to post. That might have something to do with the fact that I am still in my pajamas. Another lazy day spent reading -- I finished up Lord of the Fading Lands and have started Lady of Light and Shadows.
Also, how happy am I that Amazing Race started up again? SO HAPPY. Damn, I love that show. And I think it is going to be a good season, too. Right now, I am loving Team Goth -- and those skinny little bastards can run!
Rounding out my Sunday viewing is The Search for the Next Iron Chef. I am suck a Food Network junkie. It is really sad, actually. That being said -- I really want John Besh to win.
Oh! And Project Runway is starting soon, too.
In conclusion, I <3 TV.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood: dorky
I have been an incredibly lazy bum today. I slept until about 11 this morning and then stayed in bed until one rereading Lord of the Fading Lands by CL Wilson. I got an ARC of the book at BEA this spring. I read it immediately and have been dying to read the sequel, Lady of Light and Shadows, ever since. But to torment myself a bit more, I have decided to reread the first book. I am loving it just as much the second time.
Anyway, I was in bed reading until 1, and have spent the rest of my day watching TV, playing Aloha Tripeaks, and talking to friends on the phone.
Seriously, it is 9 pm and I just now started dinner. For the curious, i am making london broil, rice, and green beans. Mmmmm...
In conclusion, BEST. DAY. EVER.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood: lazy
Dear Livejournal,
I am a bit worried. It is only day two of NaBloPoMo and I am already dragging ass. But I am still here, within my required time, so yay.
Today I would like to talk about contests. Specifically writing contests, of which I have judged quite a few. I actually like to judge contests --it is fun to see what kind of work is out there, what unpubbed authors are working on, etc, etc, etc. But, you guys, sometimes judging contests can be PAINFUL.
More often than not, as an editor, I am the final judge in a particular category (when I was at Ellora's Cave it was erotic romance, now it is usually paranormal romance). That means that I judge the top 3 or top 5 entries, usually somewhere between 25 and 50 pages each. When I judge a contest, I always try to give feedback on every entry I judge. I have heard many times from aspiring authors that the main reason they enter contests is to get feedback from the judges or to get their work looked at by an editor. Reading 25-50 pages and giving meaningful feedback takes time. And usually I think of it as time well spent, but not always.
Is it wrong of me to expect a clean manuscript from a contest entry? One free of blatant grammatical errors and punctuation problems? One with basic knowledge of comma use and dialogue tags? I mean, I am perfectly fine with the occasional typo -- god knows, I do my fair share on this blog -- but if I was entering this blog in a writing contest, I sure as hell would go over it with a fine-tooth comb!
Sometimes as part of an entry, authors can include a short 2-5 page synopsis to familiarize the judge with the story. This synopsis is not judged, it is merely there to supplement the actual contest entry. Even so, I am always a bit put off by a mistake and typo-riddled synopsis. It just makes me that much more hyper-aware of errors in the actual manuscript.
I guess what it boils down to for me is that I am putting in time and effort to judge these entries. I genuinely WANT to find great entries, I would LOVE to request a full manuscript from a contest (and I have done so in the past), and when I see a finalist slot taken by a messy manuscript I immediately wonder: A) Just how many entries were there in this category to begin with? and B) What was the voting process by which the finalists were determined?
Now that I have likely scared off anyone from ever asking me to judge a contest again... I just want to say that it is easy to detect contest entries that are written by people who need to work on their craft. Ones with awkward phrasing and stilted prose, clunky exposition, etc. While I will make note of this in my judging notes, that is NOT what I am complaining about here (although I do sort of wonder how entries like these made the finals!).
What peeves me are entries that are just plain sloppy. With, sentences like, this. where the commas are out of place, capitalization isn't used and periods are sometimes missing from the ends of sentences
When I see stuff like that, I kinda feel like a kid on Christmas day who opens up her stocking expecting to find candy canes and instead finds a grimy piece of coal.
In conclusion, ugh.
- Location:hooome!
- Mood: aggravated
I know, I know. I am a horrible poster. I believe I've warned you about that a time or three. Anyway, in an effort to have a bit of accountability and perhaps win a prize or two, I have signed up for NaBloPoMo -- a bloggers answer to NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month. Only, instead of writing a book in a month, I am going to do a blog post every day this month. I am a bit nervous, as I will be out of town for Thanksgiving and reliant on my host's internet access, but darn it, I need something to get me off my ass and posting!
Anyhoo, you would think that after this long absence I would have a lot to write about, but honestly, other than being incredibly busy at work, not much has gone on. Oh! I did just go to Southern California for my sister's baby shower. It was very smokey.
Um...what else... oh! I found the most unintentionally pervy picture EVER the other day!
BEHOLD: PERVACHU!
That is so wrong in so many ways. **LOVE!**
Oh! It is conference planning season! I put in for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention, RWA National, and DragonCon for next year. I am sure I will be attending RT and RWA, but not so sure about DragonCon, although I hope I get to go! We will see...
I am sure I will be attending other, smaller cons as well...if anyone invites me! Seriously though, if you are a member of a writers group that hosts smaller conferences and need a romance editor -- PICK ME, PICK ME!! Although I should probably mention that this should be a con that covers most of my expenses -- hotel, airfare, etc. Those ones are much easier to get approval for!
Gee, for someone without much to say, I managed to say a lot.
In conclusion, check back tomorrow -- I will have a new post for you. Promise.
- Location:flatiron
- Mood: awake
Dear Livejournal,
So, my birthday was yesterday. And lo, it was a great day. A couple of good friends flew in on Friday to visit, and we spent all weekend having a grand ol' time. In our own nerdy way, of course.
They got in on Friday afternoon/evening, and I made us all spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner. We stayed up late playing video games and being geeky, and then slept in late on Saturday.
After we rousted ourselves out of bed, we got ready and made our way into the city (I live in Brooklyn) and had lunch at Wichcraft, Tom Collichio's (Top Chef fo' ever!) casual sandwich shop. I had the best turkey sammich of my life there. After that we headed to the Museum of Sex. Oh yes, the museum of sex. It was interesting and bizarre and funny and informative and cool. Just about everything I had hoped it would be. The main exhibit on Kink was excellent. The "movie" exhibit was a snore, and all the various projectors and screens made me feel a bit seasick. The main display showcasing part of the museum's huge collection was the most interesting to me. In fact, I wished they had spent a little less space on the temporary displays and a little more on the main one. After the museum we headed down to Union Square and explored the greenmarket and Barnes and Noble.
Sunday, we were lazy bums and stayed home to obsessively play video games (Final Fantasy XII, w00t!).
On Monday I came in to work, while they slept in 'til noon. So. Sad. But! That night they met me in the city and we made our way to Perilla, the new restaurant from season 1 Top Chef winner, Harold Dieterle (I may be mangling his last name, I am too lazy to look it up right now). Y'all. It was awesome. It ain't cheap, but lord, is it good. You must try the duck meatballs. Seriously. AND! I saw Harold three times, bustling in and out of the kitchen! Yes, I am a nerd, but at least I admit it!
On Tuesday (the day of my birth) I took the day off, slept until noon, played FFXII until 5 and then headed into the city to watch the Broadway revival of Les Miserables. It was SO GOOD. Valjean and Javert (sp?) were excellent, thank goodness, and I have had "Red and Black" stuck in my head ever since. Anyway, after the show we walked around Times Square for a bit, and then headed home. Much video gaming and gossiping later, I realized it was about 3 a.m. and forced myself to sleep.
I saw my friends off to the airport this morning, straggled into work, and have been trying desperately to stay awake ever since.
In conclusion, I can't wait to get home and play more Final Fantasy!
- Mood: tired
