Interesting ride today. Got the granddaughter back in the saddle for the first time in two weeks(combination of a pretty bad tumble and bad weather, but she did go back out and she did have fun so hopefully we'll move past that.

Anyway, we're riding down a line of trees with fence to either side hoping to be able to get to the road and right about the time we came across a fence and had to turn around a cat showed up. Didn't look like a stray as he was healthy and well-fed but he followed us for more than half a mile, running ahead, circling around, then ultimately tiring out and falling behind. I've had dogs follow me before but never a cat. Granddaughter thought that was great, so I guess I need to thank the cat for making her first trip back in the saddle enjoyable. Not usually much of a cat person but he was neat.

Guardian (title of which I'm rethinking have read Arcaedia's comments on number of queries with Guardians etc.) -- is now at 104,000 words.I think I can bring it in under 120,000 I'm excited it's moving forward but it's really mucking around with book 3.



After listening to my granddaughter complain abou tthe saddle rubbing her because she chooses to ride in shorts, I informed her she was riding in long pants from now on. Her solution was to ride without a saddle which until yesterday was a feat confined to short little trips in the pasture. Yesterday she went out about two and a half miles without a saddle and the mare she rides refused to do anything more than a slow easy walk. Taking care of her girl. After we'd been out awhile she picked up into any easy trot. Granddaughter decided she liked it enough she wanted to do it today. Found some new trails so went a bit farther today about three and half miles out she said she wanted to walk. Asked her why, because she's usually all about the faster the better. Her reply, "My booty hurts." Fortunately we were all ready heading back and she didn't get too tired. Probably use a saddle tomorrow.

One more item. My story The Autumn Wood is out on Sorcerous Signals. It's located at http://www.sorceroussignals.com/TheAutumnWood.html Enjoy, and I appreciate any votes on it.

For lack of direction on the novels I have written I started writing another. Two of my earlier works await my attention since I stopped on them after realizing I'd written beyond the end of book one and wasn't sure where to end it. I figured distance would clarify but one of them has sat waiting for attention for over a year. Finally dug it out the other day and it was perfectly clear where it needed to end and where the second book in the series was heading. It's great to be back in that world with a firm direction. Even worked up a query on book one after going through and making changes and trying to straighten out the comma mess that trails my typing around.

What I had left after sorting out book one is very nearly the end of book two and book three was the first to be completed in this series so hopefully the next couple months will see all three finished and I can start on the final book.


The other one awaiting attention still waits but I stopped on that only a month ago. so maybe this time next year. And the one I recently started is light and fluffy, not anything that requires a lot of thought to finish. By the same thought track, not something that's going to be marketable but it kept me writing while I pondered the others.

Horses: Granddaughter continues to ride enthusiastically. She's gone as far as six miles and is beginning to be able to control her own horse. The horse I'm riding is getting fit and enthusiastic. As am I. Stilll got a ways to go but getting my horses close enough to ride has been really good for me. Especially since the granddaughter wants to go every night. Even have a hard time convincing her we're not going to ride in the middle of a storm. Now if only I could find a place to get my stallion closer. He's still in North Dakota.

We've reserved campsites in Custer State Park fir the end of September. This year I'm going to see the buffalo roundup they do. When I get my stallion close enough to get him conditioned I hope to Be able to participate in the next year or two. Grew up reading westerns and this is something I really want to do. We'll see...

Since I brought my horses to South Dakota from Virginia, my granddaughter has claimed the biggest one as her own. I'm getting in shape slowly. Not only because I've been riding, but because I've been leading her all over the place. About four days ago she decided she didn't want me leading her so we set about learning how to turn and stop. And of course she wants to do it without a saddle. Definitely my granddaughter. I don't think I used a saddle more than a handful of times before I was eighteen. Have actually been riding without one quite a bit since getting my girls to South Dakota. Anyway, the granddaughter and I both mounted up and went down the road for her first trail ride ever. She got all kind of excited when we went across the road which was as far as she'd ever gone being led. She looks like a little bug riding the 15.2 hand mare. I tried fairly hard to sell that particular horse because her and I clashed personality wise. WHo knew she was worth her weight in gold for the kid?

