The Cliffs of Insanity

If I am left to my own devices to where I can edit The Blood Crown like I did today, I should be finished with the third draft by next week. It's just a matter of maintaining my attention span and committing to the project with enthusiasm. I swear, the Mother Unit is one dedicated editor in her own right. She's made gunslingaaahhh's job 1000% easier this go 'round and I've already asked if she'd be interested in proofing The Augury of Gideon. To my joy, she said yes, so I'll be sending that file to her soon. Hopefully by next week, I can send the polished third draft of The Blood Crown to gunslingaaahhh. She's making a big move in February, so it may take her a while to get back to me. In the meantime, I may go ahead and send the third draft manuscript to Sophie as well just to see what she thinks of it. I'm impatient that way. I also need to collate the Shriekback lyrics used in the book and request written permission from Carl and Barry. This way, when Fey is ready to publish, everything will be sorted and in order, and the process will go as smoothly as I can manage on my end.

The temperature is supposed to get high enough today that everything is going to be a tad slushy. I'm going out to shovel the foot of the stairs and the walkway so that Aunt Tudi won't slip and bust her behonkie on the way out to the car tomorrow. We have errands and doctors appointments to run tomorrow and Tuesday and it just wouldn't do for either of us to get injured on the frozen and refrozen ice. I figure around 2 or 3 PM should be the best time to get the ice loose and away from the walkway.

Other things I want to do is go through more of The Blood Crown that mama edited. She's also willing to read through The Augury of Gideon, for which I'm eternally grateful. She's just such an avid reader and exemplary in English, I really appreciate this help. Of course, this doesn't mean I'm abandoning gunslingaaahhh. gunslingaaahhh will always be my editor. The Mother Unit is my ace in the hole. You can't proofread a manuscript too many times. That's my belief.

A friend of mine who also happens to be an artist just finished reading The Chalice, and now wants to draw Cadmus Pariah. She's already given me permission to use the piece however I want to use it. Depending on the route she takes, I may have the cover for The Blood Crown! She's an incredible artist and I'm looking forward to her interpretation of Cadmus Pariah. She said she had some other artistic obligations, so it may be a few months, but I'm a patient person and I just know that the wait will be worth the while.

I just finished proofing the third draft of The Blood Crown and I think it bloody well rocks. They said a "Road" picture couldn't be made about Vampires, but Tin said "hell yes it can!" And I did. And it's groovy. I know I sound like a self-centered git, but that's only because I am. ::shrugs:: Now, it's gunslingaaahhh's turn at the Crown wheel.

I've begun reading the third draft of The Blood Crown and, only twenty pages in, I've found a plethora of mistakes. Hopefully, by the time I'm finished, gunslingaaahhh will have a breeze at editing. I'm in the mood right now to read and, honestly, The Blood Crown is my favourite of the three books, having hints of humour and tons of Tarmian mythology. This is the book I would have written about the Tarmi had Professor Miller discouraged me from taking that path. Besides, giving hints and insights into the Tarmian history leaves them with the ultimate sense of mystery, which I appreciate. I want to be finished with proofreading The Blood Crown by next week and send the new manuscript to gunslingaaahhh. Something tells me things will go quickly after the release of The Chalice and I want to be prepared for any eventuality.

I'm finished with proofreading today. I've been reading off and on (mostly on) since 5:00 this morning. I got 53 pages read. If I can muster that tomorrow and Friday, I will have The Blood Crown proofread and ready for gunslingaaahhh to do her magick. Then it will come back to me for a final review. After I pass this manuscript on to Jill, I'll be proofreading The Augury of Gideon so we can go through the same process as we did with The Chalice and The Blood Crown. Then, when Sophie is ready for the manuscripts, they'll be polished and all purdy and shit. I need to get with m0usegrrl about the cover art for the other two books. My idea for the third book is a picture of Kallum, his hand extended, and a red jewel floating above it. For The Blood Crown, I'm not so sure. Maybe a picture of Cadmus and a crouching Orphaeus on a hill overlooking an unsuspecting town, 'cos they did that a lot on their way to Rome. I'm just really dying to see m0usegrrl's take on both Orphaeus and Faust/Kallum. I'm a greedy little git is what I am.

Oh, and I have discovered that Techno/House music is ideal for proofreading. I clicked the genius button and have been grooving now for hours whilst I read. I may try other mixes, but I don't see their having the same effect on me as the Techno/House mix has.

I just finished The Blood Crown and am about to start tackling what I've already written on The Augury of Gideon. I'm so hopped up on energy coffees, I don't know whether I'm excited or high...or both.

“More than ready,” Orphaeus replied with a conviction that surprised even himself.for what we are and take measure to end our lives. And there’s nothing worse than an angry mob out for blood.”

