Month: April 2022

Just…No News

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Here we are—4/20

Sadly (and very disappointingly) this post does NOT have to do with the magical wonders of this most celebrated holiday. Like last week and possibly the week before (or is that when we visited the castle-fort?) nothing major has happened. Other than Gilbert Gottfried passing (RIP Iago) life has carried on like life should carry on, pretty much the same. No big news, no small news. Just…no news…which tends to be good news, apparently.

I’m still working on edits for APIP and am chugging right along with it. Why do I write such long books? Why? If this was a bit more normal, I could see the finish line. But, I’m about ten to fifteen thousand words over what the “ideal” word count is, so I’ve still got a ways to go. It’s probably what I’m doing now—going through the manuscript and cutting out unnecessary words. Taking the old axe to the baby. Slicing and dicing her up. Got to love the editing stage.

And I do, but I love the writing stage more. Now that I’ve allowed myself to write AROG only on the weekends, I’m more excited for them. (As if you can be more excited for weekends…) But I am! I love fine-tuning ARPIP, but with AROG, I’m seeing everything for the first time. And even new scenes pop up that weren’t on the outline. It’s exciting!

Non-writing related, everything is good. Batman’s good. Dogs are good. House is good. I’m afraid to knock on wood but I’d feel a bit anxious if I didn’t. So, there. Wood has officially been knocked on. Gonna keep this positive vibe going as long as possible.

Hope all is well with you, and that you’re able to knock on wood too.

Alright, off to edit ARPIP. Until Friday, that is.

Since Friday evening is *technically* part of the weekend, I can work on AROG to my heart’s content. Just following the rules.

~ Lady Caitlin

This Good Peaceful Feeling

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I’ve got nothing exciting for you this week. We didn’t see a magical fort or travel to a cool city or celebrate anything for Batman (or me). I cleaned all weekend and worked all week. It’s been very adult and very boring and unfortunately, that’s how it goes sometimes.

But things are good. Even with the extended hours at work, I’m still able to come home and have enough mental energy to work on edits. I don’t get more than a few pages done, but it all adds up. And if I do it every day during the week, I’ll knock out these edits in no time. A huge part of me wants to work on AROG, but I’m saving that for the weekend. Working on the ARPIP edits during the week earns me a couple free writing hours on Saturday and Sunday for AROG. Plus, it lets me work on both simultaneously, so win-win there.

Batman is good. Dogs are good. Laundry is done and both bathrooms are cleaned. Actually, I feel pretty ahead for the moment, so I’m going to soak it in. Also, I have heaps of advertising to do and a mountain of anxiety behind it, so I’m going to pretend that doesn’t exist for a bit. Just going to enjoy this good, peaceful feeling for a little bit longer.

But soon…

I have a newsletter coming out on Friday, edits to do on book 1 and writing to do on book 2, so I’m off to work on the next project—whatever it is. But it’s got to be one of them, huh? Man, I really need to work on getting a clone. We’d get so much done together.

Maybe next week will be more exciting. Or the same. I’m honestly fine with either.

~ Lady Caitlin

Pretty Fricking Dope

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Batman turned thirty-six. High-five to the best husband for keeping himself alive over three decades and still being able to keep up with the housework. Well, sometimes.

To celebrate, we took a weekend trip to Amelia Island. It’s only a little over an hour away, but we stayed Friday and Saturday night to give ourselves plenty of time to explore all the nifty thrifty places, the main downtown scene, and my personal favorite, Fort Clinch.

Have you ever been to a fort? It’s like going back in time without having to give up deodorant. We have one in St. Augustine which is around forty-five minutes away, and that one is pretty impressive too, but Fort Clinch was straight up magical. Not only does it overlook the Atlantic Ocean, but the outer ring (?) had so many little stone archways and twists and turns, I was for sure Lancelot was about to pop out of one of them. And then, the most magical thing happened. I found this:

I’m a sucker for stone stairways. I don’t know if it’s because I was obsessed with Prince of Thieves as a kid (remember when Kevin Costner was trying to race up those stone steps?) and I’ve even incorporated the environment into different stories like Rozmarie & Josiah. I LOVE twisty stone stairways. So, naturally, I ran right up, completely expecting to find a Go-No-Further sign, but there was none. None! I kept ascending until I reached the very top:

Magic. How else to describe finding a twisty-turny stone stairwell? It might not be a big deal, but it was like walking into one of my stories, like watching it come to life around me. Pretty fricking dope.

Batman had a good time, and after a long-awaited couples massage, we explored the city until the weather had other plans for us. All in all, it was a great weekend.

Writing-wise, I feel severely behind schedule and even contemplated about pushing back the release date. I should be advertising like, now, and I’m still working on the edits. At least I’ve revealed my cover, but it doesn’t do me much if I have no idea how to market the thing. Yes, I should’ve been figuring it out this whole time, but I’m also writing book two, have a full time job that’s recently demanded longer shifts, and, to be honest, the whole thing is terrifyingly overwhelming. I was hoping the newsletter might help, but I really just need to learn advertising. And how to successfully launch this book, which, unless I figure it out quickly, will be launched the same as all the rest. But, who knows? Maybe I’ll get my act together with the AROG, because I really want to release ARPIP in June.

You guys want that too…right?

Feeling anxious…

Just need to breathe and concentrate on the spiral stone stairway. I’ve got this.

~Lady Caitlin

More pictures of the magic because…why not?