Been a long time. Been busy with a new story. Book one is nearing completion, but there've been a lot of other things going on.

Sold "The Autumn Wood" to Sorcerous Signals. The two stories I sold them last year "Growing Up Dragon" and "Order of The Golden Horn" are going to be in Arcane Whispers the end of year print book that Carol puts out using the stories with highest votes plus editorial choices.

Spent two weeks in April went back to Virginia to get my horses. The two mares are near enough I've actually gotten back to riding. Now I need to get me and the horses back in shape. My granddaughter wasted no time claiming the calm horse as hers and has already progressed to riding off the leadline. Not ready to go off on her own as her attention wanders easily and then the horse is off doing her own thing. My stallion is in North Dakota. Still too far away to go visit regularly but I think I might have found someplace closer still up not a sure thing though.

Caught a cold or inhaled something ungodly in Virginia and spent the last two months trying to cough up a lung. Started getting better after a week or two but then backslid. Finally decided it wasn't going away on its own so went to the doctor. Still coughing but four days into antibiotics I'm more energetic than I have been. Might survive another year.

Broke my saddle (Bought new off ebay for a very low price-- turns out you do get what you pay for But I did use it a coupl.e of years. The stirrup strap broke. Not as easy a fix as it might sound due to the very strange construction of this saddle) so I threw my daughters saddle on and rode for a bit then let my daughter ride. Granddaughter was done riding so I hopped on her horse bareback. Quite proud of the fact that I can still do that. Truth be told I didn't HOP on, I climbed on my trunk and clambered on a very calm patient animal but the wind was up (this is South Dakota) and she did spazz out a couple of times and I stayed with her. I will feel this tomorrow though, great workout, must do more of it.

First rodeo of the year was held across the street this weekend. The granddaughter and I went over there several times over the four days. It was HighSchool rodeo. But that doesn't mean these guys weren't giving it all they had. Watched one bull rider make it to the buzzer then get his hand hung in his rope as he bailed. Proof positive these kids parents do love them even if they let them ride bulls, about fifteen adults shoved the bull against the fence and held him there why'll they extricated the kid. Ended up with the fourth best ride of the night. Bull could have hurt or killed any one of the adults trying to hold him but nobody was moving until the kid was loose.

My daughter arrived in mid november and began the job search process. In a place that has about 19,000 people between two towns and a three hour ride to the nearest city, jobs aren't plentiful but she started with Pizza Hut two days ago. hopefully now that she'll be getting out and about she'll start meeting other people and liking it here a bit more. Mostly she's been bored but it's winter time in SOuth Dakota and boredom is probably better for her than what she'd be doing elsewhere.

My husband and son arrived Christmas morning, the son's going back to Virginia though, which at the moment is a good thing as we're living in a two bedroom apartment and I really can't afford to move right now. He has a room and a job waiting for him to return to so it's for the best especially since he and his sister are like cats and dogs there's only so much of that you can take in close quarters.

All this company has not been conducive to writing or critting I'm going to have to figure out a new schedule. My daughter hopes to be able to get her own place once she's working regularly so that would be almost back to normal. My husband has started the job search but it's winter and most everything he's done has been outside work so while he's looking for inside work it makes it that much harder to find something when you're searching outside the range of what you've done most of your life.

Horses are still in Virginia. Truck and trailer are ready but at the last minute it got bitter cold so we made arrangements to have the people renting our house take care of them for a couple of months, hopefully by march I'll go get them.

Anyway if I owe you a crit I'm getting there. If you're reading my story on OWW I have a couple more chapters written to post so while I've slowed to practically no writing I was a bit ahead and I will be bringing Tess out of her current situation in the next week or so.