“You’ve surmised the situation surprisingly well,” Cadmus muttered. “And what conclusion have you drawn?”( Read more... )

Unlike my powerhouse com padre booraven, I can go no further. There's a reason why I've committed to writing 3000 words a day; that's all I have in me! I've achieved 3003 words after two Monster coffees and a whole lotta shakin' going on. Now I'm crashing from the caffeine and I feel like spinning on my shoulder like a stooge. Instead, I'm gonna watch some game shows with Aunt Tudi, then L&O SVU, then I'm going to run to bed, screaming all the way. Tomorrow starts it again. At this rate, I could very well be finished with The Blood Crown by next week. I might die afterward, but The Blood Crown will be complete.

There's a sign at a mechanic's shop in downtown Spartanburg that says "Eric says: honk if you're wearing clean underwear." I'd give anything to get a picture of this, but I keep forgetting about it before it's too late to get my camera out. I may have to drive to Spartanburg for the sole purpose of getting a photo of this sign. Funny thing is, no one ever honks. Does this mean no one in Spartanburg has on clean underwear? Of course, I don't honk either, even though my undies are so clean, they're spiff.

Speaking of signs, there's a new daycare in Duncan called Grins and Giggles. The sign out front is white with red lettering. I am so tempted to sneak over there in the night, paint over the Grins with white and replace it with the word Shits. "I take my son Fred here to Shits and Giggles Daycare!" It reminded me of when the shaved ice stand in Duncan had their "Hawaiian Shaved Ice" sign altered to read "Hawaiian Shaved Pussy." That was bloody priceless right there.

I'm slowly constructing the playlist for The Augury of Gideon. I've been bantering around in the brain pan about possible chapter names too. Here's what I've come up with so far.

1. The Violent Inquisition


2. The Mortal Paladin
(this would be the chapter into which I'll be injecting my Agatha short story "The Shroud.")

3. Defeated Dragon


4. The Found Path


5. Said the Child to the Mother


6. The Final Reunion

This writing two books at the same time is actually kind of fun, if not a little frustrating. The rewrites on The Blood Crown are going to be ridiculous because I wrote a lot if it in stream of consciousness whilst whacked out on Monster coffees. I'm hoping Augury won't be as difficult on gunslingaaahhh.

I just witnessed Aunt Tudi kick a news bee's ass out of the front door. I mean literally, she booted his fat ass out. He looked back at her resentfully and said "kiss my ass next time, byotch." Yes, I speak bee and he was rather vociferous regarding his poor treatment as a guest in our home. Now, if gypsyboy70 had been here, he would have screamed like a leetle gurrl and passed flat out. He doesn't like bees. Why are so many of my friends and acquaintances afraid of bugs? I don't get it. Now, if they feared centipedes and millipedes, I could understand that, because those things are hellspawn from the planet EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK. But bees and spiders? Harmless. Mostly. Like Earth in The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy.

I've done my LJ and FB cuts. If you were one of them and want to protest, feel free. I'll add you back in a New York minute. But I don't see that happening 'cos the folks I said goodbye to were hardly active at all anyway. And I'm betting that some of them are actually grateful to be rid of me. I know I'm grateful to be rid of me when I get to sleep. Finally, some time away from myself!

Speaking of sleep, Zyprexa is helping me do that. It may kill me, but I was close to death because of not sleeping anyway. It's either take the Zyprexa or take walk in the river. Insomnia can make you want to do ungodly things, like commit suicide. If you're dead, you're sleeping the Big Sleep. I was taking that option quite seriously last week. As a result, I came really close to being hospitalised by the doctors at mental health until I explained to them that I am intractable when it comes to medication. When a couple of Advil would help a normal person, I have to take like four or six. It runs in the family to be this way too. So the doctor gave me the next to the largest strength of Zyprexa. The first night I slept 13 hours. Second night, 7. Consecutive nights have me averaging about 5 or 6, but that's 5 or 6 more hours than I was getting and I'm achieving REM 'cos I remember having dreams. I wish I could remember the dreams, but I know I'm having them. I may have to write a love poem to Zyprexa.

There's something I've been needing to do for a while and I may just do it this evening. I need to take down the Joker posters and stash them away as a moment of short-lived blissful memorabilia. In their place, I'll be mounting on the wall a Shriekback poster from the Go Bang! era. How I'm going to sleep with Barry looming over me is yet to be surmised. We'll see how well the Zyprexa does after the poster shuffling has been achieved. And yes, there will be a picture made. God help us all.

In closing, I am hungry and want lamb koorma with naan immediately, but I'll settle for a peanut butter sammich.