Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Productive Prattle

I'm going to ease back into things by sparing you all long-winded emotional explanations, much-justified spleen ventage, candid industry horror spillage and other self-indulgent unproductive prattle. We'll just say that it's been a very rough month both personally and professionally for me, and let the buzzkillers stew.

I know you all were worried, but it really was a good thing I stayed away. As an author who keeps an industry blog, I know I shouldn't post anything when all my ideas either start or end with suggestions on how, precisely, that Publishing should have intercourse with itself. And pretty much? That's all I had to offer.

Plus it's NaNoWriMo, my favorite writing month of the year, and hell if I'm going to rain on their parade. Welcome to all the NaNo'ers who might stop by here. I'll try to put together some posts and links that are useful for you folks.

A few series updates: both Omega Games (StarDoc book #8) and Twilight Fall (Darkyn book #6) are finished and in the hands of their respective editors. I'm not sure of release dates yet. Evermore (Darkyn book #5) according to my publisher will be a Rhapsody Book Club selection (mailing 1/7), a Doubleday Book Club selection (mailing 1/17), and a Science Fiction Book Club selection (mailing 2/15). I'm putting together a proposal for Darkyn book #7, and if all goes well it will be Robin's story.

My thanks to everyone who e-mailed, prayed, wrote poems, worried and kept stopping in to check on me and see if I was coming back. You are the reason that I did.

36 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you're back! I know you'll have some wisdom to give us out of whatever it was you had to go through.

    {{hugs}}

    P.S. I just broke 10,000 words for NaNoWriMo! :)

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  2. It was a great start to the morning to check in with fingers crossed and discover you're back. You were missed.

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  3. Anonymous7:41 AM

    Evermore (Darkyn book #5) according to my publisher will be a Rhapsody Book Club selection (mailing 1/7), a Doubleday Book Club selection (mailing 1/17), and a Science Fiction Book Club selection (mailing 2/15).

    Oh cool. Congrats.

    :( Sorry to hear things are going so rough~hope they have gotten better, or get that way soon.

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  4. Anonymous7:43 AM

    Whew! Glad you're okay. I was worried that something had happened (worse than just a bad month, I mean...). Welcome back, and I hope things get much better for you soon.

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  5. I feel like an ass. You went silent, and I didn't follow up. What kind of jerk does that? Sorry.

    But much overjoyed to see you back. I need someone to remind me I'm supposed to be writing.

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  6. Anonymous8:34 AM

    I'm with Jim... I was giving you a full month before I pestered with an email just b/c I figured everyone else was doing it, too.... BUT you're back now and that is wonderful. And I'm glad to hear the books are with their editors - I'm excited for Twilight Fall, after the ending of Private Demon. And, after the ending of Evermore I really HOPED that you would give Robin a book, so this is doubly good news to me.

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  7. Hooray for the book clubs! And fingers crossed for Robin's story. I'm glad you're back, but I can understand why sometimes is golden.

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  8. Great news about Evermore...that book is just *so good*...(i work for a review site and got extremely lucky!!)...it's so good i am nervous about writing the review becuase you are just SO GOOD....really!

    so what do we readers have to do to get an excerpt of Twilight Fall?? (and just to say it again, you were missed and it's great to see you back in the blogosphere! *hug*)

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  9. again, thank you for coming back, pbw. It feels like party time. Thank you.

    (but, um, so you're saying that self-indulgent unproductive prattle is a bad thing?)

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  10. Anonymous9:06 AM

    Welcome back!

    If you ever need to vent, I'm around.

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  11. Anonymous9:24 AM

    I'm sorry you've been dragged through hell. Welcome back and I'm glad Nano brought you out of the funk! (I'm at 10,555 as of last night). I'm also sweating with Sven on Alison Kent's blog.

    Congrats on the intense release schedule. You're welcome, although my husband calls it nagging. *huge grin*

    Thank you for coming back.