Earlier this year I wrote a 100,000 word MS that I and most of its readers really liked. Query letter and synopsis rolled right out got some really good input on those rewrote, and thought about sending it off... I left the end finished but with lots of space to write another book. Then I examined it and decided a short story as a prequel would be a good idea...For all those who've listened to me rant about my inability to write a SHORT story I was figuring on about 10,000 words. It's now at 90,000 plus with enough unique features the second (which was the first) is going to need some rewrites to make them work. Took it to a certain point and began meandering after coming to the conclusion that I didn't want to finish it because in order for book 2 to work without serious major rewrites I was going to have to kill off book ones lead male character. Or at least make the audience believe that's what happened. Which means my lead female will have to believe that's what happened so yeah well...

Another idea started pounding 'round my head a month and a half ago so I sat down to write it and got trapped in that world for 117,000 words, after which I decided it was time to finish the rpequel. Reread what I had so far to get back into character and saw a way to finish it that should keep me going. I think I;m still looking at about 30,000 words to pull it together but at least the end is in front of my eyes now. WOuld have hated to trash it altogether so sometimes interruptions like the story that demanded my time are a good thing. Usually if I persist the words will put them selves on the screen but this one had gotten away from me and the change of world really worked.

While writing this I suddenly came to the realization that including a 10,000 word short story or two I've actually written about 350,000 words this year. Now if I could only sell some of them.

I have started the agent hunt thing again. Too many novels sitting around doing nothing. I enjoy writing them a lot more than I enjoy trying to market them so my words have been piling up. Besides this years three novels I have two others I believe are worth the attempt to market them and three more that might be if I clean them up. Then again I've canabalized scenes from the first stories I wrote and if I manage to sell the later ones I'd have to change the earlier ones so I may allow them to remain comatose in the electronic trunk.

Yeah...definitely time to start marketing.

Started roughly a month ago, first draft of "Awakening the Dragon" (AKA Lorelei--for those OWW readers) is complete at 115,000 words take that NANOWrimo, and now it's time to return to the world and catch up on crits and all that good stuff. I need to look at it and see just how much editing it needs. My wondrous typing skills tend to leave a lot to be desired. I do try to catch the worst of them even on a first draft but...There are also additions to the front end brought about by the track of the back end and details needed to bring the world to life which sometimes I pay attention to and and sometimes I don't in first draft so done is not necessarily doen but the story is down. And the changes are planned. In the interest of getting more readers on this one I have rejoined Critters. I used to maintain my memebership there mostly doing RFDR's because that was largely what I used it for. And so it shall be again I'm sure.

I've sorta been lost in a new WIP, 100,000 plus in something around a month. But thought I'd pop in here to mention that my Long Short "Order Of The Golden Horn" Is now out at www.SorcerousSignals.com

Signed MIss Rotten up for ballet lessons yesterday. She's been begging me to put her in dance classes for ovcer a year so i;m hoping the interest will last for at least the quarter I paid for it would actually be pretty cool if she stuck with it. I;d really like to get her into gymnastics but there don't seem to be any but summer programs (which fill quickly and we missed this year)Still ballet is good.

Went up to see Sue, the most complete T-rex ever discovered while she was home in Faith SD. She's been in the field museum in chicago and Jim Butcher used her in one of his books so beyond the fact that my Granddaughter wanted to see the dinosaur I was curious as well. Sppent most of the week making sure she didn't think she was going to see a live dinosaur(yes she does watch Jurassic park) stressed the fact that it was only bones then when we get there they have a model of her skull mounted on a pedestal turning oin circles and roaring. Took abpout ten minutes till the girl would go anywhere close to the skeleton. They had a bunch of activities set up for jkids and by the time she watched the other kids long enough she went ovber and checked out Sue even modeled for a really cute picture. Still wouldn't go near the roaring head though. It was pretty cool unfortunately even from here it's a pretty long drive and not much else to do up in that neck of the woods. We stopped on the side of the road and collected flowers and wild growing sage on the trip home, along with a feathery leafed gray-green herb that I couldn't identify. Picked some wild lavender, made my hands smell really good. End result is a very fragant bouquet.


Hiked across the street today to watch the 4H state rodeo competition and was treated to a sight I hope never to watch again. A girl entered the ring for calf-roping on a fairly well fleshed out horse who looked to be good condition. She didn't throw her loop immediately and ended up chasing the calf to the far end of the ring and back again. She finally cornered it at the far end and the horse wouldn't move. There was so much going on, Bull riding, calf roping and in a ring far across the pen pole bending, that I didn't catch the exact sequence of events but I glanced back in time to see the horse flop on its side from a stand still, pin the girls leg to the ground and die on the spot of what must have been a heart attack. I figure being a 4H horse he was probably Dad's worn out roping horse and a senior citizen but I could just imagine the horror of being the girl pinned under a dying animal It rolled and twitched for several moments before they could get her out. Sad to see the horse die but my sympathy goes out to the girl. She walked away but I imagine something like that is going to cause scars that will stay with her for awhile. Fortuantely it was at the far end of the arena and my granddaughter was too busy occupying herself to notice what was going on. Didn't have to field the why's and how comes.

Having finished first draft on a "Luck of The Draw" I decided to write a short story,"Through The Waterfall" earlier in my protsgonist's life. Didn't take time to realize it wasn't going to be a short story, and now at 32,000 words I'm at the usual sticking place so I backed off to write a short story. My protag in my WIP is first person. Not only did my short write itself in first person the first several lines were undeniably the same character with a different name. As it went on it veered away and did take on its own voice and I found I really could cut the opening without losing much but that's the first time I've not been able to just start a new character. Guess I like my character. Finished the (long) short, ran it through the workshop, polished it about four times and sent it off a couple days ago. Ready to go back to work on the WIP but I'm wondering if another short written in third might be in order just so I don't get stuck in a rut.

"The Order Of The Golden Horn" sold for the Nov-Jan issue of Sorcerous Signals. 10,000 word short I wrote awhile back in pretty much one sitting. Ran it through OWW and sent it off once or twice...not too many markets for 10,000 word dragon/demon stories, so although it garnered a very positive rejection from John O'Neill at Black Gate(he didn't need dragon stories but seemed to like it) I set it aside for about a year. Pulled it out a while back trimmed about 600 words out of it and sent it to Sorcerous Signals. Not quite the same rush as the last sale to Carol--that being my first ever--but still way cool to know another one's gonna make it out in the world. Now if I could only sell one of my novels.

I grew up reading Zane Grey westerns and now that I'm in cowboy country There's a lot of landmarks I want to see. Today I decided I was tired of hanging out at home and packed up and headed for the Badlands. WOW! What more can I say. Makes you realize there are greater forces at work. Even if those greater force are nothing more or less than Time and Nature. Being with a three year old there is much we didn't see. (Fortunately it's close enough I'll get back there. My husband's already planning the camping trip.) She was quite enthusiastic, climbing everything around, giving Grandma one heart attack after the other, but in general safe enough I let her go. We walked a good ways and shortly before we got about as far as we could go at one of the trails she was zonked and started complaining she was tired. So I packed her out on my back about halfway then she found some energy and made the rest of the trip herself.

We stopped at the visitor's center and watched the movie. Then she decided she was hungry so we made our way out to Wall SD and and stopped at Wall Drug which is a neat tourist trappy indoor mall (supposedly the first Mall ever built) With a general old west flavor. We ate did the obligatory T-shirt and jackalope purchases and headed home. I'll write this one down as a really good day.

I haven't bothered doing much of anything for the 4th for quite some time. The few things that virginia did were so inundated with people it was a hassle to watch. One small town there had an excellent display away from the crowds and we used to go but they decided it was too expensive to do it and it faded away. I refused to fight the crowd in fredericksburg so the 4th became grilling outside with immediate family only.