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  12. We'll just have to show those industry folks how little their opinions matter by the sell count on your two new books. Congrats on the book club sales and I can't wait to read both the new StarDoc and the new Darkyn. Somehow, though I have a huge TBR pile, your books end up hanging out on it much less than the average despite being newer editions. I read by mood, and well, your writing fits almost any of my moods :D.

    I'm glad you're back. I might not post all that often, but the writing world is a better place with you here in it.

    Margaret

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  13. Was wondering where you are! Hope all settles down soon.

    Party at PBW! Welcome back hon. (I almost said welcome home LOL)

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  14. The blogosphere is complete again. PBW has returned.

    So sorry to hear you've had a bad month, though. Ditto on all the well wishings for smoother going. And while I've missed your daily wisdom and sarcasm, I completely agree that there comes times when one must circle the wagons or sound the retreat. I'm so notorious for holing up that I'm often describe as "Ris, my hermit friend" by those around me.

    Glad to see you back.

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  15. It's wonderful to see you again around the blogsphere! Sorry to hear your life has been ...er... not so good. *hugs*

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  16. Very glad you are back! I think I had a sense about this -- I would see your link in my sidebar and just couldn't click on it, for weeks now. Today, I was compelled. :) Odd but true.

    Hope things are better, or get better very quickly. :) Your wit and wisdom are very much needed.

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  17. Glad you're back. Sorry things have been sucky.

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  18. Glad to see that you're back among us. Missed you. (((Hugs)))

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  19. Ahh... SO GOOD to have you back!

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  20. Anonymous12:38 PM

    Good to see you back. I missed you. You don't HAVE to tell us anything. =)

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  21. I'm glad you're back, I was worried about you :(

    Also, I was selfishly worried about me, what if you died and the books stopped coming, what would I do?

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  22. Anonymous1:08 PM

    (((PBW))) This time last year I went through a period of such intense darkness that I almost forgot how the light felt. I still get a little frightened even now, thinking about it. Well done for making it out so quickly, and which such humour and good-grace. I hope you keep climbing.
    Zxx

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  23. Anonymous1:21 PM

    Glad to see you're back, lady.

    I hope things get better for you soon.

    Blessings,

    Dawn

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  24. "I know I shouldn't post anything when all my ideas either start or end with suggestions on how, precisely, that Publishing should have intercourse with itself."

    You,too?

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  25. Yay, so happy you are back!. I wondered what was going on - thought it was technical difficulties, sorry about the bad month.

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  26. Worried?!?! Who me?!?! I only checked your site twice a day. I mean... does that count as worried? Gulp. The blogospher has been boring wihout you though.

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  27. Welcome back. It's great to hear from you again.

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  28. I'm glad you're back and hope not everything sucked while you were in hiding. I really liked Evermore and appreciate you sending me the galley copy.
    Thanks!

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  29. I am NaNoing.

    427 words so far on the computer. I am a bit behind.

    But I have been writing loads of stuff in longhand. Not looking forward to typing it up so I can wordcount it.

    Determined that I won't be pulling my usual trick of trying to do 20,000 words in the last week.

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  30. Woo-Hoo you're back! I love to read your blog.

    Maggie

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  31. Glad you're back. Loved my ARC of EVERMORE and am naturally excited to read the next Darkyn book is being edited.

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  32. I didn't comment, partly because to me it almost feels like guilt-tripping... but mostly because I had blind faith that you'd be back here with us when you were ready to.

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  33. We love you, PBW, and welcome back, venting spleen and all! Heck, that's what we're here for.

    And on a personal note, I didn't know how you could possibly beat the last Darkyn novel, but Evermore does it. In spades. FABULOUS.

    I cannot gush about it enough. Bless you. You rule.

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  34. Great to see you're back!

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  35. Well I for one am glad to see you back.

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  36. Anonymous4:34 AM

    Thank you for being back. Hope you are doing better and better!

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