I've been hearing for about two weeks how busy my little neck of the woods was going to be come the fourth, I live right across from the fairgrounds. The third and fourth there's a ropdeo going on next door. We spent last evening over there and will probably go back tonight. But everybody keeps saying this is a no nholds barred fireworks display. Looking forward to it as I'll be able to watch it from my sidewalk if we return from the rodeo before they get to it. And with a three year old that's a good bet.

Went to the parade this morning. We were ill-equipped. in Virginia there were maybe three or four groups that through out candy for the kids. I might have figured it out if I'd looked around. Every kid had a bag. The granddaughter had to content herself with filling my pockets and the empty space in my purse which ultimately half-filled a hardees fast food bag and I'm sure I'll be digging stuff out of my purse for some time to come. She actually started handing it to the adults along the curb and putting some in other kids bags. It pretty much rained candy for about an hour and a half and we missed the first twenty minutes or so. The parade had a lot of neat vehicles, everything from tractor trailers to horse drawn wagons and a huge section of firetrucks including one that looked like it was the first style created after they gave up on the horse drawn variety. All in all pretty neat and the days only half over.

I used nap time today and wrote one of the better Query/Synopsis packages I think I've ever done. Having refitted the first three chapters of the new novel I'm going to send it out. The editor I'm choosing to send it to has a long return time so I'm figuring by the time I get a response and she wants the rest of the manuscript (I know she will I know she will I know she will crosses fingers and hops on one leg while biting tongue)it will be ready. Probably ought to let it sit, but I'm in love with the novel right now and anxious to send it on its maiden voyage. Anybody willing to look at query or synopsis would be greatly appreciated because I know I am, in the horsey vernacular, just a bit barn blind at this point in time.

In the middle of nowhere I never imagined I'd have a hard time finding a place to keep horses. It doesn't help that I have two stallions but still these are cowboys... Anyhows...Woohoo finally found someplace so hopefully within the month my husband and horses will be joining me. I'm thinking at the current real estate values, or lack thereof I may just rent out the place in virginia. Everything seems to be coming together. And most affordably too.

This one has nothing to do with writing. My daughter called last night to say she made the Dean's List at university. Not bad for the mother of a one year old / full time student. Fortunately she has a worthwhile, supportive, husband and lots of his relatives who are more than willing to help with the littlest member of the clan. I'm so proud of her.

Woo Hoo!!! finished... But I think I'll probably add to the end. Official first round word count 102,489. Not nder 100,000 but not ver 105,000 either. Normally I let them sit awhile before starting round-two but characters changed throughout this writing and I need to make some changes while the need is still fresh in my mind. Probably do a quick run for punctation and grammar as well. Since that one takes several run-throughs I might as well get a start on it. A lot of the problem is my wonderful skill with a keyboard whih anybody who read my last post can pretty much figure out for themselves. The best thing about --The End-- maybe now I'll get some sleep.

My husband's still in Virginia so I don't get to do much at all--writing wise-- until the granddaughter goes to sleep so here we are 12:55 AM. Defintiely not gonna keep these hours for revisions.

And yet so far. I started out as a mega-novelist. My first book was 187,000 words and when I discovered a bit more about the writing world and knew there wasn't a xhance in this woirlkd to sell it as a first novel I added about 60,000 words to it gavce myself a break in action that created a viable split and still ebded up with two novels over 120,000 words. My next completed mss. both logged in at 120,000 give or take a thousand words. They are much more marketable than the first, bit still on the long side for first novels. The current WIP was being so incredibly cooperative I really thought I was going to bring it in at under 100,000 words (my personal goal) but alas, such is not to be. Currently standing at 98,400 it just isn't going to happen. However I do think I'll be able to hold it under 105,000. The end is in sight just a shade over 1,600 words though. Oh well that's what rewrites are for. Unfortunately my rewrites usually add as much as they remove.